Study Notes on Maths Anxiety and its Implications for University Students

Definition: Maths anxiety is defined as a feeling of tension and apprehension that interferes with maths performance ability, including the manipulation of numbers and solving mathematical problems in various life and academic situations.
Components: According to Olango, maths anxiety manifests as an affective, behavioral, and cognitive response to perceived threats to self-esteem in mathematical contexts.
Distinction from Dyscalculia:
- Existence in Capable Individuals: Maths anxiety can affect individuals with efficient maths skills, unlike dyscalculia, which is a cognitive deficit specifically in mathematics.
- Emotional Component: Maths anxiety includes an emotional aspect, while dyscalculia does not.

Educational Levels: Maths anxiety can occur across all educational levels, from primary school to university education.
Research Findings:
- Negative reactions and numerical confidence are significant dimensions of maths anxiety observed in young students and nursing students (Harari et al.).
- Roykenes and Larsen noted a negative relationship between students' previous likes/dislikes for mathematics and their self-assessment of mathematic ability.
Impact on Students: Students suffering from maths anxiety often:
- Have low confidence in their maths ability.
- Limit their coursework in mathematics, significantly affecting their career options.

Teachers: Effective teaching can create a positive learning environment that reduces anxiety.
Parents: The role of parenting includes discussing children's fears and anxieties about maths, which can help alleviate potential learning problems.
- Parental Maths Anxiety: Parents' own maths anxiety may decrease their children's maths learning capacity over time.
Peers: Peer interactions and comparisons can exacerbate feelings of inferiority and increase maths anxiety.
Society: Societal misconceptions and myths about mathematics contribute to the development of maths anxiety.

Self-Awareness: Understanding and acknowledging maths anxiety may increase the likelihood of overcoming it.
Activity-Based Learning: Practical learning approaches and distance learning can reduce the fear of negative evaluation by peers.
Untimed Testing: Implementing low-stakes tests decreases anxiety and builds student confidence.
Relevance of Maths: Teaching practical applications of mathematics in real-life scenarios rather than focusing solely on theoretical aspects can lower maths anxiety.

The primary question guiding the review: What are the barriers and facilitators of maths anxiety in university students?

Criteria for Inclusion:
1. Publications addressing the maths anxiety concept.
2. Identification of barriers and facilitators related to maths anxiety.
3. Study population consisted of university students.
4. Articles in Arabic or English languages.
Database Search: Involves extensive literature databases including CINHAL, Embase, Scopus, PsycInfo, Medline, ERIC, and Google Scholar, resulting in 656 records analyzed.
Final Selection: From the initial 656 articles, 20 were potentially relevant, and ultimately, 10 articles were included in the scoping review after stringent criteria application.

Data extracted included author information, country, study design, sample size, and emerging themes (found themes: gender, self-awareness, numerical ability, learning difficulties).

Six studies addressed gender roles in maths anxiety, with mixed findings suggesting that gender influences maths anxiety levels.
- Studies from the US, UK, and Israel showed that female students report higher levels of maths anxiety compared to male students.
Sex-Role Socialization Hypothesis: This hypothesis suggests that traditional perceptions of mathematics as a male domain lead to increased anxiety among females, resulting in their reluctance to engage in mathematics.
- Study Results: Paechter et al. found that:
- Female students tend to report higher maths anxiety (β=−0.660).
- General anxiety levels correlate positively with maths anxiety (β=0.385).
- Poor maths grades show a negative correlation with maths anxiety (β=0.393).

Self-awareness helps students manage anxiety and improve performance.
- Four studies highlighted the significance of self-awareness concerning maths anxiety, with subthemes including self-efficacy and maths confidence.
Research by McMullan et al.: This study demonstrated the correlation between maths self-efficacy and performance, emphasizing interventions such as study groups to enhance self-regulation and confidence in students.

Two articles specifically assessed numerical ability relating to maths anxiety.
Impact on Functioning: High maths anxiety correlates with poor numerical representation and potentially hampers advanced mathematical skills.

10-16% of Australian students reportedly have learning difficulties, with around 4% identified as having a learning disability.
- Jordan et al. conducted a study indicating students with dyslexia displayed higher maths anxiety levels than their non-dyslexic peers.
Findings highlight significant predictors of maths anxiety, including self-esteem and emotional regulation.

Acknowledgment that some studies may have been overlooked due to search term specificity in this review.
Emphasis on the need for further investigation on:
- The relationship between numerical ability and maths anxiety among students in quantitatively demanding disciplines such as engineering and healthcare.
- Development of effective teaching strategies aimed at reducing maths anxiety in university settings.

Maths anxiety is an international issue affecting various disciplines, influenced by factors such as gender, self-awareness, learning difficulties, and numerical ability.
Future research should address measurement tools for quantifying maths anxiety and interventions to mitigate its effects on students' academic careers.