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…

Explores whether there is a component of mathematics anxiety distinct from numerical anxiety and mathematics test anxiety. A 30-item instrument was administered to 365 community college students. A factor involving anxiety associated with specific mathematics topics, labeled "abstraction anxiety," was found. (MNS)

Examined whether mathematics-related self-efficacy mediated the effects of gender and mathematical preparation and achievement on math relatedness of college major choice in 117 undergraduates. Results showed that math self-efficacy predicts both math anxiety and math-related major choices. Gender alone appeared insufficient to explain…

Achievement of women in an all-female section of a noncredit, basic algebra course was compared with achievement of women in mixed-sex classes at Indiana University. Women who selected the all-female section had lower mathematical ability scores, yet attained significantly higher achievement scores. (MNS)

Some misconceptions about learning are discussed and specific suggestions for helping students in a college developmental mathematics class learn how to learn mathematics are presented. Extensive footnotes are appended. (MNS)

A lecture method was compared with a method based on questioning sequences that guided students to discover mathematical principles. Students with high levels of mathematics anxiety had significantly lower achievement. Students with high anxiety benefited more from the expository approach; those with low anxiety benefited more from the discovery…

This study examined classes at a university within each of four disciplines that differed in the degree to which they emphasized mathematical/quantitative skills. The disciplines were: (1) Social/Behavioral Sciences; (2) Business; (3) Physical Sciences; and (4) Applied Mathematics. A number of distinctive characteristics were found for each…

A review and a course outline of a workshop conducted at Wayne General and Technical College, a branch of the University of Akron, during seven weeks of Spring Semester 1980 are presented. (MP)

This study was designed to investigate mathematics performance as a function of anxiety, with examination for a relationship between mathematics and test anxiety and any sex differences on mathematics anxiety. The effects of evaluative stress on high and low mathematically anxious subjects was examined, and preliminary effort was made to…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether teaching strategies designed to help pupils build positive and realistic self concepts would have effects upon attitudes, anxiety, and achievement in mathematics. The population consisted of 60 students who had registered for a Survey of Mathematics course at Winward Community College…

The constituents of a sound mathematics education and ways to deal with the current situation of "mathophobic adults" are covered. Specific proposals related to precollege and continuing education are presented. (MP)

A 34-item scale entitled Statistics Attitude Survey (SAS) was developed and administered to three samples of students taking a beginning statistics course. Analyses showed that the scale was highly homogeneous and that total scale scores had moderate correlations with statistics grades. (Author)

One college math anxiety reduction clinic uses various techniques to change student attitudes toward math, including publicity and consciousness raising about the problem, having students write their "math autobiographies," group discussion and support, a divided-page exercise for recording feelings of anxiety, and assertiveness training for math…

A study was conducted at an urban community college in California to investigate the relationship among students' incoming mathematics skills, as measured by an achievement test administered when they entered the college; their math test anxiety, as measured by the Math Test Anxiety Index administered at midterm in an introductory mathematics…

This study sought to determine the effectiveness of augmenting instruction of "math-anxious" community college algebra students with a counselor. The control group, with about 25 students, was comprised of students in Term I (August-December 1984) who received algebra instruction in the traditional lecture method. The experimental group,…