Peers + performance pressure = math anxiety?

Math anxiety interferes with many students\u27 ability to learn math (Richardson & Suinn, 1972). Our research indicates that students\u27 peak math anxiety years are those immediately following puberty. Research by Costanzo and Shaw (1966) suggests that children are most powerfully influenced by their peers during the months immediately following pubescence. In this light, we theorized that the amount of time students spend working math problems in front of peers (exposure to peer performance pressure) during the months proximal to puberty will be positively correlated with measures of math anxiety. Fourth through eighth grade public and private school students completed measures of math anxiety in October, 1992 and again in April, 1993. The hypothesis was supported for females only. Results suggest that peer performance pressure actually facilitated the development of math confidence except for females during puberty