Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

The Effects of Instructional Strategies on Preservice Teachers’ Math Anxiety and Achievement

Janelle K. Lorenzen 1 * ,
Thomas J. Lipscomb 2
1 Southeastern Louisiana University2 The University of Southern Mississippi* Corresponding Author
Download PDF
Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Volume 4, Issue 2, May 2021, pp. 133-151
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 774 DOWNLOADS: 560 Publication date: 15 May 2021
ABSTRACT
The results reported herein represent the quantitative portion of a mixed method investigation that employed a non-equivalent control group design conducted to determine the effects of teaching methods on math anxiety and achievement among preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a mathematics course. Two teaching methods, inquiry-based learning (IBL) and direct instruction (DI), were compared. These results indicated that math anxiety decreased significantly for the IBL group while increasing for the DI group over the course of an academic semester. There was no difference in measured learning outcomes between the two groups. A significant negative correlation between math anxiety and student achievement, however, was found. Qualitative results, discussed in a companion article, contextualize these findings and reveal that the participants attributed varying levels of math anxiety to several factors including course content, teaching methods, assessments, and student behaviors.
KEYWORDS
Math anxiety, Achievement, Preservice teachers, Inquiry-based learning, Direct instruction, Mathematics Education.
CITATION (APA)
Lorenzen, J. K., & Lipscomb, T. J. (2021). The Effects of Instructional Strategies on Preservice Teachers’ Math Anxiety and Achievement. Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 4(2), 133-151. https://doi.org/10.31756/jrsmte.425
REFERENCES
  1. Alsup, J. (2004). A comparison of constructivist and traditional instruction in mathematics. Educational Research Quarterly, 28(4), 3-17.
  2. Althauser, K. (2018). The emphasis of inquiry instructional strategies: Impact on preservice teacheres’ mathematics efficacy. Journal of Education and Learning, 7(1), 53-70.
  3. Ardeleanu, R. (2019). Traditional and modern teaching methods in mathematics. Journal of Innovation in Psychology, Education, and Didactics, 23(2), 133-140.
  4. Ashcraft, M.H. (1995). Cognitive psychology and simple arithmetic: A review and summary of new directions.
  5. Mathematical Cognition, 1, 3-34.
  6. Ashcraft, M.H. & Kirk, E.P. (2001). The relationship among working memory, math anxiety, and performance.
  7. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 130(2), 224-237.
  8. Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. (2017). Standards for preparing teachers of mathematics. Retrieved from amte.net/standards
  9. Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  10. Boaler, J. (2008). What’s math got to do with it? New York, NY: Viking Penguin.
  11. Brahier, D.J. (2013). Teaching secondary and middle school mathematics (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Buhlman, B.J. & Young, D.M. (1982). On the transmission of mathematics anxiety. Arithmetic Teacher, 30(3), 55-56.
  12. Burns, M. (1998). Math: Facing an American phobia. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications.
  13. Bursal, M. & Paznokas, L. (2006). Mathematics anxiety and preservice elementary teachers’ confidence to teach mathematics and science. School Science and Mathematics, 106(4), 173-180.
  14. Campbell, D.T., Stanley, J.C., & Gage, N.L. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research.
  15. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
  16. Cemen, P.B. (1987). The nature of mathematics anxiety. (Report No. SE 048 689). Stillwater, OK: Oklahoma State University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 287 729).
  17. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.
  18. Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences. (2012). The mathematical education of teachers II. Providence, RI. and Washington, DC: American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association of America.
  19. Cook, T.D. & Campbell, D.T. (1979). Quasi- experimentation: Design and analysis issues for field settings.
  20. Chicago: Rand-McNally.
  21. Creswell, J.W. & Creswell, J.D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. de Jong, T. & van Joolingen, W.R. (1998). Scientific discovery learning with computer simulations of conceptual domains. Review of Educational Research, 68(2), 179-201.
  22. Dutton, W.H. & Dutton, A. (1991). Mathematics children use and understand. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.
  23. Fetterly, J.M. (2020). Fostering mathematical creativity while impacting beliefs and anxiety in mathematics.
  24. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 10(2), 102-128.
  25. Freeman, S., Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M., Smith, M.K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M.P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS, 111(23), 8410-8415.
  26. Harper, N.W. & Daane, C.J. (1998). Causes and reduction of math anxiety in preservice elementary teachers.
  27. Action in Teacher Education, 19(4), 29-38.
  28. Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21(1), 33-46.
  29. Karp, K.S. (1988). The teaching of elementary school mathematics: The relationship between how mathematics is taught and teacher attitudes. Dissertation Abstracts International, 49(08), 2138.
