Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
School of Psychology, Faculty of Society and Design & Centre for Data Analytics, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Br J Educ Psychol. 2024 Jun;94(2):539-556. doi: 10.1111/bjep.12662. Epub 2024 Feb 2.
Math anxiety (MA) is a worldwide appearing academic anxiety that can affect student mental health and deter students from math and science-related career choices.
Using the Arabic version of the Modified-Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (m-AMAS), the prevalence of MA was investigated in a very large sample of students (N = 10093) from grades 7 to 12 in Qatar.
The results showed a better fit to the original two-factor model of the m-AMAS (learning MA and Evaluation MA) than to a single-factor solution. This two-factor model was also confirmed in each grade. Notably, the distribution of MA scores was right-skewed, especially for learning MA. Using the inter-quartiles ranges, norms for MA were provided: A score of ≤16 indicates low MA whereas a score of ≥30 identifies high MA. Previous studies conducted in Western countries defined high math-anxious students as those who score above the 90th percentile corresponding to a score of 30 on the m-AMAS. Using this cut-off criterion, the current study found that one-fifth of students in Qatar were highly math-anxious, with a higher proportion of females than males. We also calculated the percentage of participants selecting each response category for each questionnaire item. Results showed that attending a long math class was the context that elicited the highest levels of learning MA. In contrast, having an unexpected math test was the situation that triggered the highest levels of evaluation MA.
The prevalence of MA might vary across different cultures.
数学焦虑（MA）是一种在全球范围内出现的学业焦虑，它会影响学生的心理健康，并促使学生远离数学和科学相关的职业选择。
使用阿拉伯语版的简化数学焦虑量表（m-AMAS），对卡塔尔从 7 年级到 12 年级的 10093 名学生进行了大规模样本的 MA 患病率调查。
结果表明，m-AMAS 的原始两因素模型（学习 MA 和评估 MA）比单一因素模型更适合。这个两因素模型在每个年级也得到了证实。值得注意的是，MA 分数的分布呈右偏态，尤其是学习 MA 的分数。使用四分位间距，提供了 MA 的标准：得分≤16 表示 MA 较低，而得分≥30 表示 MA 较高。先前在西方国家进行的研究将高数学焦虑学生定义为得分高于第 90 百分位的学生，对应于 m-AMAS 的 30 分。使用这个截止标准，本研究发现卡塔尔有五分之一的学生高度数学焦虑，女性比例高于男性。我们还计算了每个问卷项目每个回答类别选择的参与者百分比。结果表明，参加一节较长的数学课是引发学习 MA 最高水平的情境。相比之下，进行一次意外的数学测试是引发评估 MA 最高水平的情况。
MA 的患病率可能因文化而异。
