Mathematics is one subject that is commonly taught across the world to primary and secondary school students, and perhaps even further if the students elect to study courses that are heavy on calculations or focussed on various sciences. Calculations are also an integral part of everyday life and there are countless number of ways in which math comes handy everyday- from paying for goods at the local store to counting down the numbers from the time your next train or bus will arrive. However, learning math in an academic setting can be very anxiety-inducing for students as math is an extremely application-based subject to study at the young age of primary and secondary schoolers and there is always a fear that failing to understand one concept will cause a ripple effect in failure to understand entire chapters or units. Math, in this way, is a true challenge to tackle. 

What is Math Anxiety?

Math anxiety, or more severely, math phobia is the feeling of tension experienced by students of math that hampers their ability to perform well in math examinations, tests, or class. It has been proven that this anxiety is often linked to testing anxiety and students facing issues relating to mathematical anxiety often avoid situations in which they will have to perform mathematical tasks. Math avoidance, though, naturally leads to less competency and practice in the subject, as well as less exposure to new methods and concepts within the subject. This leaves students unprepared to deal with any math related challenges they may encounter, either in school or elsewhere. 

The impact of math anxiety is seen clearly on performance, but that does not mean that the student necessarily lacks the ability to solve mathematical problems. Rather, it is likely that it is the anxiety they have associated with math that is hampering their possibly superior ability to solve mathematical problems. Mathematical anxiety has a large impact on working memory which adds fuel to the fire of the negative correlation that has been established between low performance in math and low performance generally in all aspects of academic life. 

Tips and Ways to Deal with Math Anxiety

Considering that a large number of students are susceptible to math anxiety across countries, it is important to note that not just students, but parents, teachers, and other stakeholders associated with the students must all take measures to deal with math anxiety seeing the deep impact that it has on a student’s psyche.

For Students

1. The Math Anxiety Formula: Confidence + Preparation = Success. This is called the math anxiety formula. Considering that those with math anxiety but not experiencing math avoidance will generally edge towards over preparing, it is important to also keep yourself confident.
2. Knowing that you are not alone might help. Millions face math anxiety in schools and colleges. You probably aren’t even the only one facing it in your class! Math anxiety is a very common phenomenon and students must be told that it is very normal to feel a little anxious about math
3. Knowing that there is more than one way to solve a problem is a good way to beat the anxiety of not understanding what happened in class. Math problems can always be solved in many different ways and one can always understand the core concepts by doing some reading. Many students who experience math anxiety eventually figure out their own novel ways of solving sums!
4. It is important to overcome negative self-talk while solving or thinking about mathematical problems and this can only happen if one consciously makes an effort to get rid of their math anxiety
5. Considering math to be an equal to a foreign language is a good approach to beating math anxiety. You aren’t held responsible for knowing the meaning of “ball” in Latin, are you? So don’t hold yourself responsible for knowing math since before it was taught to you either!

For Teachers, Parents, and Others Associated with Students

Teachers and parents are the child’s first resort when they first feel math anxiety and don’t understand what is happening to them. There are tactful ways to deal with a student when they come to a teacher or parents claiming difficulty with solving mathematical problems and stating that they are experiencing a fear of math or math class.

1. Be kind, understanding, and respectful to the student when they are sharing this with you. It is not easy to talk about things that scare you or things you are not able to accomplish, and it probably took a lot for the student to come up and say it aloud. Thank the student for sharing with you, sit them down, and try to chalk out a solution to the issue together
2. You can lead the child to an online math program that uses fun and interactive ways to make math easier. These are widely available post-pandemic and can be easily perused.
3. Take the focus off right answers and wrong answers in a classroom or revision setting and focus more on efforts, risk-taking, and progress. Math is solved in a step-by-step manner and so is math anxiety!

In conclusion of how to overcome the fear of Maths, it is a widely prevalent issue among students that requires the focus of multiple stakeholders and people in the student’s life.