1. Do your feelings about mathematics relate to your career choice?
- Author
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De Almeida Gomides, Mariuche Rodrigues, Santos, Flavia H., Cipora, Krzysztof, and Caviola, Sara
- Subjects
FOS: Psychology ,Educational Psychology ,procrastination ,Psychology ,vocation ,STEM ,Social and Behavioral Sciences ,maths anxiety ,Education ,career choice - Abstract
Math anxiety refers to a psychological state characterized by feelings of tension, apprehension, or fear in response to situations that require mathematical reasoning or skills (Richardson & Suinn, 1972). One of the most pervasive negative outcomes associated with maths anxiety is the tendency to avoid maths (Ashcraft, 2002). Individuals experiencing maths anxiety seem to be inclined to avoid activities that could enhance their maths skills, such as doing maths homework, participating in maths class, and taking extras maths courses (Ramirez et al., 2018). Consequently, their performance in mathematics can deteriorate, further increasing their levels of maths anxiety and perpetuating a vicious cycle. In the long term, maths anxiety can limit academic and career opportunities that require proficiency in mathematics (Ahmed, 2018; Ashcraft, 2002; Hembre, 1990). One can argue that a potential mechanism employed by maths-anxious individuals to escape or avoid negative feelings triggered by maths is procrastination. Procrastination is a delay in beginning or completing an “intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay” (Steel, 2007, p. 66). In favour of this hypothesis, Yu et al. (2021) examined the indirect effects of grit (i.e., perseverance) and procrastination on the association between maths anxiety and maths achievement in 11th-grade Chinese students. Results indicated an indirect effect of maths anxiety on maths achievement through grit and procrastination in serial, with grit as affecting procrastination, which in turn influences maths achievement (i.e., maths anxiety → grit → procrastination → maths achievement). Furthermore, the overall indirect effect of procrastination alone was also significant (i.e., maths anxiety → procrastination → maths achievement). This finding indicates that maths anxiety could potentially diminish students’ perseverance in learning maths, leading to increased tendencies for procrastination, reduced engagement in maths-related activities, and avoidance of challenging maths tasks. Consequently, these behaviours may contribute to poorer academic performance in maths. In addition to that, maths anxiety is also linked to negative attitudes towards maths. Although attitudes towards maths can be considered an umbrella term that may include different affective factors related to maths, it is widely accepted that this construct encompasses factors such as enjoyment of maths, self-assessment of maths competence, and expectations regarding one’s ability to learn and improve their maths skills (Dowker, 2021). Ashcraft and Ridley (2005) summarized findings from prior meta-analysis studies on the relationship between maths anxiety and attitudes towards maths. They observed moderate to high negative correlations between maths anxiety and both enjoyment of maths (r=-.47) and self-confidence in math (r=-.65) among undergraduate students. This indicates that higher levels of maths anxiety are associated with decreased enjoyment of maths and reduced self-confidence in math. Drawing upon the evidence presented above, it is unsurprising that maths anxiety could significantly impact an individual’s career choice. Therefore, the primary goal of the present study is to explore potential associations between maths anxiety and the career choice made by undergraduate students. We will examine how maths anxiety is associated with undergraduate students’ maths avoidance, as measured by participants' agreement on whether their major choice was influenced by maths or related subjects as a requirement, and attitudes towards maths, as measured by participants’ enjoyment of maths and their self-perceived maths abilities. We will also examine how including an interaction term between career choice, coded as STEM and non-STEM, and maths anxiety affects the models. Furthermore, a secondary goal of the current study is to investigate how procrastination influences the association between maths anxiety and maths performance.
- Published
- 2023
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