When learners address maths anxiety and improve their mathematical ability, the benefits extend beyond numeracy. Experts say that they become more confident and stronger in other academic subjects as well. It also contributes to better psychological wellbeing and enhanced mental health.
Cape Town maths tutor Audette Smith has seen how improving maths ability boosts confidence in children, helping them to shine academically in other subjects as well. Through her Super Kids Study Centre, the experienced teacher has been helping primary and high school children with mathematical concepts for many years.
“So many children fear doing maths, but when they master it, you see that confidence blossoming,” she says.
Many children worldwide have a mental block when it comes to mathematics, and our learners are not an exception. In 2021 and 2022, 80% of the matric learners who wrote the final matric exam did not pass the subject. Few achieved the necessary 60% to pursue higher education for a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree.
Encouraging learners to take up mathematics and to keep at it is a priority for many SA teachers. One of the biggest hurdles is what has been termed mathematical anxiety by education experts. This condition manifests as worry and tension when doing maths and writing tests. Some factors that amplify the problem are parental attitudes and the perceived stigma associated with being “bad at maths”. This can have potentially damaging consequences for children both academically and socially.
Dr Michelle Sephton, Mathematics and Sciences publisher at Oxford University Press South Africa (OUPSA), explains: “Mathematics evokes a strong emotional response in many people. It can include feelings of inadequacy, failure and even fear.” Feeling anxious and depressed result in learners being demotivated, and inattentive, and is linked to lower academic scores. If these feelings persist, they have many negative long-term consequences, reports Oxford Impact. Poor mathematics outcomes at schools have serious career and professional implications as well, since all STEM careers require mathematics.
It should be pointed out that most skills shortages in South Africa are centred around mathematical topics in the information, technology and communications field (ITC), accounting and financial industries. Considering SA’s high youth unemployment and the many initiatives planned to help young people find employment, focusing on better mathematical outcomes is a good way to ensure youth improve their options in finding future jobs.
For some, this means looking at improving their mathematical wellbeing. This describes the environment in which mathematical teaching happens and the behaviour of both teachers and learners. An interesting study by the University of Melbourne looked into the psychological aspect of learners studying mathematics and the stress they felt in the classroom. It links to other studies that show that when children are anxious about mathematics, it becomes a barrier to them advancing in the subject. This study found that learner ability and attitude played a significant part in the failure rate in mathematics.
“It is how you think and talk about mathematics. This applies not only to children, but also teachers and parents,” says Dr Sephton. She adds: “The way parents talk about the subject at home can provide opportunities to work with mathematical concepts outside the classroom. You can make it part of your child’s reality and point out its usefulness in everyday life – something they often ask about.”
What she is referring to is cultivating a growth mindset. This encourages a kind of thinking that is flexible and open. For instance, UK maths teacher Angela Farley talks about shifting a child’s thinking from: “I can’t do this” to “I can’t do this yet.” It helps when teachers interact more with children, get to know them and use real-world scenarios when teaching. There is also the need to normalise failure. Learners are often scared of failing and getting the answers wrong.
Teachers can also positively reinforce learners’ improvement by showing them where they’ve bettered their understanding of a certain concept, and by getting them to understand that progress, however incremental, is what matters.
Another way of changing attitudes to mathematics can be to introduce digital platforms and a gaming element to the learning process. In OUPSA’s annual mathematics magazine, Sum It Up, author and CEO of mathematics content provider Matific, Craig Shotland, writes: “Gamification, and particularly intelligent gamification enriched with AI, makes learning more personalised and best of all, engages and empowers learners, boosting their confidence and lowering their fear of maths.” He says their organisation has seen how maths marks improve by 34% when learners use their specialised games, while engagement in classrooms goes up by 39%.
However, in South African schools where resources are limited and class sizes are large, not all children have access to digital platforms. Teachers and parents should focus on their verbal and non-verbal behaviour to lessen pressure on learners who are grappling with unlocking their maths potential. These negative emotions become deeply internalised and threaten to resurface every time the child is faced with a mathematical problem. It can become a lifelong burden, evidenced when an adult says, “I am not good at maths”.
Helping our learners overcome mathematical anxiety is about far more than just improving marks or pass rates. When we instil a growth mindset, we help them process failure and see making mistakes as part of learning. We set them up, not only for their educational journey, but their life journey as well.
