ADDRESSING MATHS ANXIETY WITHIN THE CURRICULUM - PowerPoint Presentation

ADDRESSING MATHS ANXIETY WITHIN THE CURRICULUM Ongoing study by the Maths and Statistics Support Centre (MASH) and Specialist Learning Differences (SpLD) team at the University of Sheffield Ellen M. Marshall (MASH), Daniel A. Wilson (Psychology/MASH) Victoria E. Mann (SpLD) Rachel V. Staddon (Department for Lifelong Learning)

Maths and statistics support Most universities (Perkin et al, 2012) now have dedicated Maths Support Centres (MSCs). Receiving positive 1:1 maths support reduces maths anxiety by allowing: quiet supportive study area (Patel and Little, 2006);individual development (Woodard, 2004);alternative explanations to lecturers (Blazer, 2011);immediate feedback (Anderson et al, 1989). BUT …

Maths and statistics support BUT … students expect staff in support centres to offer emotional as well as practical support (Lawson, 2008) an estimated 33% of ‘at-risk’ students, do not use MSC support (O'Sullivan et al. 2014)Symonds (2008) suggests a more proactive approach to advertising and encouraging MSC attendance is needed

The m aths a voidance cycleKey behavioural consequence is maths avoidance (Hembree, 1990) leading to:Opting out of maths Poor attendance Leaving studying till last minute Poor performance

The project Overall aim: Tackle maths anxiety within and outside the curriculum using a multi-disciplinary team Work so far:A university-wide student survey to ascertain levels of maths anxiety, causes, and impactThe development and evaluation of a maths anxiety awareness workshopDepartment for Lifelong Learning (DLL) collaboration to address maths anxiety within the curriculum

Embedding within DLL DLL provides Foundation courses for a range of degrees Incoming students are primarily mature with 20% over 40 The maths module is compulsory for all students M aths anxiety is commo n and high in DLL students DLL student reflects on her first maths lesson: “I arrived this morning with complete brain block and anxiety. Nervous, scared and petrified of the maths lesson, even though I had read the class notes. Once the teacher started talking, my mind went blank as if she was talking a different language.”

Maths anxiety survey 573 University of Sheffield students surveyed in Sept 2015. Students were asked about attitudes and achievements at school, expectations for their study and the UK MARS scale (Hunt et al 2011). 89% expected to study maths/statistics (6% didn’t know) 48% were worried about it 27% Engineers worried and 65% Social Sciences Paper submitted as part of the MSOR conference proceedings 2016

Impact of maths anxiety 43% said a fear or dislike of maths had affected at least one of their A level, degree, module, or job choices.

Differences in MAS-UK scale score Most important predictor: whether or not a student had studied maths after GCSE Males (61%) and Engineers (86%) more likely to have higher maths quali fications Too many unknowns with previous 1:1 support to draw any conclusions No nationality differences

Key DLL comparisons Key DLL differences: There was a significant difference in the maths anxiety scores for the DLL group compared to the rest of the cohort UoS DLL Median maths anxiety score 16 22.5 Median age 19 30 % achieving GCSE A* - C at first attempt 95% 61% % with A level maths 56% 10%

DLL strategies Behavioural : Maths anxiety awareness session addressing prior negative beliefs and experiences Learning environment: Flipped learning, formative tests and improving class participationAdditional support: Encouragement of the use of individual support within MASH

Structure of the workshop Discussion of negative experiences and beliefs: Reflecting on past experiences with maths and discussion with others makes them realise that they are not alone Neurological evidence of the impact on the brainMaths anxiety awareness : Becoming self-aware of one’s maths anxiety assists in its reduction ( Uusimaki & Kidman, 2004) Self belief : Students with high self-efficacy are motivated to persevere with maths rather than exhibit maths avoidance

Outcomes from the DLL workshop 57 students gave feedback 4 4% classified as moderate to very high maths anxiety 78% of those felt less anxious after the workshop 59% felt more confident Excellent feedback by students – now in first maths lesson every year and used in Widening participation outreach sessions

Tests Having one test only means anxiety builds up as there’s no feedback to suggest students can do it. Untimed , unassessed tests decrease anxiety Diagnostic tests: Identify weaker areas Self-check tests & retesting (Juhler, 1998) Feedback (Núñez-Peña et al., 2015) Untimed/ open book exams Confidence increases

Changes to the curriculum 2015/16 Trialled use of weekly online formative tests with parameter randomisation through the VLE a and b change whenever the test is restarted to allow students to revise and repeat Example of a similar question and additional resources are given if students get the question wrong

Feedback for initial online tests 80% of the 2015/16 cohort engaged with the online tests Those in the ‘High’ anxiety group tried more tests Feedback survey at the end gave the following results for those from the moderate - very high anxiety groups:Online quizzes expanded in 2016/17

Outcomes from MASH engagement Despite the encouraging feedback from the workshop, students are still not using MASH and p oor performance was still highly correlated with poor performance The success story : One student used MASH every week to go over class material. She even managed to go through the week 10 material by herself.

