Mathematics anxiety (MA) is associated with intrusive thoughts and performance difficulties, yet its impact on attentional processes remains uncertain. Previous findings on attentional bias (AB) in MA have been inconsistent, and no studies have explicitly examined biases towards the negative internal dialogue and ruminations characteristic of MA. Across three experimental studies, we employed the dot-probe paradigm to investigate the content specificity and time course of AB in MA. Study 1 (n = 50) examined attentional responses to math-related words. No AB was observed, although higher MA was linked to slower reaction times (RTs) on congruent trials. Study 2 (n = 83) tested rumination-related words presented for 500ms and 1250ms. Again, no significant AB emerged, but high MA participants responded more slowly overall, independent of stimulus type or exposure duration. Study 3 (n = 64) extended this by including math-unrelated negative words and neutral-neutral baseline trials to disentangle vigilance and disengagement components. No robust AB effects were found, although weak positive correlations appeared between MA and RTs in specific conditions. Overall, MA was consistently associated with slower RTs rather than selective attentional bias, suggesting a generalised reduction in processing efficiency. These findings challenge the assumption that MA is underpinned by a content-specific AB, instead indicating broader attentional inefficiency.

Math anxiety (MA) refers to negative feelings when thinking about and performing math. We tested a novel intervention to explore whether animal-assisted education can reduce MA and improve math performance using a math-targeted therapy dog approach. Our initial pilot study showed significant reductions in math trait anxiety, leading to a larger investigation using a mixed measures design. The sample included 201 students (57 intervention group) aged 6-9 years from two international schools in Mauritius. Across sessions, children in the intervention group showed consistent, statistically reliable reductions in both general state anxiety and math state anxiety from pre- to post-session, indicating immediate emotion regulation effects. Math state anxiety also decreased from baseline to endpoint. Math performance improved more over time in the intervention group than in the control group. Math trait anxiety decreased over time, with larger descriptive reductions in the intervention group; however, baseline differences between groups mean that evidence for a specific effect on math trait anxiety remains inconclusive. This research offers a novel approach to addressing math anxiety in the classroom, with findings demonstrating that short, adaptable interventions can be effectively implemented to support emotion regulation and greater math engagement.

Word problems are notoriously difficult for students to solve and require both mathematical and linguistic processes. Moreover, word problem-solving performance might also be negatively affected by mathematics (math) anxiety, particularly when task complexity increases. Therefore, the study investigated whether math anxiety impacts word problem performance, particularly when mathematical difficulty (i.e., arithmetic carry/borrow operations) or linguistic difficulty (i.e., lexical consistency) increases. In an online experiment with N = 129 adults, we observed that higher math anxiety levels were related to lower performance in word problem-solving. Moreover, math anxiety particularly affected performance in linguistically - but not arithmetically - difficult word problems. This suggests that math-anxious individuals particularly struggle during word problem-solving when the text was more difficult to translate into an arithmetic problem. Therefore, the anxiety-complexity effect in word problems holds for math anxiety affecting the resolution of linguistic complexity rather than arithmetic complexity.

Math-related affective characteristics of primary school teachers are important for students' mathematical emotions, attitudes, and achievements. However, many previous studies have been conducted with pre-service teachers, often involving small samples. To fill this gap, we tested 1153 primary school teachers in the U.K., Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, T & uuml;rkiye, and Iran, to explore mean levels and correlates of math anxiety, math teaching anxiety, and math attitudes. We observed that, in general, teachers were characterized by low-to-moderate math anxiety and math teaching anxiety, and neutral-to-positive math attitudes. We also observed relationships between all the variables in accordance with expectations. Our study allows for a more systematic view on the domain-specific characteristics of primary school teachers across several countries. This represents an important step in understanding commonalities in math-specific emotions and attitudes among primary school teachers. Further to this, we provide insight into measurement considerations and discuss the importance of identifying and supporting future, and existing, teachers who experience anxiety in relation to math and the teaching of it. Beyond averages, the data indicated high math (teaching) anxiety and negative math attitudes among some teachers, representing a need to address this multi-nationally.

