# Influencing Factors of Math Anxiety Among Elementary School Students

## TL;DR

This study explores how factors like age and general anxiety affect math anxiety in elementary students, finding that age and anxiety are significant but sex is not.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in analyzing how age and general anxiety influence math anxiety independently of sex in a Spanish student sample.

## Key findings

- Math anxiety is moderately present among elementary students.
- Age and general anxiety significantly correlate with math anxiety.
- The effects of age and general anxiety on math anxiety are consistent across sexes.

## Abstract

Math anxiety, or a student’s lack of confidence in learning mathematics, is one of the emotional dimensions with the greatest impact on mathematics education. Sociological factors such as sex and age, demographic aspects like cultural characteristics, and emotional variables such as general anxiety have been identified as significantly influencing math anxiety. This study conducts quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses of the influence of sex, age, and general anxiety on math anxiety in a sample of 185 Spanish elementary students. It also examines whether the effects of age and general anxiety on math anxiety differ by sex. For this purpose, students’ responses to a quantitative questionnaire are analyzed. The instrument combines two validated scales: (i) STAIC T-Anxiety, measuring general anxiety, and (ii) AMAS, measuring math anxiety. Results show that students exhibit moderate average math anxiety, which is not significantly affected by sex. However, significant correlations between math anxiety, age, and general anxiety were found, independent of sex. The study highlights the need to design corrective measures for math anxiety and suggests lines for future research.