Curriculum changes Lectures are a stressful environment as students worry about appearing stupid Flipped learning so students can study at their own pace Anonymous question posting before the clarifying lecture Online quiz to check understanding Alternative material for a different explanation

In the classroom Interactive, clarifying lectures responding to Padlet questions In-class multiple-choice formative assessment using Plickers: Immediate feedback for students Lecturer can check understanding

Feedback from new teaching methods

Comments “ I first started the course with a huge amount of maths anxiety. Since the first MASH maths anxiety session, I have been able to control my anxiety which has helped me understand maths better. I feel much more confident to give maths questions a go and have the ability to figure out where I went wrong.” “Great delivery. It has broken maths down into very understandable bits.”“I really felt that the lecturer was open to questions and totally non judgemental of anybody who raised an issue.”“ The sessions are helpful and fun and have helped to lessen my Maths anxiety substantially. I like the Plickers quizzes for the quick thinking aspect and to cement what we have learned from the weekly materials.” “ Since attending my Foundation course I have come to realise that maths is actually quite fun, and that if you get the base right, the rest can follow. I've learned to be a lot calmer an approach what it is that I'm doing more positively.”

Questions? Has anyone else found methods for encouraging anxious students to attend Maths anxiety workshops Lessons Maths support?

References Anderson , J. R., Conrad, F. G., and Corbett, A. T. (1989), “Skill Acquisition and the LISP Tutor,” Cognitive Science, 13, 467–505.Blazer, C. (2011) Strategies for Reducing Math Anxiety. Information Capsule. Volume 1102. Research Services, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Cruise , R. J., Cash, R. W., & Bolton, D. L. (1985). Development and validation of an instrument to measure statistical anxiety. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Section on Statistical Education, Las Vegas, NV . Hembree , R. (1990). The Nature, Effects, and Relief of Mathematics Anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education , 21 (1), 33–46. Jones , W. G. (2001). Applying Psychology to the Teaching of Basic Math: A Case Study. Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing , 6 (2), 60–65. Juhler , S. M., Rech , J. F., From, S. G., & Brogan, M. M. (1998). The effect of optional retesting on college students’ achievement in an individualized algebra course. The Journal of Experimental Education , 66(2), 125-137. Lyons IM, Beilock SL (2012) When Math Hurts: Math Anxiety Predicts Pain Network Activation in Anticipation of Doing Math. PLoS ONE 7(10): e48076.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048076

References Núñez -Peña, M. I., Bono, R., & Suárez- Pellicioni, M. (2015). Feedback on students’ performance: A possible way of reducing the negative effect of math anxiety in higher education. International Journal of Educational Research, 70, 80-87.O’Sullivan, C., Mac an Bhaird, C., Fitzmaurice, O. and Ní Fhloinn,. (2014). Student Evaluation of Mathematics Learning Support: Insights from a large scale multi-institutional survey Patel, C. & Little, J. (2006) Measuring maths study support, Teaching Maths and its Applications, 25 (3),131-138. Perry, A. B. (2004). Decreasing math anxiety in college students. College Student Journal , 38 (2), 321. Richardson, F.C., & Suinn , R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19(6),551-554. Spicer, J. (2004). Resources to combat math anxiety. Eisenhower National Clearinghouse Focus 12(12). Symonds, R., Lawson, D. and Robinson, C. (2008). Promoting student engagement with mathematics support. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications , 27 (3), 140‐149. • Uusimaki , L. S., & Kidman, G. C. (2004). Reducing maths-anxiety: Results from an online anxiety survey. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/974/1/kid04997.pdf Woodard, T. (2004). The Effects of Math Anxiety on Post-Secondary Developmental Students as Related to Achievement, Gender, and Age. Inquiry , 9 (1), n1. Young, C. B., Wu, S. S., & Menon, V. (2012). The neurodevelopmental basis of math anxiety. Psychological Science , 0956797611429134. •