Report examines origins and nature of ’maths anxiety’

A report out today examines the factors that influence 'maths anxiety' among primary and secondary school students, showing that teachers and parents may inadvertently play a role in a child's development of the condition, and that girls tend to be more affected than boys. While every child's maths anxiety may be different, with unique origins and triggers, we found several common issues among both the primary and secondary school students Denes Szucs The report was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, with additional support from the James S McDonnell Foundation. The UK is facing a maths crisis: according to a 2014 report from National Numeracy, four out of five adults have low functional mathematics skills compared to fewer than half of UK adults having low functional literacy levels. While mathematics is often considered a hard subject, not all difficulties with the subject result from cognitive difficulties. Many children and adults experience feelings of anxiety, apprehension, tension or discomfort when confronted by a maths problem. A report published today by the Centre for Neuroscience in Education at the University of Cambridge explores the nature and resolution of so-called 'mathematics anxiety'. Origins of maths anxiety In a sample of 1,000 Italian students, the researchers found that girls in both primary and secondary school had higher levels of both maths anxiety and general anxiety.