This paper applies the well-known cognitive bias of loss aversion from behavioural economics to student decisions over engagement with mathematically demanding coursework. This bias is shown to predict behaviour that is consistent with mathematics anxiety in a dynamic model of student engagement. It is shown that these forces can imply…

Math anxiety (MA) is an important affective factor that contributes to individuals' math proficiency. While self-reports are commonly used to measure MA, a number of limitations are inherently connected to this measuring method. Physiological responses are considered a promising alternative approach, but research is scarce and the empirical…

We investigated the relations between self-reported math anxiety, task difficulty, and pupil dilation in adults and very young children during math tasks of varying difficulty levels. While task difficulty significantly influenced pupillary responses in both groups, the association between self-reported math anxiety and pupil dilation differed…

As early as age six, girls report higher math anxiety than boys, and children of both genders begin to endorse the stereotype that males are better at math than females. However, very few studies have examined the emergence of math attitudes in childhood, or the role parents may play in their transmission. The present study is the first to…

This study extends prior research by manipulating both intervention and skill difficulty using a multiple baseline across participants design with changing phases in a virtual tutoring environment. Participants were four U.S. students from third and fifth grades for whom appropriate and challenging instructional targets were selected following…

A crucial component of mathematics curriculum in primary education is represented by the ability to solve arithmetic word problems. Previous studies investigated predominantly the cognitive factors underlying this skill, neglecting the role of emotional (e.g. math anxiety -- MA) and metacognitive aspects (e.g. perceived difficulty). Some findings…

A vast majority of elementary students struggle with the core, pre-algebraic concept of mathematical equivalence. The Improving Children's Understanding of Equivalence (ICUE) intervention integrates four research-based strategies to improve outcomes for second grade students: (1) introducing the equal sign before arithmetic, (2) nontraditional…

We investigated whether worked examples could be used to reduce cognitive load on mathematics learners who may have reduced available cognitive resources due to experiencing anxiety or excess stress. Across 2 days, 280 fifth-grade students learned from a difficult lesson on ratio, half of whom reviewed worked examples at key problem-solving…

Comparison shopping is good financial practice, but situations involving numbers and computations are challenging for consumers with math anxiety. We asked North Americans (N = 256) to select the better deal between two products differing in volume and price. As predicted, math anxiety was negatively related to performance on this Price Comparison…

This study aimed to examine Grade 7 students' perceptions toward Math word problems to help improve their problem-solving skills since the said skill is important and essential for all students to possess. This study used a descriptive survey made by the researchers and consisted of 15 statements of feelings regarding Math word problems; the…

The present study focuses on creating a more pleasurable learning experience for students learning maths. Participants completed two lists of maths problems, a short list of only difficult maths problems and an extended list with both difficult maths problems and moderately difficult maths problems, placed in the beginning, end, or both beginning…

Prospective and practicing elementary teachers have historically demonstrated anxiety about mathematics, which can affect their mathematics teaching and their students' math anxiety. Yet, developing productive dispositions prior to teacher preparation programs is rarely addressed in the research. We propose mindset messaging in mathematics courses…

Despite the rapid development of motion-based technologies, their role in embodied learning remains ambivalent. This study aimed at investigating the potential added value of motion-based technologies in the context of geometry elementary education. An explanatory sequential design was adopted, composed of two phases. First, an experiment was…

While statistics is an essential topic for business students, many students experience barriers to successful learning due to anxiety, motivation, or difficulty with quantitative understanding. This research examines the use of online videos with an effort to explore the relationship between student characteristics, video usage, and course…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the Math Anxiety Scale (MANX; Erol 1989, Unpublished master thesis, Bogazici University) with data collected from 952 middle school students in Turkey. The Rasch Rating Scale model was used to examine the MANX at the item level. The results revealed that although the…