Understanding Math Anxiety in School-aged Children

This study investigated the effectiveness of measuring math-anxiety in elementary school students using real-time facial expression software (emotient) and self-reported Math anxiety using the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire- Elementary Students (AEQ-ES). Students aged 11-14 were asked to complete the AEQ-ES. Students were then given 5 standardized math questions taken from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and asked to rate how difficult they found each question (1-4). It was hypothesized that math anxiety would be related to difficulty ratings of math questions and performance on the math task, while parent ratings of their child’s math abilities was expected to affect the development of child’s math anxiety and math performance. This study will inform research on development of math anxiety and possible areas for intervention.M.A