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Math Anxiety and Problem-Solving Strategies for Early Middle School Math
Performance: Pilot Study

Conference Paper · March 2013

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 Math Anxiety and Problem-Solving Strategies for Early Middle School
Math Performance: Pilot Study

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore math anxiety and problem solving
strategies using an experimental study to compare early middle school students’ math
performances in two classrooms with and without a two week intervention using the
Brace and Flow Map problem solving strategy. An additional goal of the study is to
evaluate the two math anxiety assessments to determine which instrument better
reflects early middle school students’ math anxiety. The results revealed that the gain
scores of students’ math performances between the two groups did not yield
significant differences; however, the mean of the gain scores in the treatment group
accepting the problem solving strategy intervention was higher than the control group.
Based on statistical results, survey A regarding math anxiety displayed higher
reliability and consistency, but survey B was preferred from the students’ perspective.
Research and educators can further examine the gap between statistical analysis and
students’ view of their math anxiety when they choose a problem solving instrument.

Introduction
In public schools today many students are not doing well in either math or science, particularly in
math (Haycock, 2001). Without gaining the proper math knowledge and skills, these students will not be
adequately functional or position themselves to pursue a career in science and engineering. In this global
economy, technical skills become vital as technology continues to develop (Greenwood, M. R.C. & North
K.K., 1999). Therefore, it is important to understand why students struggle in math and the
problem-solving strategies they use. In order to achieve equity, minority students must perform well in
math so that they can engage in the competitive world in lucrative careers that are available in engineering
and science. Knowledge of math is critical for a society to continue to grow and develop, especially in the
area of research and development (Gutstein, 2007).
Although math is very important to learn and apply, many students struggle in mathematics and
compound the problem by creating math anxiety (Batton, 2010). There has been math anxiety research
conducted, but its primary focus has been on high school students; however, elementary and middle
school students also struggle with math anxiety as well (Newstead, 1998). The transition from elementary
to middle school oftentimes creates a major anxiety of its own. “Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension
and anxiety that interferes with the ‘manipulation of mathematical’ problems in varied situations” (Kahtoon
& Mahmood, 2010, p. 75). Anxiety can affect student performance in the classroom. Therefore, social
emotional perspectives and conditions also impact math academic performance (Meadows, 2006). Often,
children develop negative feelings and higher levels of anxiety toward math and the math anxiety they
develop creates a negative relationship with math and negatively impacts academic achievement
(Newstead, 1998).
The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the curriculum and the theory-based strategy,
the Brace and Flow maps, could be utilized in a early middle school classroom to increase students’ ability
to problem solve in math in conjunction with determining which math anxiety scales would better reflect
students’ math anxiety and be suitable for early middle school students. The following research questions
were examined in order to understand and address the problems associated with students struggling in
math.
Research Questions
a. Are there significant differences between the control and experimental group on their math
performance?
b. Does the anxiety scale reflect students’ awareness or feeling for their math courses?
c. Are there any differences between the control and experimental group based on the math strategy
 performances in relation to their performances?

