ESSENTIAL METHODS OF MATH ANXIETY REGULATION
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6127-2021-2-189-198
Math anxiety (MA) is a feeling of fear, worry and discomfort when working with numerical information. Students with a high level of math anxiety tend to avoid mathematics and further study in areas where mathematical knowledge is required. This leads to a shortage of applicants for technical and natural sciences. The development of MA can be caused by: poor mathematical skills, genetic predisposition, socio-environmental factors. In fact, some of the same genetic and environmental reasons affect both math ability and math anxiety. This paper discusses such methods of MA regulation as: expressive writing, reappraisal, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness, art therapy, bibliography, music therapy, and psychophysiological methods (i.e. transcranial stimulation). The effects obtained by these methods, its implementation, as well as potential applications in terms of their effectiveness and reliability have been covered. The studied methods have practically not been tested on Russian samples. Therefore, their further study and experimental verification are required. Regulation methods also require testing in real conditions of the educational process. The new reality of blended and online learning could trigger math and academic anxiety. It is important that some of the proposed methods can be indirectly applied to other types of “academic anxiety” (anxiety caused and experienced by students for other specific discipline).
Keywords: math anxiety, STEM, methods of reregulation
References:
1. Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii ot 01.12.2016 g. No. 642 O Strategii nauchno-tekhnologicheskogo razvitiya Rossiyskoy Federatsii [Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 642 of 01.12.2016 On the Strategy of Scientifi c and Technological Development of the Russian Federation] (in Russian). URL: http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/41449 (accessed 1 September 2020).
2. Chemekov V. N., Krylov D. A. STEM – novyj podhod k inzhenernomu obrazovaniyu [STEM – A new approach to engineering education]. Vestnik Mariyskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Bulletin of the Mari State University, 2015, vol. 20 (5), pp. 59–64 (in Russian).
3. Rudenko M., Rodich M., Kuper E., Kolienko T. V., Sharafi eva K. R., Gynku E. I., Akimova K. K., Bogdanova O. E., Chzhou K., Kovas Yu. V. Matematicheskaya trevozhnost’, prostranstvennye sposobnosti i matematicheskaya uspeshnost’: kross-kul’turnoye issledovaniye detey mladshego shkol’nogo vozrasta v Rossii i Velikobritanii [Mathematical anxiety, spatial abilities and mathematical Success: a cross-cultural study of primary school children in Russia and the United Kingdom]. Teoreticheskaya i eksperimental’naya psihologiya – Theoretical and experimental Psychology, 2013, vol. 6 (4), pp. 18–26 (in Russian).
4. Budakova A. V., Likhanov M. V., Bloniewski T., Malykh S. B., Kovas Yu. V. Matematicheskaya trevozhnost’: etiologiya, razvitiye i svyaz’ s uspeshnost’yu v matematike [Mathematical Anxiety: etiology, development and links with mathematical achievement]. Voprosy psihologii – Voprosy Psychologii, 2020, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 109–119 (in Russian).
5. Richardson F. C., Suinn R. M. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale: Psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1972, vol. 19 (6), pp. 551–554. DOI: 10.1037/h0033456
6. Ramirez G., Shaw S. T., Maloney E. A. Math Anxiety: Past Research, Promising Interventions, and a New Interpretation Framework. Educational Psychologist, 2018, vol. 53 (3), pp. 145–164. DOI: 10.1080/00461520.2018.1447384
7. Graf M. C., Gaudiano B. A., Geller P. A. Written emotional disclosure: a controlled study of the benefi ts of expressive writing homework in outpatient psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research: Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, 2008, vol. 18 (4), pp. 389–399.
8. Park D., Ramirez G., Beilock S. L. The role of expressive writing in math anxiety. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2014, vol. 20(2), pp. 103–118.
9. Jamieson J. P., Mendes W. B., Blackstock E., Schmader T. Turning the knots in your stomach into bows: Reappraising arousal improves performance on the GRE. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol, 2010, vol. 46 (1), pp. 208–212.
10. Van Dam N. T., van Vugt M. K. Vago D. R. et al. Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2018, vol. 13 (1), pp. 36–61. DOI:10.1177/1745691617709589.
11. Sampaio C. V., Lima M. G., Ladeia A. M. Meditation, Health and Scientifi c Investigations: Review of the Literature. Journal of Religion and Health, 2017, vol. 56 (2), pp. 411–427. DOI: 10.1007/s10943-016-0211-1
12. Cahn B. R., Polich J. Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychol Bull, 2006, vol. 132 (2), pp. 180–211. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.180.
13. Bamber M., Schneider J. Mindfulness-Based Meditation to Decrease Stress and Anxiety in College Students: A Narrative Synthesis of the Research. Educational Research Review, 2015, vol. 18, pp. 1–32. DOI: 10.1016/j.edurev.2015.12.004.
14. Shastri V., Hankey A., Sharma B., Patra S. Effi cacy of vedic mathematics and yogic breathing in school children: A pilot study. International Journal of Yoga – Philosophy, Psychology and Parapsychology, 2016, vol. 4, is. 16. DOI: 10.4103/ijny.ijoyppp_3_16
15. Taren A. A., Gianaros P. J., Greco C. M., Lindsay E. K., Fairgrieve A., Brown K. W., Rosen R. K., Ferris J. L., Julson E., Marsland A. L., Creswell J. D. Mindfulness Meditation Training and Executive Control Network Resting State Functional Connectivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychosomatic medicine, 2017, vol. 79 (6), pp. 674–683. DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000466
16. Gorev A., Kovaleva A., Panova E., Gorbacheva A. Brain activity during different stages of the relaxation process. Fiziologiya cheloveka, 2012, vol. 38, pp. 16–23.
