Does a parent's anxiety about math negatively affect their child's math achievement?

Does a parent's anxiety about math negatively affect their child's math achievement?
A math app intervention may help eliminate the negative association between parents' math anxiety and children's math achievement in early elementary school, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
 
The researchers tracked the math achievement of 587 students from 40 classrooms in the Chicago area from first to third grade. In the first grade, students and their families were randomly assigned tablets loaded with either a math app or a similar reading app.
 
Parents were also given a questionnaire to complete in order to assess a variety of attitudes and behaviors related to math and reading. Math anxiety was measured using the Mathematical Anxiety Rating Scale. At the end of the first grade, they were given a second survey to complete. Children's math achievement was measured using the applied problems subset of a nationally-standardized test.
 
By the end of third grade, children of math-anxious parents who were in the reading app control group had learned less math than children of parents with no math anxiety, learning the equivalent of approximately five fewer months of math. However, this was not the case for children in the math app intervention group, and children with math-anxious parents showed the same math progress as students with parents who had no math anxiety.
 
These results suggest that parents' math anxiety is negatively associated with children's math achievement in early elementary school, and that the decreased negative association observed in the intervention group is due in part to a change in parents' attitudes. The researchers conclude that when families used the app together, parents' attitudes toward math changed and they were able to disassociate their own math anxiety from their children's ability in math.

Views: 83

▶ Reply to This

JOIN SL 2.0

SUBSCRIBE TO

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 2.0

Feedspot named School Leadership 2.0 one of the "Top 25 Educational Leadership Blogs"

"School Leadership 2.0 is the premier virtual learning community for school leaders from around the globe."

---------------------------

 Our community is a subscription-based paid service ($19.95/year or only $1.99 per month for a trial membership)  that will provide school leaders with outstanding resources. Learn more about membership to this service by clicking one of our links below.

 

Click HERE to subscribe as an individual.

 

Click HERE to learn about group membership (i.e., association, leadership teams)

__________________

CREATE AN EMPLOYER PROFILE AND GET JOB ALERTS AT 

SCHOOLLEADERSHIPJOBS.COM

New Partnership

image0.jpeg

Mentors.net - a Professional Development Resource

Mentors.net was founded in 1995 as a professional development resource for school administrators leading new teacher induction programs. It soon evolved into a destination where both new and student teachers could reflect on their teaching experiences. Now, nearly thirty years later, Mentors.net has taken on a new direction—serving as a platform for beginning teachers, preservice educators, and

other professionals to share their insights and experiences from the early years of teaching, with a focus on integrating artificial intelligence. We invite you to contribute by sharing your experiences in the form of a journal article, story, reflection, or timely tips, especially on how you incorporate AI into your teaching

practice. Submissions may range from a 500-word personal reflection to a 2,000-word article with formal citations.

© 2026   Created by William Brennan and Michael Keany   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service