Literature Review

In this section, two major topics, including math anxiety and problem-solving strategies, will be
addressed and discussed to elucidate the research topics.
Math Anxiety
Tobias (1993) proposed a definition of math anxiety. Math anxiety is one person’s feelings of tension
and anxiety interfering with operating numbers and resolving mathematical problems in various life and
academic situations. However, there are various forms of math anxiety. For example, Ma (1999) stated
that children with math anxiety either dislike math, worry about math, and/or fear math which are attitudinal,
cognitive, and emotional elements respectively. Ma (1999) conducted a meta-analysis of 26 studies with
18,279 students, grades 4 to 12. Each study sample averaged 703 students. The largest study had a
sample size of 4,091 students and the smallest study had a sample size of 28 students. The Mathematics
Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was the major scale used to measure math anxiety in several of the studies
within the meta-analysis. There was a statistically significant relationship between math anxiety and math
achievement. Ma (1999) also reported that children from grade 4 and above all had math anxiety. Several
studies also revealed that math anxiety and math performance had a negative relationship (Galla & Wood,
2012; Lee, 2009). The major elements of the affective domain were emotion, belief, and attitudes (Ashcraft
& Moore, 2009). The emotional element is the trigger for math anxiety because it involves fear, panic,
anxiety, and embarrassment which the students’ showed in situations involving math (Ma, 1999). Students’
fear of math can be reduced or even eliminated with effective tools and strategies.
Ma (1999) concluded that math anxiety occurred during early educational experiences. However, there is
no instrument to study math anxiety at the grade levels prior to grade 4. Krinzinger, Kaufmann, & Willmes
(2009) also suggested that future research needed standardized and appropriate instruments to measure
math anxiety through early primary school years. Therefore, this study attempted to explore the
appropriate instruments for measuring math anxiety for early middle school students.
Problem Solving
Batton (2010) conducted an experimental study to investigate whether cooperative group strategies
would impact the levels of math anxiety in a 5th grade math classroom, and whether using the cooperative
group strategies would reduce math anxiety for different gendered students. The results showed that the
math anxiety scores in the treatment group were less than the anxiety scores in the control group.
Additionally, females in the treatment group had lower anxiety scores compared to the females in the
control group. However, male students in the treatment group showed no change in math anxiety levels
when compared to males in the control group. One conclusion that could be drawn from this study was that
cooperative grouping, particularly for females, might positively impact student attitudes and overall
performances.
Batton (2010) also indicated that math anxiety was not the equivalent of test anxiety since math
anxiety originated from many different areas. To further discover what issues and considerations create
math anxiety, future researchers could utilize different math anxiety scales to reveal what contents and
areas cause student math anxiety to increase. In addition, various math learning strategies have been
conducted in different studies to determine and promote student math performances (Batton, 2010; Hall,
2009). Hall (2009) conducted an experimental study which involved 170 sixth and seventh grade students
in Middle Tennessee to determine if students' gender, grade level, and level of creativity had an impact on
their use of mathematical problem-solving strategies. After a six week intervention and data collection, the
results revealed that those students who received previous problem solving instructions had both higher
numbers of solutions and higher levels of complexity in the sixth and seventh grades. There was a
difference in the number of methods by gender at the sixth grade level. However, the results revealed that
there was no significant difference in the number or complexity of solution methods by grade level.
 Villa (2008) conducted a study to investigate the correlations between reading skills and
mathematics performance, specifically on word problem-solving. Fifty-eight students from the sixth through
eleventh grades participated in this study. The results revealed that reading skills were correlated to
mathematics; however, the relationship between the two was not too strong. The researcher stated that
even though students who had a high reading score might read and understand word problems better,
they might have problems in decoding and setting the problems up. Therefore, the results indicated that
another set of strategies might be needed to consider for student success in mathematics problem-solving
rather than reading skills only.
Many problem strategies had been studied by previous research, such as problem-solving
strategies and cooperative group strategies. However, no study explored the Brace and the Flow map
strategy and whether it would be beneficial for students’ problem-solving abilities and math performances.
Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate whether the Brace and Flow map could be utilized in a
early middle school classroom to increase students’ problem-solving ability in mathematics in conjunction
with determining which math anxiety scales would better reflect students’ math anxiety levels and be
suitable for sixth grade students.

