Teacher strategies to mitigate math anxiety in a secondary classroom setting
Abstract
The majority of research on student math anxiety focuses on interventions to reduce math anxiety in-the-moment. This study focuses on learning how high school math teachers incorporate such strategies into their classrooms. I conducted interviews and held observations with three high school teachers. I found instructional, assessment, and emotional strategies used by each teacher, and also discovered strategies that add to math anxiety. Of my findings, the strategies that teachers stressed most were building rapport with students, prioritizing student autonomy, and assigning more frequent, smaller assessments. These findings point towards the importance of teachers prioritizing student wellbeing and voice.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Carmen Smith
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Education and Social Services
Program/Major
Secondary Education
Primary Research Category
Social Science
Teacher strategies to mitigate math anxiety in a secondary classroom setting
The majority of research on student math anxiety focuses on interventions to reduce math anxiety in-the-moment. This study focuses on learning how high school math teachers incorporate such strategies into their classrooms. I conducted interviews and held observations with three high school teachers. I found instructional, assessment, and emotional strategies used by each teacher, and also discovered strategies that add to math anxiety. Of my findings, the strategies that teachers stressed most were building rapport with students, prioritizing student autonomy, and assigning more frequent, smaller assessments. These findings point towards the importance of teachers prioritizing student wellbeing and voice.