  30. Karp, K.S. (1991). Elementary school teachers’ attitudes toward mathematics: The impact on students’ autonomous learning skills. School Science and Mathematics, 9(1), 265-270.
  31. Kogan, M., & Laursen, S. L. (2013). Assessing long-term effects of inquiry-based learning: A case study from college mathematics. Innovative Higher Education, 39(3), 183-199.
  32. Laursen, S., & Hassi, M.L. (2012). Outcomes of inquiry-based learning for pre-service teachers: A multi-site study. In (Eds.) S. Brown, S. Larsen, K. Marrongelle, and M. Oehrtman, Proceedings of the 15th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, p. 88-94, Portland, Oregon.
  33. Lubinski, C.A. & Otto, A.D. (2004). Preparing K-8 preservice teachers in a content course for standards-based mathematics pedagogy. School Science and Mathematics, 104(7), 336-350.
  34. Mestre, J.P. & Cocking, R.R. (2002). Applying the science of learning to the education of prospective science teachers. In R. Bybee (Ed), Learning Science and the Science of Learning (13-22). Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
  35. Middleton, J.A. & Spanias, P.A. (1999). Motivation for achievement in mathematics: Findings, generalizations, and criticisms of the research. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30, 65-88.
  36. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1991). Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.
  37. Pan, W. & Tang, M. (2005). Students’ perceptions on factors of statistics anxiety and instructional strategies. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 32(3), 205-214.
  38. Prince, M.J. & Felder, R.M. (2006). Inductive teaching and learning methods: Definitions, comparisons, and research bases. Journal of Engineering Education, 95, 123-138.
  39. Ramirez, G., Hooper, S., Kersting, N., Ferguson, R., & Yaeger, D. (2018) Teacher math anxiety relates to
  40. adolescent students’ math achievement. AERA Open, 4(1), 1-13.
  41. Rhoads, M.A. (2020). A taxonomy of behaviors by instructors that college students identified as contributing to their math anxiety [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B:
  42. The Sciences and Engineering (Vol. 81, Issue 9-B).
  43. Ronghuan, J., Liu, R., Star, J., Zhen, R., Wang, J., Hong, W., Jiang, S., Sun, Y., & Fu, X. (2021). How
  44. mathematics anxiety affects students’ inflexible perseverance in mathematics problem-solving: Examining the mediating role of cognitive reflection. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(1), 237-260.
  45. Rozgonjuk, D., Kraav, T., Mikkor, K., Roav-Puurand, K., & That, K. (2020). Mathematics anxiety among STEM and social sciences students: The roles of mathematics self-efficacy, and deep surface approach to learning.
  46. International Journal of STEM Education, 7.
  47. Schink, A.G. (2014). The road to present day inquiry-based learning. Retrieved from http://www.inquirybasedlearning.org/?page=Why_Use_IBL
  48. Scholfield, H.L. (1981). Teacher effects on cognitive and affective pupil outcomes in elementary school mathematics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 462-471.
  49. Shadish, W.R., Cook, T.D., & Campbell, D.T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
  50. Sloan, T. (2010). A quantitative and qualitative study of math anxiety among preservice teachers. The Educational Forum, 74(3), 242-256.
  51. Smith, T., Ware, D., Cochran, R., & Shores, M. (2009). Mathematical investigations in inquiry-based courses for pre-service teachers. Retrieved from http://sigmaa.maa.org/rume/crume2009/Smith_LONG.pdf
  52. Suinn, R.M. (2003). The mathematics anxiety rating scale, a brief version: Psychometric data. Psychological Reports, 92(1), 167-173.
  53. Szczygiel, M. (2020). When does math anxiety in parents and teachers predict math anxiety and math achievement in elementary school children? The role of gender and grade year. Social Psychology of Education 23(4), 1023-1054.
  54. Thanheiser, E., Browning, C.A., Moss, M., Watanabe, T., & Garza-Kling, G. (2010). Developing mathematical content knowledge for teaching elementary school mathematics. Issues in the Undergraduate Preparation of School Teachers, 1, 1-13.
  55. Trujillo, K.M. & Hadfield, O.D. (1999). Tracing the roots of mathematics anxiety through in-depth interview with preservice elementary teachers. College Student Journal, 33(2), 219-232.
  56. Wu, S.S., Willcutt, E.G., Escovar, E., & Menon, V. (2014). Mathematics achievement and anxiety and their relation to internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 47(6), 503-514.
LICENSE
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.