Science of Learning Research Centre

THE SUM OF ALL FEARS: Maths Anxiety and Pre-Service Primary Teachers

Maths anxiety is often described as the feelings of tension, nervousness, and worry associated with carrying out mathematical tasks.  It is associated with poor achievement in maths and is believed to be a factor in avoidance of careers and courses for which maths is required.  Primary school teachers often report high levels of maths anxiety. Furthermore, there is good evidence that teachers’ maths anxiety can influence their students through teachers’ practices and attitudes towards maths.

The aim of the current project is two-fold.  First, we aim to explore the experience of maths anxiety among pre-service primary teachers using perspectives from education, psychology, and neuroscience.  Second, we aim to educate the participants about the experience and impact of maths anxiety by delivering an informational, interactive workshop.

In this seminar, we will report on the progress of this project to date and discuss some of the implications for learning and development.  We will also show how this project integrates different research disciplines in line with the principles of the SLRC.

Sue Thomson is a Chief Investigator for the SLRC, the Director of the Educational Monitoring and Research Division and the Research Director of the Australian Surveys program at ACER. She is also the National Research Coordinator for Australia in TIMSS, PIRLS and the National Project Manager for PISA. Sue is a trained mathematics teacher with a PhD in education.

Dr Sarah Buckley is a Research Fellow in the Educational Monitoring and Research Division at ACER and a postdoctoral researcher in the SLRC.

Dr Kate Reid is a Research Fellow in the Policy, Research and Practice Division at ACER and also a postdoctoral researcher in the SLRC. Sarah and Kate both have psychology backgrounds with PhDs in maths anxiety and early numeracy, respectively.

Seminar Details – Wednesday April 20th  

4:30-5:30pm, Refreshments provided

Radford Room, ACER, 19 Prospect Hill Rd, Camberwell VIC 3124

Seminar Registration – FLYER

Please contact Dee Al-Nawab by Friday 15th April, Email: hadeel.al@unimelb.edu.au

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