Psychological Development and Education ›› 2012, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (3): 263-270.

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The Effect of Math Anxiety on College Students’/Children’s Strategy Use in Computational Estimation:A Comparative Study

SUN Yan, SI Ji-wei, XU Yan-li   

  1. School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014
  • Online:2012-05-15 Published:2012-05-15

Abstract: 66 undergraduates and 40 children from Grade 4 were selected.The choice/no-choice method research paradigm was used.Using the self-compiled multiplication estimation problems,the different effect of math anxiety on strategy use was investigated in adults and in fourth-graders.Results showed that(1) Math anxiety only affected adults' accuracy of strategy selection in the free choice condition.(2) Children's strategy distribution and accuracy of both strategy execution and strategy selection in the best choice condition were affected by math anxiety.(3) The adaptability of strategy selection,which based on the accuracy of strategy use under choice conditions,was affected by math anxiety for both adults and children.Low-anxious participants chose estimation strategies more adaptively than participants with high math anxiety.Different potential mechanisms of math anxiety on adults' and children's arithmetic strategy use were discussed.

Key words: math anxiety, computational estimation, strategy use, choice/no-choice method

CLC Number: 

  • B844.1
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