Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are in high demand. These fields all require sufficient math ability. However, many university students suffer from math anxiety. This study conducted an experiment to explore the influence of math anxiety on university students' challenging math problem-solving behavior and whether autonomy…

We share our theorizing about a common statement regarding a math person that is often perceived as innocuous in society. More specifically, we are referring to people's responses when an individual shares that they are studying mathematics, such as "I have always hated math" and "Oh, you must be so smart." We draw on the…

A. Wigfield and J. Meece (1988) developed the Mathematics Anxiety Questionnaire (MAQ) to measure the cognitive and affective aspects of mathematics anxiety. In particular, using school-aged students, Wigfield and Meece have provided evidence that the MAQ measures two factors identified as Worry and Negative Affective Reactions. This study used…

The purpose of this study was to contribute to greater understanding of the mathematics anxiety construct by: (a) identifying the independent dimensions underlying the item responses on the Math Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS); (b) developing factor scales to measure these dimensions; and (c) determining if specific personal and academic background…

Although the number of computers in the school system is increasing, many schools are not using computers to their capacity. One reason for this may be computer anxiety on the part of the teacher. A review of the computer anxiety literature reveals little information on the subject, and findings from previous studies suggest that basic controlled…

The present demand for quantitative proficiency makes low mathematics achievement not only a formidable obstacle in occupational aspirations but also in the academic arena. To modify the current understanding of the problem of mathematics anxiety and to develop an effective treatment program, college students (12 subjects per group; 8 females, 4…

In this paper we report on a case study of a university student (third year of Mathematics course). She was engaged in proving a statement of elementary number theory. We asked her to write the thoughts that accompanied her solving process. She was collaborative and her protocol is suitable to study the interrelation between affect and cognition.…

Although women are entering male-dominated occupations at a greater rate, they still tend to avoid those occupations, as well as college majors that require math. Lack of an adequate math background, and thus lower math achievement, seems to effectively bar women from high level, technological, and male-dominated occupations. This study examined…

A multifactorial scale of attitudes toward statistics was developed, and factors related to attitudes toward statistics (objective and subjective mathematics background, anxiety, spatial ability, expectations, motivation, attitudes toward computers, teacher and course evaluation, sex and sex-role stereotypes, and major) were investigated for…

The effects of math anxiety and sex on computer anxiety, computer confidence, and computer liking were investigated with 161 junior high and high school language arts students; 119 community college mathematics students; and 76 college students residing in dormitories. The Computer Attitude Scale (Loyd and Gressard, 1984) was used to measure…

The contributions of acceptance of misconceptions about mathematics, mathematical self-concept, and arithmetic skills to mathematics anxiety and to statistics course performance were studied in 92 adult students aged 18 to 57 with a median age of 27, (16 males and 76 females). Results showed that acceptance of misconceptions and mathematical…

Math avoidance has been hypothesized as related to career choice restrictions. Few attempts have been made, however, to assess the relative importance of the various components of math avoidance to career choice. Furthermore, it has been implied that persons fearful of math not only avoid specific careers but also reject careers that are otherwise…

The relationship between several individual difference variables and test performance using computerized adaptive testing (CAT) was studied with 208 South Korean college students. The general individual difference variable selected was test anxiety, and the math-related individual difference variables were mathematics aptitude, math test anxiety,…

Four hundred forty six female university students who had completed at least five courses were tested for self-schemas in math/science ability. One hundred eighty-four of the women had taken or were taking more than the required one basic math or science course. It was found that 35.0% of the women in the sample could be classified as having a…

The purpose of this study was to investigate some variables that relate to students' anxiety in learning statistics. The variables included sex, class level, students' achievement, school, mathematical background, previous statistics courses, and race. The instrument used was the 24-item Students' Attitudes Toward Statistics (STATS), which was…