Methodology
A pilot experimental quantitative study was used to investigate whether the Brace and Flow map
could be utilized in the early middle school classroom to increase students’ problem-solving ability in
mathematics in conjunction with determining which math anxiety scales would better reflect students’ math
anxiety levels and be suitable for early middle school students. This was an experimental design that used
a convenience sample. One class was randomly assigned as a treatment group; the other class was
assigned as control group. The sample was used from one of the researchers’ places of employment, a
middle school (grades 6 through 8). This study utilized three statistical methods, including t-test, frequency,
and reliability in SPSS. The dependent variable was math performance, the continuous score of math
achievement from the math achievement exam in the school.
Population
The population was early middle school students in the U.S. The ages of students were from 11 to
12 years old. The official K through 12 curriculum and standards used for the district and the state of Texas
is the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS. The early middle school math specifically follows
the early middle school math TEKS guidelines. Students have been taking the Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test, but this summative assessment has recently changed to the State of
Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).
Sample
The sample included 26 participants (12 female and 14 male), with 10 in the treatment group and 16
in the control group. These students attend an intercity middle school, although their socioeconomic status
was not retrieved. The school partners with Communities in Schools of North Texas to offer free academic
and social skills assistance through an after-school program to economically disadvantaged and at-risk
students. The sample included 15 Hispanics, 7 African American/Blacks, 3 Caucasians, and 1 Asian
student.
Procedures
The students took Survey A and Survey B in one 45-minute class period regarding their math
anxiety. They had the whole class period to complete the survey. Some of the students used the whole
time and others finished prior to the end of the class. The students also had open-ended questions at the
bottom of each survey. The researchers used the Brace and Flow map strategy as the intervention for the
treatment group. The following day, both groups began with a discussion on the strategies they use to
solve math word problems. A list was constructed with all the strategies they use, such as songs, rhyming,
underlining and circling facts and/or questions, crossing out extra information, UPSCheck (understand,
plan, solve, check) which was a 5th grade strategy learned, and others.
After the discussion, the treatment group was then introduced to the Brace and Flow map. The
Brace and Flow map is used to break down word problems to a simpler format to solve a problem. The
Brace map is for the facts and questions within the word problem while the Flow map is a step-by-step
mathematical and written language to explain the process to solve a problem. The control group was
allowed to use any of the strategies they provided on their set of math problems on fractions and
ratios/proportions. All the participants were given a pre-test prior to the math tasks. Throughout the math
tasks, students worked in collaborative groups and individually at times. After two weeks of intervention,
the students took the post-test with the same questions in a different order. During this study, one
researcher taught, while the other observed and recorded their observations. The researchers then coded
the surveys, pretest, and post-test by giving each student a number and entering the data into SPSS to run
the statistics.
Instruments
1. Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)
The Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) is an instrument developed by Henry and Chiu
(1990) to measure student levels of math anxiety precisely for students in grades four through eight
(Batton, 2010). The instrument utilizes a 4-point Likert scale and has 22 questions. MASC is numbered
with a scale from 1 to 4 where 1 is “not nervous”; 2 is “a little bit nervous”, 3 is “very nervous”, and four is
“very, very, nervous”. Henry and Chiu (1990) developed the instrument with a sample of 562 students in
grades four to eight, including 270 boys and 292 girls. Henry and Chiu (1990) reported that “internal
consistency reliability for the MASC was estimated by computing alpha coefficients for each grade and for
the total group. These coefficients ranged from .90 to .93 with a median of .92” (p. 175). Batton (2010)
utilized this instrument to explore whether using cooperative groups in the 5 th grade math classroom could
reduce math anxiety evaluation in 5th grade students. Batton (2010) also introduced another study by
Beasley, Long, and Natali in 2001 utilizing the MASC to test for validity of a study sample of 278
middle-class sixth-graders. The result discovered that the consistency as measured by Cronbach’s alpha
was .924.
2. Cross-Validating a Bi-dimensional Mathematics Anxiety Scale –Revised (MAS-R)
The second mathematics anxiety scale is the cross-validating a bi-dimensional mathematics anxiety
scale –Revised (MAS-R) developed by Bai (2010). This revised instrument was created by a team led by
Bai at the University of Central Florida (Cox, 2011). This math anxiety instrument uses a 5-point Likert
scale which has 14 items from “not true” (1), slightly true, moderately true, mostly true to “very true” (5).
This scale contains a positive and negative two dimensional subscales which are determined by factor
analysis. Each subscale is made up of six items. This instrument was validated with two independent
samples consisting of 647 secondary school students. Construct validity was strong and recognized based
on literature reviews and the judgment of experts. Bai (2010) reported that the internal consistency of the
instrument was .85, test-retest reliability was .71, interfactor correlation .26, p < .001, and positive
discrimination power pointed out that MAS-R was a reliable and valid apparatus for measuring
mathematics anxiety. Bai (2010) further recommended that this tool might be a beneficial instrument for
classroom teachers and other scholars to detect and determine students who might be at risk of reducing
math achievement due to anxiety.

