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Horacio Aguilar

Mr. Keaton Powers

ENGL 1302-102

7 December, 2023

Countering Math Anxiety: Unveiling Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

Introduction

Mathematics is a subject loved and hated. Some find it easy, while others find it difficult,

yet it is a subject encountered at least once in a student's life within the educational setting.

Whether loved or hated, easy or hard, mathematics can bring anxiety to students. In today's

society, in the academic environment, about 20% to 25% of students experience high levels of

math anxiety (Weir, How to solve for math anxiety?). Though critics may disagree and state

otherwise, this paper will discuss the intricacies of math anxiety, exploring its causes,

consequences, and potential solutions. Moreover, it raises the critical question: Could educators

and authority figures may unknowingly contribute to the cause of math anxiety among students?

Now, What is Math Anxiety?

As stated in the name "Math Anxiety," math anxiety is a type of anxiety that causes

"panic, helplessness, paralysis, and mental disorganization that arises among some people when

they are required to solve a mathematical problem" (Fiore 403). Just like every other anxiety,

math anxiety is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual will show signs of sweating,

trembling, fear, panic, feelings of hopelessness, avoidance (Luttenberger et al.) Furthermore,

math anxiety can be passed on from parents and teachers, unknowingly causing the students to

carry the anxiety on their shoulders.

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Encouraging a Positive Math Learning Environment: The Roles of a Teacher’s Passion and

Parental Involvement

As mentioned before, math anxiety is a serious problem students deal with within the

mathematics environment, and if not treated, it will not allow for a positive learning

environment. The reason why math anxiety is planted in a student in the first place is because of

teachers who do not show any signs of caring about the subject or students. Jadwiga Domino

expresses that, "Teacher's behaviors in mathematics classrooms have a large impact on student's

attitudes towards mathematics" (48). If a teacher shows no signs of caring, how does one expect

a student to care? If the teacher does not care, why should the student? Because of this, when the

student is placed in the moment of having to do mathematics, they will not know what to do

because the teacher never cares. However, if the teacher is passionate about the subject and truly

cares about the class and students, the same can not be said because the probability of the

students liking the subject and understanding the course is certain to be positive, creating a

positive environment. As Ada Grey puts it into perspective, to teach something, one must love it,

and "The students also have to love what they are doing" (58). Nevertheless, this is not the

student's fault for acquiring math anxiety, but instead, the teacher's because, as stated before, for

a student to understand what they are doing, they need to love it, and as a teacher, they need to

love what they are doing, or else it might be the demise of their students. Patrick Honner, a

three-time Math for American Master Teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School, gives an

example of the mindset a teacher should have in a classroom. Honner wanted to be a teacher

because he loves math and is a great tutor, and that being a math teacher makes him more

creative with mathematics, inspiring him and his students (34). This shows the passion a teacher

should have so their students do not fall into math anxiety.

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Nonetheless, while teachers play an important role in causing math anxiety, parents play

a crucial role in a student's outcome. For the most part, students, on a daily basis, from Monday

to Friday, have to be in school for around eight hours, and after those eight hours, they are at

their house for the rest of the time. However, while being in their house, the probability of

having homework from school is surely given to students to see if the lecture given at school was

understood, to prepare them for future lectures, or some independent learning. However, what if

the student needs help understanding their homework? Unfortunately, the student can not contact

the teacher because, after school hours, the teacher is surely doing their own thing. So, like most

students, they will contact their friends, go online, or ask their parents. Yes, asking a friend or

going online will surely give the answer needed, but what if the parent discourages the student?

Younger students, for the most part, do not have many ways to communicate with other peers,

and as innocent as they think, they believe their parents know it all. So, when it comes to

mathematics, a younger student, for the most part, will struggle, leading them to go to their

parents and ask for help. However, when a child starts to struggle in mathematics, unfortunately,

the parents "many [times] are not concerned" (Walker 503), which unfortunately leads to parents

stating that because they did not do well in mathematics, their child will not be good at it either,

this causing for "all motivation from home [to be lost] (Walker 503). For example, imagine a

younger student, eager to learn and understand, goes to their parents to help them with their

homework. If the parents dismiss their child's request or express frustration in this hypothetical

situation, the student could easily sense the rejection and develop a negative viewpoint. Because

of this, it might lead to losing motivation and creating a barrier to learning, potentially leading to

math anxiety. However, what if the parent was concerned? However, not all parents are like that;

in some cases, some parents get concerned over their child's learning. For example, instead of
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declining their approach, the parent could go online and search for the best solution to the

problem to help out their child. This approach creates a positive learning environment, allowing

for motivational growth and continued learning, therefore offering a solution to potential issues

associated with parental involvement in a student's math education.

