Math Anxiety in Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers and its Effects on Perceived Ability to Teach Mathematics

Abstract

The present study investigated math anxiety in pre-service elementary school teachers and its possible effects on their perceived ability to teach mathematics. In researching the causes and consequences of math anxiety, the researcher was interested in the following questions: (a) What are the causes of math anxiety in pre-service elementary school teachers? (b) What contributes to math self-efficacy in pre-service elementary school teachers? (c) What is the effect of math anxiety on pre-service elementary school teachers? perceived ability to teach mathematics? Three pre-service elementary teachers were interviewed in a semi-structured setting. Their responses were then analyzed and coded according to the categories posed by the research questions. The results suggested that timed math tests, high-pressure math assignments, mean math teachers, situations where they felt the teacher was at fault for math struggles, and the cyclical nature of anxiety may have contributed to math anxiety. Self-efficacy in mathematics may have been constructed by positive experiences with math, including teachers who acknowledged the difficulty of math, teachers who made math enjoyable, and teachers who emphasized the process of learning rather than correctness. In regard to future impact on the participants' ability to teach math, the participants spoke about avoidance of math in their own lives, the value of resilience in teaching and learning math, concern over modeling math anxiety for their students, changed perspectives because of pre-service teacher training, and uncertainty of how to make their students feel comfortable with math.