Results
A Paired-Samples T-test and Independent t-test Report
A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare the differences between the math assessment scores of the
pre-tests and post-tests in each group. There was a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test math assessment
scores in the control group for the pre-test (M=53.5, SD=28.54) and post-test (M=68.75, SD=23.28) conditions;
t(15)=-2.521, p<.05 (.023). The Cohen’s d effect size was .589 (moderate effect). According to Cohen (1992), the
effect size .51-1.00 would be a moderate effect. There also was a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test
math assessment scores in the control group for the pre-test (M=31.40, SD=19.16) and post-test (M=41.80, SD=23.88)
conditions; t(9)=-2.70, p <.05 (.24). The Cohen’s d effect size was .483 (modest effect).
Both control and treatment groups had improved after two weeks of the intervention, but in order to explore
which group had improved more, this study further conducted independent samples t-tests to compare the gain scores
between the two groups. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the gain scores of math
performances in their math assessment between the treatment group which receiving the Brace and Flow Map strategy
Intervention and the control group which was not using the Brace and Flow Map strategy. There was no significant
difference in their gain scores for the treatment group (M=15.25, SD=24.19) and the control group (M=10.40,
SD=12.18) conditions; t (24) =.676, p = .506

Table 1
Group Statistics
Groups N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Progress 1.00 16 15.2500 24.19229 6.04807
2.00 10 10.4000 12.18560 3.85343

These results revealed that both groups had improved their math assessment performances after two weeks of
the intervention (treatment group taught the Brace and Flow Map strategy; control group had regular math course).
Even though there was not a significant difference on their gain scores between treatment and control groups, the gain
score mean of the treatment group was much higher than the control group. The possible reason for no significance on
their gain scores between the two groups would be the time limitation. Students might not have had a sufficient
amount of time becoming familiar with the Brace and Flow Map strategy in the treatment group to show their success
on their exams during the first two weeks of the intervention. However, figure 1 indicated that the students’ learning
and improvement curve between their pre-test and post-test exams in both groups were positive.
The improvement rate between their pre-test and post-test were almost parallel even though they were
randomly assigned into the two courses. After two weeks of the intervention on the treatment group, they improved
their math assessment scores. The control group also improved their math assessment scores after the two week
regular math course.

100

80

60
group1
40 group2
20

0
sd- mean sd+
Figure 1. Learning Curves

Math Anxiety Report

Both the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) and cross-validating a bi-dimensional mathematics
anxiety scale - Revised (MAS-R) math anxiety scales were utilized in this study to determine a suitable math anxiety
instrument suitable for sixth grade students for further research and dissertation. The first math anxiety instrument
MASC was named survey A in this study; the second math anxiety scale MAS-R was named survey B. Survey A
was initially conducted to test students in grades four to eight, and survey B was initially conducted to test
secondary school students..
In order to determine which math anxiety survey was suitable for future research, this study revealed two
perspectives, including students’ judgment or perceptions, as well as the statistical results of the two instruments.
In reference to students’ perceptions, the researchers found that the majority of students preferred survey B.
Survey A includes 22 questions and survey B has 14 questions. This study utilized two math anxiety instruments to
evaluate in order to find a suitable tool for future research. Table 2 showed the results about the responses of
frequency from survey A and survey B.

