Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

AN EXPLORATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ MATHS ANXIETY USING INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Year 2021, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 32 - 49, 30.06.2021

Abstract

Primary school teachers are important in children’s learning of mathematics, and maths anxiety development has been partly attributed to children’s classroom experiences (Das & Das, 2013). Maths anxiety was explored in UK primary school teachers, with a view to understanding its development and impact. Data from four semi-structured individual interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which facilitates a deeper knowledge of individuals’ personal experience. Three key themes emerged: “experiencing the psychological consequences of maths anxiety”, “social influences” and “the consequences of experiencing maths anxiety as a teaching professional”. The findings contribute to our understanding of the influence of maths anxiety on teachers and teaching practices.

References

  • Ahmed, W. (2018). Developmental trajectories of math anxiety during adolescence: Associations with STEM career choice. Journal of Adolescence, 67, 158-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence. 2018.06.01
  • Ahmed, W., Minnaert, A., Kuyper H., & van der Werf, G. (2012). Reciprocal relationships between math self-concept and math anxiety. Learning and Individual Differences, 22, 385-389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2011.12.004
  • Alexander, L., & Martray, C. (1989). The development of an abbreviated version of the mathematics anxiety rating scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 38, 485-490.
  • Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 243-248.
  • Bandalos, D. L., Yates, K., & Thorndike–Christ, T. (1995). Effects of math self-concept, perceived self-efficacy and attributions for failure and success on test anxiety. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87, 611-623. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-0663.87.4.611
  • Bandura, A. (1982). The assessment and predictive generality of self-percepts of efficacy. Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry, 13, 195-199.
  • Bandura, A. (1986). Fearful expectations and avoidant actions as co-effects of perceived self- inefficacy. American Psychologist, 41, 1389-1391.
  • Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press.
  • Barroso, C., Ganley, C. M., McGraw, A. L., Geer, E. A., Hart, S. A., & Daucourt, M. C. (2021). A meta-analysis of the relation between math anxiety and math achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 147, 134–168. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000307
  • Beilock, S. L. & Willingham, D. T. (2014). Math anxiety: Can teachers help students reduce it? American Educator, summer, 28, 32-43.
  • Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers’ math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement. PNAS, 107, 1860-1863. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910967107
  • Bekdemir, M. (2010). The pre-service teachers' mathematics anxiety related to depth of negative experiences in mathematics classroom while they were students. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 75, 311-328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-010-9260-7
  • Bennison, A., & Goos, M. (2013). Teacher identity and numeracy: Developing an analytic lens for understanding numeracy teacher identity. In V. Steinle, L. Ball & C. Bardini (Eds.), Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Vol. 1, pp. 90-97). MERGA.
  • Bong, M., & Skaalvik, E. M. (2003). Academic self-concept and self-efficacy: How different are they really? Educational Psychology Review, 15, 1-40. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021302408382
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • British Psychological Society (2010). Code of human research ethics. British Psychological Society. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from INF180 2014 (bps.org.uk)
  • Brocki, J. M. & Wearden, A. J. (2006). A critical evaluation of the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in health psychology. Psychology and Health, 21, 87- 108. https://doi.org/10.1080/14768320500230185
  • Carey, E., Hill, F., Devine, A., & Szücs, D. (2016). The chicken or the egg? The direction of the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1987. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01987
  • Choe, K. W., Jenifer, J. B., Rozek, C. S., Berman, M. G., & Beilock, S. L. (2019). Calculated avoidance: Math anxiety predicts math avoidance in effort-based decision-making. Science Advances, 5(11), 1-9, eaay1062. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay1062
  • Cooper, R., Fleischer, A., & Cotton, F. A. (2012). Building connections: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of qualitative research: Students’ learning experiences. Qualitative Report, 17(1), 1-16. http://www.nova.ed/ssss/QR/QR17/cooper.pdf
  • Das, R., & Das, G. C. (2013). Math anxiety: The poor problem-solving factor in school mathematics. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3, 1-5.
  • Devine, A., Fawcett, K., Szűcs, D. & Dowker., A. (2012). Gender differences in mathematics anxiety and the relation to mathematics performance while controlling for test anxiety. Behavioural and Brain Functions, 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-8-33
  • Dowker, A., Sarkar, A., & Looi, C. (2016). Mathematics anxiety: What have we learned in 60years? Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00508
  • Gresham, G. (2018). Preservice to inservice: Does mathematics anxiety change with teaching experience? Journal of Teacher Education, 69, 90-107. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022487117702580
  • Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2012). The role of parents and teachers in the development of gender-related math attitudes. Sex Roles, 66, 153-166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199 011 9996 2
  • Hamza, E. G. A., & Helal, A. M. (2013). Maths anxiety in college students across majors: A cross-cultural study. British Education Studies Association, Educational futures, 5, 58-61.
  • Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal of Research for Mathematics Education, 21, 33-46. https://doi.org/10.2307/749455
  • Hunt, T. E., Clark-Carter, D., & Sheffield, D. (2011). The development and part validation of a UK scale for mathematics anxiety. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 29, 455-466. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0734282910392892
  • Hunt, T. E., & Sari, M. (2019). An English version of the Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 6, 436-443. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.615640
  • Hunt, T. E., Simms, V., Cahoon, A., & Muwonge, C. M. (2021). Socio-cognitive-affective barriers to mathematics education in developing nations. In W. Leal Filho., P. Gökçin Özuyar., A. Lange Salvia., A. Marisa Azul., L. Londero Brandli., & T. Wall (Eds), Encyclopaedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education. Springer.
