Decreasing Math Anxiety Using a Mindfulness and Growth Mindset ApproachDecreasing Math Anxiety Using a Mindfulness and Growth Mindset Approach
Tashana Samuel, Guttman Community College - CUNY
Keywords:
Math Anxiety, Mindfulness, Growth Mindset
Key Statement:
Math subjects tend to trigger anxiety in college students. The Mindfulness and Growth Mindset Approach (MAGMA) has reduced math anxiety in students taking STEM-related courses.
Abstract:
Math. For many students, simply hearing this four-letter word induces feelings of dread, panic, helplessness, and defeat. Math anxiety is a debilitating problem that affects many community college students. The Mindfulness and Growth Mindset Approach (MAGMA) is an academic intervention (developed by the author) that involves embedding specific mindfulness and growth mindset techniques in the classroom. Pilot-tested and replicated, MAGMA has significantly reduced anxiety in college students taking STEM-related courses—improving the psychological experience for both students and instructors in the classroom. MAGMA also has implications in decreasing anxiety in other subject domains, such as reading, writing, and presentation anxiety.
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Transcript:
Math. For many students, simply hearing this four-letter word induces feelings of dread, panic, helplessness, and defeat. In fact, 80% of community college students report experiencing moderate to high levels of math anxiety. According to research, this fear of math occurs long before students begin working on math problems. This is called anticipation anxiety, which consumes working memory capacity, inhibits learning, and causes them to severely underperform on mathematical tasks. The current research, a replication of the successful pilot study, investigated the effectiveness of the Mindfulness and Growth Mindset Approach (MAGMA) in students’ math anxiety. This intervention, developed by the author, was used in various STEM-related courses, and with different instructors. Results indicated that overall, students’ math anxiety decreased significantly compared to their control counterparts. Furthermore, considerable anxiety reduction was found for female students. The MAGMA intervention appears to be an effective, inexpensive approach in alleviating math anxiety, and increasing mathematical resilience in community college students as they take STEM-related courses.
References:
Kabat-Zinn, J., Siegel, D., Hanh, T. N., & Kornfield, J. (2011). The mindfulness revolution: Leading psychologists, scientists, artists, and meditation teachers on the power of mindfulness in daily life. Shambhala Publications.
Samuel, T., & Warner, J. (2019). “I can math!”: Reducing math anxiety and increasing math self-efficacy using a mindfulness and growth mindset-based intervention in first-year students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2019.1666063
Samuel, T. S., Buttet, S., & Warner, J. (2023). “I can math, too!”: Reducing math anxiety in STEM-related courses using a combined mindfulness and growth mindset approach (MAGMA) in the classroom. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 47(10), 613–626. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2022.2050843
Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302–314.