In the area of school mathematics, research has repeatedly indicated that males are far more likely than females to participate in and excel at the highest levels of achievement. Given the supposition of innate differences between the sexes in mathematical ability, as well as the existence of sociocultural differences, none of these variables…

This study is a systematic investigation of female participation in mathematics and science classes in New York City schools. Six major findings reported include: (1) young women's low levels of participation in mathematics and science reflect the overall low levels of participation and reveal lack of attention to excellence in mathematics and…

Subjects for this study were female participants in a mathematics anxiety treatment program at a midwestern university. A series of test instruments were administered. Statistical analysis indicates that for this female sample, the domain of mathematics anxiety is best described as primarily test anxiety and only secondarily as anxiety associated…

Presented is a general overview of mathematics anxiety, its definition, and techniques to measure it. Included are a brief discussion of gender-related issues and an analysis of research on effects of mathematics anxiety on elementary teachers. Contained are some intervention strategies and treatments, conclusions and implications for further…

Research on learner's beliefs are summarized in the areas of beliefs about mathematics as a discipline, beliefs about learning mathematics, beliefs about mathematics teaching, and beliefs about self within a social context in which mathematics teaching and learning are occurring. (PK)

A key to continuing occupational segregation by sex is seen to lie in "math avoidance" by women students. Borrowing from the insights of affective education, innovators have developed "reentry mathematics" courses which turn to self-conditioning, the attitudes, the psychological mindset, and the self-defeating behaviors of…

Most mathematics anxiety has its roots in the teaching and teachers of mathematics. Because people generally are not math anxious before going to school, an examination of the previous statement proves to be well founded. This article reviews the literature and discusses different ways that teachers may help to prevent their students from becoming…

Two separate studies examined sex differences in high school and university students in Bophuthatswana on socio-personal variables. Study 1 (n=109) involving socioeconomic status, school alienation, sex, self-concept, mathematics attitude, and mathematics achievement indicated boys scored significantly higher on attitude and achievement. Study 2…

Discusses a methods course for preservice mathematics teachers that addresses the affective side of learning mathematics. Students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences in relation to themselves as learners, teachers, and mathematicians. (MDH)

In this study, twenty-eight prospective teachers enrolled in a mathematics course participated in regular writing activities in reflective notebooks. Students' writings and data collected from interviews and surveys were used to analyze the effects of the notebooks on students' perceptions of their learning and mathematics anxiety. Students…

A large body of research literature has indicated that parents exert a strong influence on their children's development of achievement attitudes. It is suggested that children's beliefs about achievement appear to be related to parents' expectations about their childrens' achievement but not to parent's attitudes regarding their own abilities and…

This book, written primarily for college students who feel uncomfortable with mathematics, attempts to provide its readers with new ways of thinking about mathematics, reading mathematics, studying mathematics, talking the language of mathematics and appreciating the power of using mathematics. Chapter 1 deals directly with the problem of math…

Students enrolled in four classes in mathematics at a predominantly black, urban community college were subjects of a research study designed to identify their attitudes toward mathematics, test these attitudes with various correlates, identify possible factors responsible for developing negative attitudes toward mathematics, and make…

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mathematics-related self-efficacy mediates the effects of gender and mathematical preparation and achievement on mathematics-relatedness of college major. The responses of 117 undergraduates to a series of inventories and questionnaires yielded seven variables descriptive of the…

This paper, presented at the 1979 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), focuses on curricular interventions which have been used by the University of Minnesota to reduce mathematics anxiety among adults. It summarizes four approaches for dealing with the problem and describes the model used by the Math Anxiety Program of…