  • Jackson, C. D., & Leffingwell, R. J. (1999). The role of instructors in creating math anxiety in students from kindergarten through college. Mathematics Teacher, 92, 583-586. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/27971118
  • Johnson-Wilder, S., & Lee, C. (2010). Mathematical resilience. Mathematics Teaching. 218, 38-41
  • Kindermann, T. A., & Skinner, E. A. (2009). How do naturally existing peer groups shape children’s academic development during sixth grade? European Journal of Psychological Science, 3, 31-43.
  • Klinger, C. M. (2006). Challenging negative attitudes, low self-efficacy beliefs, and math- anxiety in pre-tertiary adult learners. In M. Horne, & B. Marr (Ed.), Connecting voices in adult mathematics and numeracy: practitioners, researchers and learners. Proceedings of the Adults Learning Mathematics (ALM) 12th Annual International Conference, Melbourne, July, 2005 (pp. 164-171).
  • Ma, X., & Xu, J. (2004). The causal ordering of mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement: A longitudinal panel analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 165-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.11.003
  • Maloney, E., & Beilock, S. L. (2012). Math anxiety: Who has it, why it develops and how to guard against it. Trends in Cognitive Science, 16, 404-405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.06.008
  • Maloney, E. M., Schaeffer, M. W., & Beilock, S. L. (2013). Mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat: Shared mechanisms, negative consequences and promising interventions. Research in Mathematics Education, 15, 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2013.797744
  • McCulloch-Vinson, B. (2001). A comparison of pre-service teachers’ mathematics anxiety before and after a methods class emphasizing manipulatives. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2), 89-94. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012568711257
  • Namkung, J. M., Peng, P., & Lin, X. (2019). The relation between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance among school-aged students: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 89, 459-496. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0034654319843494
  • Nunez-Pena, M. I., Suarez-Pellicioni, M., Guilera, G., & Mercade-Carranza, C. (2013). A Spanish version of the short Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (sMARD). Learning and Individual Differences, 24, 204-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.12.009
  • Plaisance, D. V. (2009). A teacher’s quick guide to understanding mathematics anxiety. Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics Journal, 6 (1), 1-8.
  • Plake, B. S., & Parker, C. S. (1982). The development and validation of a revised version of the mathematics anxiety rating scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 42, 551-557. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F001316448204200218
  • Reid, K., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2005). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: An overview and methodo-logical review. The Psychologist, 18, 20-23.
  • Relich, J., Way, J., & Martin, A. (1994). Attitudes to teaching mathematics: Further development of a measurement instrument. Mathematics Research Journal, 6 (1), 56-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217262
  • Richardson, F. C., & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 19, 551-554.
  • Schofield, H. L. (1981). Teacher effects on cognitive and affective pupil outcomes in elementary school mathematics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 462-571.
  • Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Sage Publications Inc. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780880903340091
  • Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2003) Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J.A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods. London: Sage Publications Inc.
  • Suárez-Pellicioni, M., Núñez-Peña, M. I., & Colomé, À. (2016). Math anxiety: A review of its cognitive consequences, psychophysiological correlates, and brain bases. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 16(1), 3-22. http://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-015-0370-7
  • Suinn, R. M., & Winston, E. H. (2003). The mathematics anxiety rating scale, a brief version: Psychometric data. Psychological Reports, 92, 167-173. https://doi.org/10.2466%2Fpr0.2003.92.1.167
  • Swars, S., Daane, C., & Giesen, J. (2006). Mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy: What is the relationship in elementary preservice teachers? School Science and Mathematics, 106(7), 306-315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2006.tb17921.x
  • Trujillo, K. M., & Hadfield, O. D. (1999). Tracing the roots of mathematics anxiety through in-depth interviews with preservice elementary teachers. College Student Journal, 33(2), 219-232.
  • Tuffour, I. (2017). A critical overview of interpretative phenomenological analysis: a contemporary qualitative research approach. Journal of Healthcare Communications, 2(4), 52. https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-1654.100093
  • Uusimaki, L., & Nason, R. (2004). Causes underlying pre-service teachers’ negative beliefs and anxieties about mathematics. Group for the Psychology of Mathematics, 4, 369-376.
  • Wang, Z., Hart, S., Kovas, Y., Lukowski, S., Soden, B., & Thompson, L., Plomin, R., McLoughlin, G., Bartlett, C. W., Lyons, I. M., & Petrill, S. A. (2014). Who is afraid of math? Two sources of genetic variance for mathematical anxiety. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 1056-1064. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12224
  • Willig, C. (2013). Introducing qualitative research in psychology (3rd ed.). Maidenhead, England: Open University Press.
  • Wood, J. V. (1989). Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal attributes. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 231-248.
  • Young, C., Wu, S., & Menon, V. (2012). The neurodevelopmental basis of math anxiety. Psychological Science, 23, 492-501. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797611429134
  • Zhang, J., Zhao, N., & Kong, Q. P. (2019). The relationship between math anxiety and math performance: A meta-analytic investigation. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1613. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01613
There are 59 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Other Fields of Education
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Jane Dove This is me 0000-0003-2045-6550

Jane Montague This is me 0000-0002-9282-5565

Thomas E. Hunt This is me 0000-0001-5769-1154

Publication Date June 30, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2021 Volume: 10 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Dove, J., Montague, J., & Hunt, T. E. (2021). AN EXPLORATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ MATHS ANXIETY USING INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS. International Online Journal of Primary Education, 10(1), 32-49.

 Creative Commons Licenses

mceclip0-43bf150298f9613a4c817c567db8d92d.png


All articles published in International Online Journal of Primary Education's content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


mceclip1.png          mceclip2.png        mceclip3.png


Free counters!


(Counter start: February 28, 2021)