Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Kendall Leach. I am from Suwanee, Georgia. I am a junior double majoring in Psychology and Human Development and Family Sciences. My future goals include going to graduate school to further my knowledge and expertise of child psychology or mental health counseling. Additionally, I would love to open my own private practice one day that helps provide children with mental health resources.

Examining Gender and Age Effects on Math Anxiety

Abstract

Math anxiety is a type of anxiety, such as a feeling of tension or apprehension, that happens when faced with mathematical tasks and is generally associated with lower math achievement. Previous research has explored the influence of gender on math performance and anxiety, with some studies reporting that females reported higher levels of math anxiety than males, which could potentially impact their achievement. Additionally, some research has suggested that math anxiety emerges early within development and can vary across different age groups. However, how gender and age interact in math anxiety is currently unknown. We are looking to find the relationship between gender, age, and math anxiety in relation to math achievement. For this project, we used data collected from an ongoing longitudinal national twin project, the National Project on Achievement in Twins, and ran analyses through the RStudio database to determine which variables had a significant effect on math anxiety in math achievement. We will also consider and discuss possible limitations as well as potential future research studies. Overall, the implications of this presentation highlights the importance of presenting and addressing math anxiety through targeted solutions, especially for those that may be vulnerable due to our findings. The findings of this study will be important because with this information, students can achieve their full potential in math achievement and schools can implement programs that focus on improving math performance and confidence.

Keywords: Gender, Age, Math Anxiety