Dowker Ann, Sheridan Hannah
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2022 Mar 7;13:814992. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.814992. eCollection 2022.
Many studies have indicated that mathematics anxiety, and other negative attitudes and emotions toward mathematics, are pervasive and are associated with lower mathematical performance. Some previous research has suggested that working memory is related to both mathematics anxiety and mathematics. Moreover, both gender and chosen course of study (sciences vs. humanities) appeared likely to influence students' attitudes to mathematics. In the present study, 40 university undergraduates completed a battery of assessments investigating working memory, attitude to mathematics, test anxiety. and mental and written arithmetic. Attitudes to mathematics were significantly associated with the other variables: working memory, test anxiety, and both measures of mathematical performance. The other variables were not strongly associated with one another. There were no gender differences in mathematical performance, but females exhibited more negative attitudes to mathematics and higher test anxiety than males. After controlling for test anxiety, there ceased to be significant gender differences in attitudes to mathematics. Science students had more positive attitudes to mathematics than humanities students, but the groups did not differ in test anxiety, Science students were better at written but not mental arithmetic. They were also better at working memory, but this was not a significant covariate when the groups were compared on mathematical performance and attitudes to mathematics The results are discussed, with particular focus on implications for future research on influences on mathematics anxiety.
许多研究表明，数学焦虑以及对数学的其他负面态度和情绪普遍存在，并且与较低的数学成绩相关。先前的一些研究表明，工作记忆与数学焦虑和数学能力都有关系。此外，性别和所选专业课程（理科与文科）似乎都可能影响学生对数学的态度。在本研究中，40名大学生完成了一系列评估，调查工作记忆、对数学的态度、考试焦虑以及心算和笔算能力。对数学的态度与其他变量显著相关：工作记忆、考试焦虑以及数学成绩的两种测量指标。其他变量之间没有很强的相关性。数学成绩不存在性别差异，但女性对数学的态度比男性更消极，考试焦虑也更高。在控制了考试焦虑之后，对数学的态度不再存在显著的性别差异。理科学生对数学的态度比文科学生更积极，但两组在考试焦虑方面没有差异。理科学生笔算能力更好，但心算能力不强。他们在工作记忆方面也表现更好，但在比较两组的数学成绩和对数学的态度时，这并不是一个显著的协变量。本文对研究结果进行了讨论，特别关注了对未来关于数学焦虑影响因素研究的启示。
