Audience
Researchers
Keywords
mathematics anxiety, mathematics performance factors affect math learning and achievement
Author(s)
Namkung, J. M., Peng, P., & Lin, X.
Date
2019
Abstract
The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the relation between mathematics
anxiety (MA) and mathematics performance among school-aged students,
and to identify potential moderators and underlying mechanisms of such
relation, including grade level, temporal relations, difficulty of mathematical
tasks, dimensions of MA measures, effects on student grades, and working
memory. A meta-analysis of 131 studies with 478 effect sizes was conducted.
The results indicated that a significant negative correlation exist between MA
and mathematics performance, r = −.34. Moderation analyses indicated that
dimensions of MA, difficulty of mathematical tasks, and effects on student
grades differentially affected the relation between MA and mathematics performance.
MA assessed with both cognitive and affective dimensions showed a
stronger negative correlation with mathematics performance compared to MA
assessed with either an affective dimension only or mixed/unspecified dimensions.
Advanced mathematical tasks that require multistep processes showed a
stronger negative correlation to MA compared to foundational mathematical
tasks. Mathematics measures that affected/reflected student grades (e.g., final
exam, students’ course grade, GPA) had a stronger negative correlation to MA
than did other measures of mathematics performance that did not affect student
grades (e.g., mathematics measures administered as part of research).
Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed