This paper sought to identify some of the dimensions, correlates, and effective treatments of mathematics anxiety. The introductory section provides a statement of the problem, defines the purpose, organization, and limitation of the study, and includes a glossary of terms. In the second section, an annotated bibliography is presented, organized…

Described in this guide are the techniques used in a mathematics anxiety treatment project. All eighth- and tenth-grade students in two junior high schools and two high schools in a large urban school district were evaluated to determine their "math-anxiety" and "math-achievement" levels. Forty-five junior high and 45 high school girls were…

Presented are four fact sheets relating to mathematics education topics and which were produced by the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education in 1981. Fact sheet topics are: (1) Females and Mathematics, (2) The Problem of Problem Solving, (3) Mathematics Teacher Supply and Demand, and (4) Microcomputers and…

This symposium includes five presentations of studies of mathematics attitudes at three educational levels: junior high, postsecondary, and graduate school. The studies have implications in the fields of mathematics education, educational research, academic advisement, and career counseling. The studies identify the extent of the problem of…

Math anxiety is discussed as it affects men, and especially women, and two suggestions are made to help students combat it: creation of special sections for hesitant students at all levels of introductory math; and math clinics for students with immediate or remedial math problems. (JMD)

This paper presents a method of assessing math anxiety based on self-reported descriptors used to evaluate various personality traits in college students. A secondary purpose of the paper is to report the results of applying such an inventory to a group of college mathematics students. (PK)

Secondary teachers in a workshop on overcoming computer and math anxiety and students in a programming course were given measures of anxiety and achievement. Low mathematical ability and coursework were related to math and computer anxiety and negative attitudes. Attitudes improved for the teachers but not the students. (MNS)

Examined how preservice elementary teachers' (N=38) mathematical knowledge and mathematics anxiety affect their success in a mathematics methods course. Also examined the hypothesis that a mathematics methods course can reduce the mathematics anxiety of these teachers. One finding is that mathematics anxiety does not inhibit their learning of…

Nine different attitude scales are briefly described. They cover attitude toward success in mathematics, mathematics as a male domain, mother's and father's attitude, teachers' attitudes, confidence in learning mathematics, mathematics anxiety, effectance motivation in mathematics, and mathematics usefulness. (DT)

This article reports on a study that investigated the causes underlying a sample of eighteen third-year Australian pre-service primary teachers' negative beliefs and anxiety about mathematics. It was found that most of the participants' maths-anxiety could be attributed to their primary school experiences in learning mathematics. Situations such…

Many Commonwealth countries are concerned about gender factors in mathematics and science education. Labor market statistics in many developing countries show greater participation rates for men in science in general and in numerically-based disciplines in particular. Available evidence indicates that gender biases account for the difficulties…

An overview of the status of female participation in mathematics is given. Special attention is paid to the evidence that participation in mathematics courses in high school acts as a filter for occupational choice. (MK)

Six features of a traditional mathematics curriculum that help establish math avoidance are discussed. Math avoidance is viewed as a natural reaction to so much of the experience of the student in situations euphemistically described as the learning of mathematics. (Author/MK)

Presents eleven open-ended questions used to address students' beliefs about mathematics that were culled from a wide variety of mathematics education populations. Each question is followed by a summary of typical responses from those populations that can help teachers plan instruction and structure the classroom environment. (JJK)

The crisis confronting calculus and mathematics education generally results from a number of failed assumptions implicit in the dominant lecture-homework-exam methodology used in teaching mathematics. Positive resolution of this crisis can be found in adopting a noncompetitive, collaborative approach to mathematics education. (Author)