It is well-established that a negative relation exists between math anxiety (MA) and math performance. However, because there has been no systematic quantitative research on the predictors of MA, we conducted three studies in adolescents and adults to address this gap. Focusing on the Polish population, we tested whether, and to what degree, domain-specific (mathematical resilience, intellectual helplessness in mathematics, math performance) and domain-general (sociodemographic: gender, age; affective: general anxiety, test anxiety; and cognitive: fluid intelligence, working memory, response inhibition) variables predict and explain variance in MA. We found that regardless of the sample and other variables included in the models, intellectual helplessness in mathematics and mathematical resilience are consistent and independent predictors of MA. Moreover, math performance, rather than math grades, serves as a consistent predictor of MA. The findings highlight the relative importance of these variables in understanding MA and indicate a need to focus on domain-specific variables in targeting MA reduction.

Introduction: whilst recent years have witnessed considerable research into infant categorisation, its development during the pre-school period has garnered far less interest and innovation. Objective: this paper documents the development of a valid and reliable new toolkit for measuring categorisation in children, designed to allow fine-grained differentiation through four short tasks. Methods: the paper outlines how a pilot study with 55 children reduced confounding variables, ruled out several explanations for performance variations and enabled procedural refinements. It then documents a study conducted with 190 children aged 30-60 months. Results: this more sophisticated testing mechanism challenges previously accepted developmental norms and suggests both sex and socio-economic status (and their interaction) influence categorisational abilities in pre-schoolers. Conclusion: the results indicate that preschool children’s ability to categorise varies markedly, with implications for their capacity to access formal education.

This large, international dataset contains survey responses from N = 12,570 students from 100 universities in 35 countries, collected in 21 languages. We measured anxieties (statistics, mathematics, test, trait, social interaction, performance, creativity, intolerance of uncertainty, and fear of negative evaluation), self-efficacy, persistence, and the cognitive reflection test, and collected demographics, previous mathematics grades, self-reported and official statistics grades, and statistics module details. Data reuse potential is broad, including testing links between anxieties and statistics/mathematics education factors, and examining instruments’ psychometric properties across different languages and contexts. Data and metadata are stored on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/mhg94/).

In the current study, we used a multi-method approach to understand the quality of math homework-helping interactions between parents and their children and how parents’ and children’s own math achievement and math anxiety relate to the quality of the interaction. Forty Canadian parents and their children (ages 10–12 years; grades 5 to 7) completed self-report measures of math and general anxiety. Parents and children completed standardized assessments of math achievement and were then recorded as they engaged in a simulated math homework interaction. Coders assessed parent–child interaction quality during the interaction. Parent–child dyads generally performed well on the simulated math homework task. Nevertheless, task performance was correlated with the quality of the interaction, with high-quality interactions associated with high accuracy on the math task. Furthermore, the variability in the quality of the interaction was associated with parents’ and children’s math achievement and with the math anxiety of the children, but not the parents. Identifying the elements that influence parent–child interactions in math-related situations is essential to developing effective interventions to scaffold children’s math learning and attitudes.

This study explored anxiety among students studying online during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fifty university students on a statistical methodology course in a UK university completed a survey assessing anxiety pertaining to online learning, mathematics, computers, state-trait, and the pandemic situation. Online learning anxiety (OLA) was positively and significantly related to the other forms of anxiety. Women reported significantly higher OLA compared to men before controlling for other types of anxiety. After controlling for gender and other anxieties, computer anxiety remained a significant predictor of OLA, suggesting support may be best directed towards the use of computers and possibly the use of technology more broadly. Self-reports also revealed a range of triggers of anxiety, including worry concerning online distraction. These findings offer insight into ways in which educators can support students in an online learning context.

Math anxiety affects many people, from young children through to older adults. While there has been debate concerning the developmental trajectory of math anxiety and negative math attitudes, little attention has been given to the role of appraisals of previous math experiences. We surveyed 308 adults (mean age = 27.56 years, SD = 11.25) and assessed self-reported measures of math anxiety, mathematical resilience, math attitudes, and appraisal of previous math experiences. As hypothesized, all variables were found to be interrelated. Math anxiety was significantly negatively related to appraisal of previous math experiences, mathematical resilience, and math attitudes. Moreover, appraisal of previous math experiences was shown to mediate the relations between (1) math anxiety and math attitudes, and (2) mathematical resilience and math attitudes. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering current appraisals of previous math experiences and are consistent with an interpretation account of math anxiety. This may help inform cognitive-based interventions that focus on one's interpretation of past events to support current and future math learning and engagement.

