Roots of Mathematics Anxiety in College Students

Mathematics is a great subject as it contains various dynamics that define the laws of nature. The variables in this subject are very complex and challenging. There are various benefits and drawbacks of this subject. But in this research, the growing anxiety of the students will be studied extensively as it related to mathematics. The idea is to investigate the cause of such anxiety that has made the students fear mathematics. It is not that mathematics is difficult for all students, because there are students who can get full marks very easily, and when you ask them, they would say, math is not a problem for them. But there are students, who face intense difficulty in understanding mathematics and get good marks. The impact of mathematics on student’s mindset and the possible solutions to avoid mathematics in college students will be discussed in detail (Fleming, 2019)

Why Math Considered Difficult?

One of the reasons include is the use of complex variables. The complex variables require more time to be spent on it, and it requires complex simplification procedures that can be often challenging to students. The anxiety factor includes the limited time in which the question has to be solved at all costs. Secondly, the answers to the questions must be simplified in order to gain full marks. The major drawback, in this case, is the danger of losing complete marks on the condition if the answers are wrong. Such factors contribute towards the anxiety in college students and could also lead to depression. There is constant pressure from the parents and teachers on the students to be successful at all costs regardless of the difficulty level. One cannot give any excuse for his/her low performance that it is happening because mathematics is difficult. If one has to excel in his/her studies, then mathematics will be an important subject always. You have to have (Quan-Lorey, 2017).

Another import factor is the impact of mathematics on college students. It should be noted that the main factor is the result of the mathematic question which can be more tensing and devastating as the values of a particular problem if changed by mistake, then the result would take a complete 180 degrees shift and the marks allocated for that question could be zero despite of the hard work shown in the question will not be considered. It means if a student has started to solve a question, and if he/she has put the wrong value in the beginning, then all the following steps will go wrong till the end. Therefore, it is crucial for students to understand that there is zero margins of mistake in mathematics. There are subjects, where students can make errors and still can get good enough marks, but it is not the case in terms of mathematics. This kind of pressure exerted by the mathematics can be painful for students in so many ways. So such conditions do develop anxiety in students, and it could also result in losing confidence when opting for such hard work. 

A research was conducted in which it was observed that the students were more worried when a complex question was given to them. It does not matter what the size of the question is. According to the research, the only matter is the simplification of complex variables that could trigger the anxiety factor in student’s minds. Another study was conducted in which it was observed that the students do exist who have a phobia regarding the size of the question regardless of the complex variables. There were many cases in which the students were confused about simplifying the simplest question, and the reason was found that the question was twisted in a way that it looks difficult at first instant but on the whole, the question was quite easy to solve. It is the beauty of mathematics that some of its question may look simple, but it can be too complex, and sometimes a question may look difficult, but it is actually twisted in a way to look difficult. The variety and dynamics of mathematics may not be found in any other subject (HakanÇatlioğlu, 2009).

Students who have developed to solve conceptual questions have more chances to solve the most challenging questions. These students were asked about the psychological behaviors in solving the question. Their answer was that at first, it seems to be difficult, but by carefully understanding the question, the main point in the question was picked up and they were able to solve the question. Hence it can be said that practice leads to perfection and this should be applied to the students who aren’t able to answer it. The mathematics course can be made easier for the students in order to make it more enjoyable. But it is up to students, how they are going to approach mathematics, if they can do it with full dedication, and show their full attention and interest, then there is no reason that they can’t deal with the difficulty of mathematics. Things can be difficult in the beginning, but dedication and hard work can lead to success (Masoud Gholamali Lavasani, 2011).

            It is also important to find out why math is considered more difficult and harder to understand by some students as compared to others who are pretty comfortable with mathematics. A poll was conducted by Gallop in 2005, and the primary question of the survey was regarding school subjects which one is considered difficult by the students. The answers given by the students showed that mathematics is considered to be the most difficult subject and there is no surprise to see these results, as mathematics is always deemed as one of the most difficult and complex subjects. Some students may easily get the essence of mathematics, but there are many students, who are not able to get it automatically, rather it takes a lot of effort and hard work for them to get used to mathematics. It means that extra time and effort is required by such students so that they can understand with ease. The brain scientists believe that subjects such as mathematics can be difficult to get for students with left-brain thinking, but right brain thinkers can easily understand mathematics (Fleming, 2019)

            It is vital for students as well as teachers to know the cause of math anxiety so that both can work to find pertinent solutions. A study was conducted in Singapore to understand the perspective of math anxiety in students from secondary school. It is important to mention here that such kind of studies has been related to school or college level students, whereas these studies should have been conducted in the context of students having lower grades in math. The origin, as well as the impact of math, was searched in 294 students studying in Singapore schools. The data collection method in this study was surveys as well as interviews. Moreover, a proper review of the literature was also done to see different aspects of math anxiety. The study came with some insightful results. It was found that there are five levels, which are associated with math anxiety. The number one level was related to students, who felt anxiety because they were waiting for their test scores or marks. The number two item of math anxiety is the fact that if a student misses any math class or lesson, he/she feels anxiety because he/she thinks that they will not be able to catch up. The third level of anxiety was found with students who were waiting for test scores with anticipation that they will get good marks. The surprising math tests were on number four in the list, and the last item in this list was related to the final exam of math class. So, students who are dealing with these five items, they feel more anxiety than others, the study also found that less anxious students were more productive in handling math (Ng, 2012)

            It has been evident so for that the majority of students are uncomfortable with the situation when they have to deal with mathematics subjects. A study was conducted to understand the real roots of math anxiety and 13 students from the undergraduate level were selected. It is important to mention here that these 13 students were not doing their majors in math; rather they were studying in majors with the essence of non-mathematics. The data from the students was collected through interviews as well as a questionnaire. After collecting the data and completing its analysis, it was found that there are various factors that play their part in math anxiety in students. The first major reason given by these students was the attitude of teacher, and they felt that teachers don’t show a positive attitude when they deal with their students. The other reasons for math anxiety were a failure as well as poor instruction. These findings are evident to say that these students were having issues with math because their overall experience in their educational institute was not good. These issues made things complex because students were not able to understand math, rather they developed a perception that they don’t have enough ability and capability to understand math without any difficulty.

Conclusion of Roots of Mathematics Anxiety in College Students

            After looking at different elements of math anxiety and its previous research, it can be concluded that there are multiple factors and roots, which are behind the math anxiety. The students feel too much pressure from their friends and family when they study math, and if marks are not good, they feel even more pressurized from such a situation. The poor instruction and attitude from teachers have also been considered a reason. The time and effort needed for this subject also made students worried about the subject.

References of Roots of Mathematics Anxiety in College Students

Fleming, G. (2019). Why Math Is More Difficult for Some Students. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/why-math-seems-more-difficult-for-some-students-1857216

HakanÇatlioğlu. (2009). The level of mathematics anxiety among pre-service elementary school teachers. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences .

Masoud Gholamali Lavasani, E. H. (2011). The predicting model of math anxiety: The role of classroom goal structure, self-regulation and math self-efficac. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences , 557-562.

Ng, L. K. (2012). Mathematics Anxiety in Secondary School Students. Proceedings of the 35th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Inc.

Quan-Lorey, S. (2017). Roots of Mathematics Anxiety in College Students. Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers CollegeJournal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College , 19-30.