Studies also believe that intrinsic motivation is a large factor between mathematics anxiety and academic results. Intrinsically motivated students (in math) have moderate level of mathematics anxiety, and it’s actually beneficial for their achievement. Challenges in math make these students more invested in learning. When intrinsic motivation in math in low, there’s a linear function between mathematics anxiety and math related academic achievement. These results suggest future studies to look closer into motivation process in regard to statistics and mathematics anxiety. 

Alternate Explanation for Statistics and Mathematics Anxiety with Intrinsic Motivation

Unlike with statistics anxiety, but as expected, better grades in math at school correlate with lower mathematics anxiety. This is most likely explained by students having positive experiences in math-related situations, which raise confidence and lower anxiety. 

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It’s estimated that 17% of the U.S.-American population have high levels of math anxiety, and studies in other countries have similar estimation. Women report higher levels of math anxiety than men do, potentially due to societal factors. Math-anxious students more often exhibit procrastination than those who aren’t. 

Broader Look into Mathematic Anxiety 

Paechter, M., Macher, D., Martskvishvili, K., Wimmer, S., & Papousek, I. (2017, July 24). Mathematics anxiety and statistics anxiety. shared but also unshared components and antagonistic contributions to performance in statistics. Frontiers. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01196/full 

Mathematics Anxiety and Statistics Anxiety. Shared but Also Unshared Components and Antagonistic Contributions to Performance in Statistics

Understanding Mathematics Anxiety Among Psychology Majors 

A study found that grades in math at school were directly, and negatively related to statistics anxiety. This means that students with better math grades in school actually report higher levels of statistics anxiety. These students could be holding themselves to higher standards, and in return, experiencing higher anxiety. 

Understanding Statistics Anxiety Among Psychology Majors 

Women report higher levels of statistics and mathematical anxiety than men do. Societal impacts such as gender bias in education (specifically in the STEM related fields) likely contribute to the heightened anxiety that they experience. 

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