Math anxiety affects many people, from young children through to older adults. While there has been debate concerning the developmental trajectory of math anxiety and negative math attitudes, little attention has been given to the role of appraisals of previous math experiences. We surveyed 308 adults (mean age = 27.56 years, SD = 11.25) and assessed self‐reported measures of math anxiety, mathematical resilience, math attitudes, and appraisal of previous math experiences. As hypothesized, all variables were found to be interrelated. Math anxiety was significantly negatively related to appraisal of previous math experiences, mathematical resilience, and math attitudes. Moreover, appraisal of previous math experiences was shown to mediate the relations between (1) math anxiety and math attitudes, and (2) mathematical resilience and math attitudes. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering current appraisals of previous math experiences and are consistent with an interpretation account of math anxiety. This may help inform cognitive‐based interventions that focus on one's interpretation of past events to support current and future math learning and engagement.

Maths anxiety is common and refers to feelings of anxiety, fear and other negative emotions and thoughts in individuals when confronted with mathematical tasks or numerical information. Self-report measures of maths anxiety have been created, but the majority are in English and are not culturally relevant to all countries. This study aimed to translate and validate existing measures for future use in Hebrew-speaking adult populations. The Mathematics Anxiety Scale - UK (MAS-UK) was translated to Hebrew and adult participants completed it alongside the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale - Revised (MARS-R) and a general anxiety measure. Factor structures were explored for both the translated MAS-UK and a Hebrew version of the MARS-R, as well as being checked for reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. Results from a final sample of 213 participants, indicated the shortened, Hebrew version of the MAS-UK and the MARS-R are internally consistent and suitable for use in future maths anxiety research in adult Israeli populations. Findings regarding sex differences in maths anxiety are also discussed.

Mathematics anxiety (MA) is a negative cognitive-emotional response to mathematics (maths) or numbers associated with tense and anxious feelings that hinder the ability to manipulate numbers and solve mathematical problems. Maths anxious individuals often show poor performance when solving maths problem, but not on other cognitive tasks. We draw together empirical evidence from attempts to reduce MA, synthesising the literature and capturing a wide range of studies. Recent work has focussed on functional strategies that may encourage more positive perceptions of maths by reducing anxiety as well as improving attainment. A range of approaches have been implemented to target specific factors that previous research has identified as being implicated in MA, with varying success. These factors include cognitive and emotional processes, negative appraisal and self-concept, self-regulation and metacognition, and a lack of maths proficiency. Targeted strategies have also implicated self-concept, self-efficacy, and attitudes more generally related to maths. Those strategies that appear to be most effective in addressing MA are those that facilitate cognitive control, with an emphasis on attentional processes and emotion regulation. In the main, these studies provide support for the debilitating anxiety model, although recent work also supports an interpretation account of MA and may pave the way for more novel, cognitive-based interventions. Whilst neurophysiological studies offer insight into our understanding of MA, we recommend a move away from potential strategies that are resource-intensive. We propose the need for targeted strategies that are time and cost-effective, especially those that lend themselves to a range of educational contexts, such as home and virtual learning environments. To minimise avoidance, it is important that academic settings are inviting and encourage participation in maths learners. Pedagogical strategies that include a degree of co-construction may also encourage engagement and enjoyment, highlighting the relevance of maths.

This chapter suggests that numeracy apprehension may develop as a precursor to maths anxiety. Maths anxiety is an emotional response that is often felt to greater extremes by those whose ability is already poor and can lead to the avoidance of working with numbers. Evaluation anxiety is thought to be another individual factor associated with maths anxiety. By measuring students' maths anxiety in relation to achievement and motivation, they observed that low achievers often have high maths anxiety and reduced motivation, as well as lower performance. Young children's accounts of their numeracy experiences suggested a number of influential and interacting factors. Indeed, S. Chinn considered that many maths procedures are unforgiving of inaccurate memories. In light of this, it is important to remember that young children's memories are going through a development process and are restricted in how much information they can store in the short term.

An online, cross-sectional approach was taken, including an opportunity sample of 160 undergraduate students from a university in the Midlands, UK. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a parsimonious, four-factor solution: abstract maths anxiety, statistics probability anxiety, statistics calculation anxiety, and numerical calculation anxiety. The results support previous evidence for the existence of a separate numerical anxiety or arithmetic computation anxiety component of maths anxiety and also support the existence of anxiety that is specific to more abstract maths. This is the first study to consider the multidimensionality of maths anxiety at the level of the calculation type. The 26-item Maths Calculation Anxiety Scale appears to be a useful measurement tool in the context of maths calculation specifically.