Table 2
Frequency Table
Survey F %
Survey A 10 38.5 %
Survey B 15 96.2 %

Figure 2. Frequency chart. Note: 1 means survey A; B mean survey B

Looking deeper at the frequency of each question in survey A, the results revealed that more students
showed higher nervousness on questions 2, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. To analyze these questions,
researchers categorized these higher frequency questions into two major themes, including the math context and the
exam or homework. In the math context, the results revealed students are scared of interpreting graphs or charts,
calculating the costs or spending, understanding the mathematical statements, and doing a long division problem.
Regarding exams or homework, most students felt nervous in taking math tests, quizzes, preparing for a math test
and waiting for the test results. Based on these analyses, the study would suggest that future researchers and
classroom teachers place an emphasis on problem-solving strategies on the areas students expressed the most
concern about discussed above. In survey B, the results did not reveal any obvious high frequency since it had both
positive and negative attitudes toward math anxiety. Therefore, this instrument analysis only presents the results of
survey A.
These questions are listed below:
A-2. Reading and interpreting graphs or charts
A-10. Working on a mathematics problem, such as “If I spend $3.87 at the store, how much change will I get from a
$5 bill?”
A-14. Being told how to interpret mathematical statements
A-16. Thinking about a math test one day before the test
A-17. Doing a long division problem
A-18. Taking a quiz in math
A-19. Getting ready to study for a math test
A-20. Being given a math quiz that you were not told about
A-21. Waiting to get a math test returned in which you expect to do well
A-22. Taking an important test in math class
Statistical Results from the Two Instruments
A reliability statistics test was conducted to evaluate which survey had higher reliability by looking at
Cronbach’s Alpha. This study utilized a sample of 26 sixth-grade students. The results revealed that the consistency
as measured by Cronbach’s alpha was .882 on Survey A, and the consistency as measured by Cronbach’s alpha
was .545 on survey B. Therefore, survey A had a higher reliability. Based on the statistical report, this study would
suggest survey A as the best instrument.

Table 3
Reliability Statistics Survey A
Cronbach's Alpha Based on
Cronbach's Alpha Standardized Items N of Items
.882 .871 20

Table 4
Reliability Statistics Survey B
Cronbach's Alpha Based on
Cronbach's Alpha Standardized Items N of Items
.555 .545 14

Limitations

This was a pilot study conducted to gather information on the effects of the use of the Brace and
Flow map as well as students math anxiety. This study will continue to explore early middle school
student’s problem-solving strategy towards math achievement. There were limitations, such as a small
sample and short amount of time of implementing the intervention. Due to the limitations, we adopted a
convenient sample from one of researchers’ classrooms. In addition, the two groups were not on the same
level; the treatment group began at a higher academic performance level although both groups were
randomly assigned. At the same time, all the participants were students who had difficulty in math,
language, or both, so they take two math courses. Future research should be conducted in this area and
include a larger sample and more time for the tasks. Future studies should also focus on the
problem-solving strategies of minority students, specifically Hispanic and African American students, to
understand why there is such a large achievement gap between them and other race/ethnic groups.

Conclusions

Even though there was not a significant difference in the gain scores between the treatment and
control groups, the mean of the gain scores in the treatment group received during the two weeks
intervention was higher than the control group which did not receive the Brace and Flow Map strategy
intervention. The results revealed that the math assessment scores in both groups had improved after two
weeks. Additionally, in the two math anxiety scales, the results revealed that most of students preferred
survey B, but survey B could not reveal more useful information based on content analysis and statistical
results compared to survey A. Based on the results, this study would suggest that future research choose
survey A as a primary math anxiety scale to determine early middle school students’ math barriers and
feelings. Even though the math assessment performance on the treatment group who received the Brace
and Flow Map strategy did not reveal significant differences compared to the control group, the Brace and
Flow Map strategy could be applied to assist students in problem-solving as well as their thinking process.
This study suggests that future research which utilizes a similar experimental study should have at least
two months of the Brace and Flow Map strategy intervention in order to help students become familiar with
this strategy.

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