17. Bander R. S., Russell R. K., Zamostny K. P. A comparison of cue-controlled relaxation and study skills counseling in the treatment of mathematics anxiety. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1982, vol. 74 (1), pp. 96–103.
18. Diego M. A., Jones N. A., Field T., Hernandez-Reif M., Schanberg S., Kuhn C., McAdam V., Galamaga R., Galamaga M. Aromatherapy positively affects mood, EEG patterns of alertness and math computations. The International Journal of Neuroscience, 1998, vol. 96 (3-4), pp. 217–224.
19. Henslee A., Klein B. Using Brief Guided Imagery to Reduce Math Anxiety and Improve Math Performance: A Pilot Study. Journal of STEM Education, 2017, vol. 18 (4). URL: https://www.learntechlib.org/p/181995/ (accessed 1 November 2020).
20. Osin E. N., Turilina I. I. Kratkosrochnye effekty ot onlayn-praktiki meditatsii osoznannosti [Short-term effects of an online mindfulness meditation intervention]. Eksperimental’naya psikhologiya – Experimental Psychology, 2020, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 51–62. DOI:10.17759/exppsy.2020130104. (in Russian).
21. Iodo O. I. Desakralizatsiya meditatsii: maindfulnes kak novyy terapevticheskiy instrument [Desacralizing Meditation: Mindfulness as a New Therapeutic Tool]. Aktual’nye problemy gumanitarnogo obrazovaniya. Materialy V Mezhdunarodnoy nauchno-prakticheskoy konferentsii [Actual problems of humanitarian education. Materials of the V International Scientifi c and Practical Conference]. Minsk, BSU Publ., 2018. Pp. 140–145 (in Russian).
22. Tashana S. S., Jared W. I. Can Math!: Reducing Math Anxiety and Increasing Math Self-Effi cacy Using a Mindfulness and Growth Mindset-Based Intervention in First-Year Students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2019, vol. 45 (7), pp. 1–18.DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2019.1666063
23. Kutlu A., Yılmaz E., Çeçen D. Effects of aroma inhalation on examination anxiety. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 2008, vol. 3, pp. 125–130. DOI: 10.1016/j.teln.2008.04.005
24. Niksirat K. Sa., Silpasuwanchai C., Hussien Ahmed M. M., Cheng P., Ren X. A Framework for Interactive Mindfulness Meditation Using Attention-Regulation Process. Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 2017, pp. 2672–2684. DOI: 10.1145/3025453.3025914
25. Curry N. A., Kasser T. Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety? Art Therapy, 2005, vol. 22 (2), pp. 81–85. DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2005.10129441
26. Savchenko A. V., Anufrienko E. V. Korrektsionnaya rabota s umstvennootstalymi podrostkami pri pomoshchi primeneniya praktiki meditatsii s primeneniyem mandal [Correctional work with mentally retarded adolescents by applying the practice of meditation with the use of mandalas]. Nauchnaya diskussiya sovremennoy molodyozhi: aktual’nye voprosy, dostizheniya i innovatsii [Scientifi c discussion of modern youth: current issues, achievements and innovations]. Blagoveshchensk, 2019, pp. 85–87 (in Russian).
27. Salazar L. R. Exploring the effect of coloring mandalas on students’ math anxiety in business statistics courses. Business, Management and Education, 2019, vol. 17, pp. 134–151. DOI: 10.3846/bme.2019.11024
28. Carsley D., Heath N. L., Fajnerova S. Effectiveness of classroom mindfulness coloring activity for test anxiety in children. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 2015, vol. 31 (3), pp. 239–255. DOI: 10.1080/15377903.2015.1056925
29. Thoma M. V., La Marca R., Brönnimann R., Finkel L., Ehlert U., Nater U. M. The effect of music on the human stress response. PloS one, 2013, vol. 8 (8), e70156. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070156
30. Gan S. K. E., Lim K. M. J., Haw Y. X. The relaxation effects of stimulative and sedative music on mathematics anxiety: A perception to physiology model. Psychology of Music, 2016, vol. 44 (4), pp. 730–741.
31. Furner J. M. Helping all Students Become Einstein’s using Bibliotherapy when Teaching Mathematics to Prepare Students for a STEM World. Pedagogical Research, 2017, vol. 2 (1), iss. 01. DOI: 10.20897/pedre.201701
32. Hébert T. P., Furner J. M. Helping High Ability Students Overcome Math Anxiety through Bibliotherapy. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 1997, vol. 8 (4), pp. 164–178.
33. Scicszka J., Smith L. Math curse. New York, Viking Press Publ., 1995.
34. Sarkar A., Dowker A., Cohen K. R. Cognitive enhancement or cognitive cost: trait-specifi c outcomes of brain stimulation in the case of mathematics anxiety. The Journal of neuroscience: the offi cial journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2014, vol. 34 (50), pp. 16605–16610. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3129-14.2014
35. Tran T. T. T. A review of Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope’s theory of foreign language anxiety and the challenges to the theory. English Language Teaching, 2012, vol. 5 (1), pp. 69–75. DOI: 10.5539/elt.v5n1p69
Issue: 2, 2021
Series of issue: Issue 2
Rubric: PSYCHOLOGY
Pages: 189 — 198
Downloads: 923