Results are presented of a series of focus-group sessions held at Lancaster University during May 2002. Participants consisted of 12 undergraduate geography students chosen from amongst those identified as having strong antipathy towards quantitative material. The intention was to mine these students' perspectives on courses covering quantitative…

"The Price is Right" ("TPIR") is a rich source of examples of applied probability, combinatorics, and game theory. While some of the games played on stage by individual contestants stress a knowledge of pricing, many are also heavily based on probability. "TPIR" stage games are a treasury of interesting modules that can be effective learning tools…

"The Simpsons" is an ideal source of fun ways to introduce important mathematical concepts, motivate students, and reduce math anxiety. We discuss examples from "The Simpsons" related to calculus, geometry, and number theory that we have incorporated into the classroom. We explore student reactions and educational benefits and difficulties…

Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), we aimed to determine the causal ordering between mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement. Results of structural equation modelling showed that, across the entire junior and senior high school, prior low mathematics achievement significantly related to later high mathematics…

Preventing math anxiety begins by helping teachers confront and control their own fears of math through the use of counseling therapy and mathematics instruction. The article describes techniques to help math-anxious teachers deal with approach-avoidance conflicts in the classroom and lists guidelines for creating anxiety-free math classes. (JDD)

College students (n=491) were sampled to determine the extent to which attitudes toward mathematics can be viewed as reflections of other personality characteristics, as opposed to manifestations of a single underlying attitude toward mathematics. (Author/PN)

Techniques that can be used to help change the mathematical attitudes of prospective teachers are described. Work in small groups, using diverse approaches, and developing meaning are among the points included. (MNS)

A shortened version of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was developed. It yielded a coefficient alpha reliability estimated at .98, correlated .97 with the original MARS, and showed relationships with state, trait, and test anxiety parallel to the original MARS. It should be useful for mathematical course-related applications.…

This study reviews relevant literature to clarify the meaning of mathematics anxiety; reports on the field test of an instrument designed to measure anxiety; and analyzes change scores of students enrolled in a preservice elementary mathematics methods course to see if reductions in anxiety were observed. (MP)

This study was designed to identify those females who are predicted to fall substantially below their male counterparts in mathematical participation and performance (female potential underachievers) and who are most in need of intervention procedures early in their college career. (Author/CE)

Anxiety is viewed as a learned response from a negative experience, and teachers are encouraged to work with students in a sensitive, understanding, and encouraging manner. (MP)

A widely adopted National Diffusion Network program, Diagnostic Prescriptive Arithmetic, teaches elementary arithmetic skills through games and other concept-building activities. Practical math applications and problem-solving techniques are emphasized. (SK)

Discusses a study conducted to determine: (1) the initial attitudes toward mathematics held by students enrolled in first-level required courses; (2) the relationship of those attitudes to variables such as age, sex, and institutional type; and (3) the effect of the attitudes on student learning. (JP)

Although mathematics avoidance and mathematics anxiety are not unknown among men and boys, stressful experiences with mathematics are particularly pronounced in girls and women. Many educating and governing institutions will have to work together if efforts to alleviate mathematics anxiety are to pay off. (CJ)

This study's purposes were to test causal attribution theory in the masculine typed, content-specific task domain of mathematics and examine the effects of level of mathematics achievement, sex, and the interaction level of achievement and sex on attribution patterns. (MP)