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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.

Maths anxiety refers to the feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that arises when one is faced with a math-related task. Maths anxiety can negatively impact performance in mathematical tasks, leading to avoidance behaviours and reduced mathematical competence. One interesting aspect of maths anxiety is that it can be socially transmitted by adults to children. Research has shown that teachers' math anxiety can influence their students' math performance and attitudes towards math. When teachers experience high levels of math anxiety, they may transmit their negative attitudes towards math to their students, which can lead to lower math achievement and increased math anxiety among children. It is particularly concerning because students pursuing a major in early childhood and elementary education exhibit some of the highest levels of math anxiety in college. As a result, the adults who will formally introduce math to children may experience high levels of anxiety. In summary, this evidence highlights the need for better understanding of teachers’ maths anxiety. In the current study, we are interested to investigate how teachers’ anxiety about teaching maths is associated with their mental health and well-being. Furthermore, we aim to investigate how teachers’ anxiety about teaching influences their teaching practices.

Math anxiety is defined as a feeling of tension and apprehension that interferes with math performance ability, the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations. Previous studies suggest that primary/elementary teachers report higher levels of math anxiety. As a result, exposure to negative attitudes toward mathematics by teachers, which are children’s role models, contributes to children’s math anxiety. Our aim is to investigate whether math anxiety is associated with beliefs about math and attitudes towards math in primary/elementary teachers.

In a population of young adults, this study analyzes possible linear relations of resilience and positivity to coping strategies and engagement-burnout. The aim was to establish a model with linear, associative, and predictive relations, to identify needs and make proposals for therapeutic intervention in different student profiles. A population of 1,126 undergraduate students with different student profiles gave their informed, written consent, and completed validated questionnaires (CD-RISC Scale; Positivity; Coping Strategies of Stress; Engagement, and Burnout). An ex post-facto design involved bivariate association analyses, multiple regression and structural predictions. The results offered evidence of associations and predictive relationships between resilience factors, positivity, coping strategies and engagement-burnout. The factors of resilience and positivity had significant differential associations (positive and negative) with factors of coping strategies. Their negative relationship to burnout factors, and positive relation to engagement factors, is especially important. Results of structural analysis showed an acceptable model of relationships between variables. We conclude with practical implications for therapeutic intervention: (1) the proactive factors of resilience reflect a perception of self-efficacy and the ability to change adaptively; (2) the reactive factors of resilience are usually associated with withstanding experiences of change, uncertainty or trauma.