Counter Arguments

Nonetheless, as with most topics, some critics think math anxiety is not a serious

problem. Some argue that math anxiety is just a normal thing students have to go through within

their educational life because stress or pressure is essential for motivation, and if not challenged

or stressed, they may not be motivated enough to overcome obstacles in their learning.

Additionally, while negative parental attitudes can contribute to math anxiety, some might

argue that positive parental encouragement can counterbalance this effect, which means that

parents who actively support and encourage their children in math may lower the impact of

negative experiences at school.

Counter to Counter Arguments

Understanding the first argument is correct because it is normal for many students to get

nervous when answering a difficult math question or feel stress and pressure. However, what

needs to be put into consideration is that math anxiety is stress, pressure, nervousness, and

avoidance x10. As stated in the beginning, math anxiety is "panic, helplessness, paralysis, and

mental disorganization that arises among some people when they are required to solve a

mathematical problem" (Fiore 403). Not only that, but if the student has persistent math anxiety,

it leads to avoidance of math-related activities, a decline in performance, and negative emotional

reactions that hurt the student's learning. To further prove the point, Fiore discusses his past

experiences with a student he had in class. At the time, the student took developmental algebra
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around their forties and took the course to get to their future job/goal. However, things changed

when it came time to answer a math question. As Fiore describes, the student was described to be

"tense and disturbed" (403) when the student was taking a short assessment test. Later on, after

class, the student was found in the hallway crying because "she was afraid of mathematics and

that she performed well in all her classes except mathematics" (403). So, while some level of

anxiety is normal, severe and persistent math anxiety can have detrimental effects on a person's

academic and emotional well-being.

Moreover, while critics think that positive parents can counter the negative effects of

school, which in some cases can be true, it is hard to say that is true because, as said before,

students are in for half of their day in school, which means that they will get influenced by those

around in their school. Not only that but unfortunately, students at an older age tend to live a

more "private" life with their parents by not telling them what is going on in school.

Conclusion

In conclusion, math anxiety is an issue that significantly impacts a student's academic and

emotional well-being. As said throughout the paper, the causes of math anxiety often arise from a

lack of support and positive reinforcement both in the classroom and at home. Teachers and

parents both play a crucial role in either suppressing or causing math anxiety to appear. Yet,

while some may argue that math anxiety is a normal part of the learning process, the seriousness

of math anxiety, as shown by the experience of individuals, teachers, parents, and those of

"higher power," must "understand this problem of math anxiety and do what we can to prevent

it… [because] it may cause math anxious to become math avoiders" (Morris 13). So overall,

addressing the problem of math anxiety will require an effort from educators, parents, and those

of "higher power" by providing a more positive attitude towards mathematics and resources for
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the students, so they can create a positive learning, motivational, environment where students

would not fear mathematics.

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Works Cited:

Domino, Jadwiga. “Teacher’s Influences on Students’ Attitudes Toward Mathematics.” Research

and Teaching in Developmental Education, vol. 26, no. 1, 2009, pp. 32-54.

Fiore, Greg. “Math-Abused Students: Are We Prepared to Teach Them?” The Mathematics

Teacher, vol. 92, no. 5, May 1999, pp. 403-406

Grey, Ada. “Loving/Learning.” Visual Arts Research, vol. 40, no. 1, 2014, pp. 56-58

Honner, Patrick. “AFTERMATH. I Love Teaching Math: Maybe You Will Too.” Math Horizons,

vol. 24, no. 2, November 2016, pp. 34

Morris, Janet. “MATH ANXIETY: TEACHING TO AVOID IT.” The Mathematics Teacher,

vol.74, no. 6, September 1981, pp. 413-417.

Luttenberger, Silke, et al. “Spotlight on Math Anxiety.” Psychology Research and Behavior

Management, vol. Volume 11, no. 11, 8 Aug. 2018, pp. 311–322,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6087017/,https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s14142.

Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Walker, Kathleen. “CAUSES OF MATH ANXIETY AT THE UNIVERSITY.” Pi Mu Epsilon

Journal, vol. 6, no. 9, 1978, pp. 503-506

Weir, Kristen. “How to solve for math anxiety? Studying the causes, consequences, and

prevention methods needed” Apa.org, 2023, www.apa.org/monitor/2023/10/

preventing-math-anxiety#:~:text=Plenty%20of%20people%20are%20feeling. Oct. 2023,

Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

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