How to combat math anxiety and build confidence in the classroom

Abstract

In an age of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), the relevance of mathematical understanding and skill continues to increase across the country. It is becoming more apparent that a large majority of students have developed anxiety that stems from doing math in both academic settings and ordinary life. Despite the increasing awareness of math anxiety, the overall negative feelings towards mathematics demonstrated by students of all ages has stayed significant and is continuing to worsen. In collaboration with the education department at the State University of New York at New Paltz, a group of preservice elementary school teachers contributed accounts of their personal experiences with math anxiety during and after their enrollment in two required math courses for those pursuing elementary education. Surrey and interview data was collected from eight students attending the university, which offer qualitative evidence of several causes of math anxiety that stemmed from past experience as well as teaching methods used in the courses taught at SUNY New Paltz that lessened students’ math anxiety and increased their mathematical confidence.