First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability

First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability

Abstract Math anxiety is widely considered a potential barrier to success in STEM. Current thinking holds that math anxiety is directly linked to avoidance of and underperformance in STEM domains. However, past evidence supporting these claims is limited in important ways. Perhaps most crucially, it...

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Autores principales: Richard J. Daker, Sylvia U. Gattas, H. Moriah Sokolowski, Adam E. Green, Ian M. Lyons
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:
Special aspects of education
LC8-6691
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
RC321-571
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/9b327340e8b64849b6a2bec92187f986
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:9b327340e8b64849b6a2bec92187f9862021-12-02T17:40:06ZFirst-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability10.1038/s41539-021-00095-72056-7936https://doaj.org/article/9b327340e8b64849b6a2bec92187f9862021-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00095-7https://doaj.org/toc/2056-7936Abstract Math anxiety is widely considered a potential barrier to success in STEM. Current thinking holds that math anxiety is directly linked to avoidance of and underperformance in STEM domains. However, past evidence supporting these claims is limited in important ways. Perhaps most crucially, it is possible that math anxiety predicts STEM outcomes merely as a proxy for poor math skills. Here, we tested the link between math anxiety and subsequent STEM outcomes by measuring math anxiety, math ability, and several covariates in 183 first-semester university students. We then tracked students’ STEM avoidance and achievement through four years at university via official academic transcripts. Results showed that math anxiety predicted both a reduction in how many STEM courses students took and, separately (i.e., controlling for one another), lower STEM grades. Crucially, these associations held after controlling for math ability (and other covariates). That math anxiety predicts math-related academic achievement independently of Math Ability suggests that, contrary to current thinking, math anxiety’s effects on academic performance likely operate via mechanisms other than negatively affecting math ability. Beyond this, we show evidence that math anxiety can account for associations between math ability and STEM outcomes, suggesting that past links between math ability and real-world outcomes may, in fact, be at least partially explainable by attitudes toward math. These findings provide clear impetus for developing and testing interventions that target math anxiety specifically and suggest that focusing on math ability without additional attention to math anxiety may fail to optimally boost STEM outcomes.Richard J. DakerSylvia U. GattasH. Moriah SokolowskiAdam E. GreenIan M. LyonsNature PortfolioarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. NeuropsychiatryRC321-571ENnpj Science of Learning, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Special aspects of education
LC8-6691
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
RC321-571
spellingShingle Special aspects of education
LC8-6691
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
RC321-571
Richard J. Daker
Sylvia U. Gattas
H. Moriah Sokolowski
Adam E. Green
Ian M. Lyons
First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
description Abstract Math anxiety is widely considered a potential barrier to success in STEM. Current thinking holds that math anxiety is directly linked to avoidance of and underperformance in STEM domains. However, past evidence supporting these claims is limited in important ways. Perhaps most crucially, it is possible that math anxiety predicts STEM outcomes merely as a proxy for poor math skills. Here, we tested the link between math anxiety and subsequent STEM outcomes by measuring math anxiety, math ability, and several covariates in 183 first-semester university students. We then tracked students’ STEM avoidance and achievement through four years at university via official academic transcripts. Results showed that math anxiety predicted both a reduction in how many STEM courses students took and, separately (i.e., controlling for one another), lower STEM grades. Crucially, these associations held after controlling for math ability (and other covariates). That math anxiety predicts math-related academic achievement independently of Math Ability suggests that, contrary to current thinking, math anxiety’s effects on academic performance likely operate via mechanisms other than negatively affecting math ability. Beyond this, we show evidence that math anxiety can account for associations between math ability and STEM outcomes, suggesting that past links between math ability and real-world outcomes may, in fact, be at least partially explainable by attitudes toward math. These findings provide clear impetus for developing and testing interventions that target math anxiety specifically and suggest that focusing on math ability without additional attention to math anxiety may fail to optimally boost STEM outcomes.
format article
author Richard J. Daker
Sylvia U. Gattas
H. Moriah Sokolowski
Adam E. Green
Ian M. Lyons
author_facet Richard J. Daker
Sylvia U. Gattas
H. Moriah Sokolowski
Adam E. Green
Ian M. Lyons
author_sort Richard J. Daker
title First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
title_short First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
title_full First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
title_fullStr First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
title_full_unstemmed First-year students’ math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
title_sort first-year students’ math anxiety predicts stem avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability
publisher Nature Portfolio
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/9b327340e8b64849b6a2bec92187f986
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AT ianmlyons firstyearstudentsmathanxietypredictsstemavoidanceandunderperformancethroughoutuniversityindependentlyofmathability
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