Introduction
Mathematics is one of the most important inventions of man, not to forget that it has existed since ancient civilizations emerged. One needs to count each day, recognize numbers, add, subtract, analyze and conclude from the world around every day. Almost everything that happens around in the world has a mathematical explanation. But mathematics is also a student’s nightmare. Mathematics forms the core subject in all curriculums world-wide. However, many do not understand mathematics even when they live with it every day. Mathematics is not a natural phenomenon and people learn it as they grow through their life. But not everyone is similar. It takes time to grasp concepts of mathematics for many students. Some are able to cope with it and join the mainstream, while others struggle to work through different stages of their academia with the minimum amount of mathematical score to just help them pass through their academic years. Yet again there are so many who are left behind in this race, who develop a special kind of fear for mathematics, avoiding mathematics as much as they can. They get anxious even at the mere mention of the word mathematics. Indeed in terms of psychology this condition is called math anxiety. Math anxiety has found special attention amongst researchers, and although it is a phenomenon still under scrutiny and not much is known about its exact causes, it affects many students’ academic careers bringing in poor credits for them. This article is a discussion of mathematical anxiety, carries my personal account of it and how it affected my educational career in my childhood and still affects my academics.
Discussion
Mathematic anxiety is most commonly seen in students who face problem in solving mathematical problems. Ashcraft in his study about mathematic anxiety defined it as “a feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math performance” (2002, p. 1) His study also includes mention of scales devised to measure the intensity of math anxiety students and individuals face when solving mathematical problems. Math anxiety makes students avoid solving mathematical problems, leading to a lack of practice in mathematics. The predicament leads to poor performance during tests and ultimately results in bad grades. Consistent poor performance adds up to the already low confidence of the student, heightening math anxiety. Students over time are caught up in a deteriorating cycle of confidence and increase math anxiety if not addressed at the right time and without the right method of teaching. A student suffering from math anxiety may continue perform badly due to the anxiety or lack of practice and experience or even both (Ashcraft & Kirk, 2011). The condition is very serious, as math anxiety and its effects lead to performance anxiety, which further puts pressure on the intellect of the person and lowers their performance.
There are several reasons for math anxiety to set in. Children learn most of the basic mathematical processes in pre-school and advance through kindergarten with the application of the concepts of basic mathematics (Ma, 1999). However, not everyone is able to grasp these concepts equally and although performing in pre-school and kindergarten is easy, the problem remains hidden. Over the years the problem accumulates and causes continuously lowering of performance and efficiency in mathematics. The problem does not lay in the teachings methods but the perception of the subject in different places.
My math anxiety caught on me in my early years of schooling. I would refrain from doing calculations manually and skip exercises as the problems would befuddle me to an extent where mathematics would only mean frustration and headaches. It was easy to carry on studying mathematics as I would get passing grades, merely enough to see me through to the next class. However, over the years this problem accumulated and began showing effects as early as in my seventh grade. I failed my math exam with a very poor grade and faced the risk of repeating the class because mathematics was one of the important subjects of my curriculum. To save me from repeating a whole year in the same class, I was enrolled to summer school where I was taught mathematics. It was during this period that I realized my anxiety for mathematics had turned into a form of fear. The prospect of solving simple problems was formidable as I would be left with no clue as what could be done to solve the problem.
The problem of math anxiety can have many reasons to settle in. The problem can be individual or extrinsic. Individual problem include slow grasping power and low memory retention. However, external reasons can be of a much wide range. From cultural, gender, inadequate or inefficient teaching methods or a combination of all of these, can be the reason for math anxiety to happen. Cultural differences in different countries cause math anxiety to settle in at an early age. In countries like the United States of America and Canada, it is generally believed that people who can handle mathematical problems are born naturally and are very rare. However, cultures in Asian countries, especially countries like India believe in rigorous practice and repetition to increase the competency on the subject. This is the reason that Asian students perform much better in mathematics. In terms of gender, mathematics has always been indicated as a man’s task. Therefore it is found that women with good mathematical skills are very rare. Women develop a kind of anxiety towards mathematics that stays with them throughout their life, as they get very less chances to get over their anxiety. Wrong or ineffective teaching methods form the last but the most important reason for math anxiety to enter and remain undiscovered in the student’s intellect. Low sympathy for slow learners and students with poor memory do not get the much needed sympathy they are entitled to from their tutors. Teachers with weak mathematical backgrounds or without experience usually tend to teach through wrong methods to calculate mathematical problems (Kawakami et al, 2008). Punitive teaching also is a problem, as it instills a form of fear of punishment, suppressing any hope of expression for the students. Inefficient teaching leads to math anxiety, low confidence and low performance, as students who get math anxiety into their intellect are left with no choice to deal with it and in extreme cases some do not even realize that they have any problem at all (Alexander & Cobb).
In my case, mathematics after my seventh grade episode became such a scary affair that I would literally skip away from any mention of any mathematical term. However, I did realize that the problem needed to be addressed and the only way I saw through was to try it out myself. I would try reading out problems again and again, slowly and painfully trying to understand what they would try to convey and make sense out of them. I was very slow because I never had the chance to consult with an expert in mathematics or psychology to help me rectify my predicament, although my make shift solution seemed to help me pass through my predicament. My case of math anxiety was not due to wrong teaching methods but a prolonged silence about my problem. I realized my problem very late for my age, as my fellow mates had moved on with more advanced levels of mathematics. It was a feeling of being left behind. I have dragged on ever since and have somehow improved in my mathematical skills through repetitive hard work. I still try hard and have taken up statistics in my current curriculum. I try hard to keep up with all the formulas and methods of calculations.
Conclusion
Math anxiety is not a very big problem and can be remedied very easily. Counseling and in depth research of the problem is needed (Kawakami et al, 2008). There are many who can achieve great feats through the right kind of guidance. The right kind of support and encouragement can work wonders and people suffering from math anxiety can become confident enough to take up mathematics on their own knowing that they have a reliable support. But in order for all this to become a reality it is very important to recognize that math anxiety is a problem and the ones who face it require help. If this realization comes in time, it can help save young minds from the sheer frustration of believing that they are inept at a wonderful subject known as mathematics.
References
Ashcraft, M.H. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 181-185.
Ashcraft in this book gives an in depth explanation of Math anxiety at different levels of personality. This particular excerpt is written in a common layman and can be easily comprehended by the reader. The book tries to address the issue of Math anxiety with the gravity it demands.
Ashcraft, M. H., & Kirk, E. P. (2001). The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 224-237
This journal is a joint venture by Ashcraft and Kirk upon the topic of Math anxiety. This article tries to find out the basic reasons for math anxiety.
Alexander, L., & Cobb, R. (1984). Identification of the dimensions and predictors of math anxiety among college students. New Orleans, LA, November 16, 1984. ERIC, ED 251320.
Alexander and Cobb try to find out the predicament of math anxiety in students at college level. This work has a scientific approach to the problem with a mention of all the indicators of math anxiety.
Ma, X. (1999) A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30(5), 520-540.
This journal article by Ma is an in depth research work addressing the field of study related to math and the inspiration that can be imbibed into students to get over math anxiety. The article enumerates ways for possible corrective measures for people already suffering from math anxiety.
Kawakami, K., Steele, J. R., Cifa, C., Phills, C. E., & Dovidio, J. F. (2008). Approaching math increases math = me, math = pleasant. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 818-825.
Kawakami et al try to find out easy yet scientific ways to cope with the problem of math anxiety. The journal article tries a simple step by step approach at uprooting math anxiety and enumerates ways to prevent math anxiety to occur amongst students.
