Developing Effective Interventions for Math Anxiety

Abstract

There is a pressing need for feasible, scalable interventions that address children’s and adults’ math anxiety and result in enhanced math learning. In this article, we suggest a pathway toward intervention development. First, we consider what is known about the mechanisms of math anxiety. To treat math anxiety, we must understand both how and why math anxiety interferes with mathematical learning, thinking, and problem-solving. We then review current approaches to ameliorating math anxiety. Finally, we consider pathways of developing more effective and robust interventions for math anxiety across the lifespan. We highlight clinical approaches to math anxiety and advocate for a double-pronged approach to “break the cycle” of math anxiety transmission from adults to children.