ERIC Number: EJ1367752
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Apr
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-3085
EISSN: EISSN-1520-6807
The Role of Math Anxiety in the Relationship between Approximate Number System and Math Performance in Young Children
Psychology in the Schools, v60 n4 p912-930 Apr 2023
Although interest in mathematics anxiety in young children (6-11 years) has increased recently, the results of previous studies on the role of mathematics anxiety in the relationship between number sense and math performance are inconsistent. The study's main objective was to establish whether math anxiety is a mediator or a moderator in the relationship between number line estimation (NLE) and mathematical outcomes. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. A total of 234 Turkish public primary school children (third and fourth graders) participated in the study. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) math anxiety mediates the relationship between the approximate number system (ANS) (an easier and more difficult task of ANS) and math performance (math achievement and arithmetic fluency); (2) math anxiety moderates the relationship between ANS (an easier and more difficult task of ANS) and math performance (math achievement and arithmetic fluency). The results mostly suggest no mediation effect of math anxiety between NLE and math performance in young children. The results also suggest that increases in difficulty level in NLE (increases of errors in NLE) is related to more anxiety regarding mathematics. Furthermore, moderation analyses indicated that the acuity of mental representation of numbers in high math-anxious children is a key factor contributing to math performance. Developmental aspects of the obtained results are also discussed in the paper.
Descriptors: Mathematics Anxiety, Number Systems, Mathematics Achievement, Number Concepts, Elementary School Students, Foreign Countries, Grade 3, Grade 4
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 3; Primary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A