Math phobia: Causes, Symptoms, Ways to Overcome

Because of its significance to people’s daily lives, math is regarded as one of the most important disciplines in schooling. It has long been acknowledged as a prerequisite for most professions and daily living. Many students view mathematics as a challenging topic in the classroom (Capuno, et al., 2019). Fear of mathematics is a global problem that affects people everywhere. Perseverance, interest, boredom, and self-efficacy beliefs related to mathematics are all negatively impacted when students perceive mathematics to be difficult (Gafoor & Kurukkan, 2015). Fear over completing math tasks is known as math phohia. It is a term used to describe fear that arises in particular situations rather than a specific medical ailment.

When using arithmetic abilities in any situation-from school lessons to figuring out a restaurant bill—a person suffering from math phobia may experience worry. For some, it might only show up when they are unable to write things down or use a calculator. Others might experience it even if they have access to these resources.

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Students’ fear of math is making them dislike the subject and making it difficult for them to concentrate on the task they are working on. Mathematical anxiety also tends to make students anxious, particularly before an exam or examination. Fear blurs their judgment, making it difficult for them to perform effectively. A learner’s fear of mathematics may arise for a variety of reasons, including genetic, social, and environmental ones, and may manifest earlier in life. Math anxiety can arise because of parental, educational, peer, and senior influence. Similarly, a bad attitude about mathematics can also contribute to a dread of it.

Threads of Mathematics Phobia

It’s a mathematical phobia. It is characterized as a state of anxiousness that prevents one from solving mathematical problems effectively.

According to Olaniyan and Salman (2015), mathematics phobia is recognized as a mathematical deficiency in pupils that pertains to the psychological aspect of learning. According to Tillfors (2003), phobias are learned emotional reactions that frequently result in extremely high levels of worry. Many people have the unfavorable opinion that mathematics is an exceptionally difficult topic that they will never be able to grasp. They perform relatively worse on tests and exams as a result of this unfavorable perception, which makes it harder for them to concentrate on the subject. As a result, fear of mathematics grows stronger every day and eventually manifests as phobia. The complexity of today’s society has increased the importance of knowing how to use basic mathematics. For a variety of reasons, some kids could struggle with math.

David Geary (2013) suggests that a basic deficiency in the representation of numerosity could be one of the root causes of the mathematical problems. It happens to different people for different causes at different ages. The particular kind of mathematics phobia is essentially caused by a fear of numbers or arithmetic. This type of fear is known as numerophobia or arithmophobia.

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Numerophobia in Mathematics Education

Arithmophobia and numerophobia are Greek words whose roots mean “numbers” and “phobos,” which means “deep dislike or fear.” This kind of phobia alters students’ perceptions of mathematics and frequently results in an absurd dread of numbers. There are a number of causes for mathematics phobia, including lack of knowledge of the subject, gaps in conceptual understanding, a lack of focus and practice, aversion to teacher-led learning, outright insults from peers, parents, and teachers, low test scores, and a negative attitude of the subject. This fear is unique in that it includes a broad range of specific phobias, such as a fear of all numbers in general and a dread of particular numbers in particular. It fits the description of an anxiety condition.

What cause of maths Phobia?

Mathematical phobia is the reason behind pupils’ anxiety when it comes to mathematics. Therefore, the primary causes of mathematics phobia are exams and tests (because of the pressure to perform well), people (parents, teachers, and peers) because of low individual proficiency, parents’ perceptions of difficulty, teachers’ inadequate knowledge delivery, and peers’ negative attitudes toward mathematics and its abstract nature (which makes it difficult to relate to all aspects of real life).

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The following factors could be the root causes of arithmetic anxiety:

1. Ineffective teaching strategies and inadequate mathematical background
2. Teachers’ combative, demanding, and bothersome personalities
3. Failure to solve mathematical puzzles
4. Unhealthy teacher-student connections
5. An incapacity to complete an excessive amount of homework at home
6. Not being able to understand arithmetic in class
7. Not being able to complete math problems
8. The teacher’s use of derogatory language
9. A bad attitude toward mathematics
10. Inability to complete arithmetic problems on time
11. Not a classroom that is kid-friendly
12. Dyscalculia, a learning disability in mathematics
13. Negative perception in the community
14. Low self-worth
15. Insufficient comparisons

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Symptoms:

1. Avoid numbers
2. Feeling disoriented and bewildered
3. Experiencing a choking sensation
4. Anxiety, despair, and panic
5. Fear of taking any more action
6. Perspiring, shaking, or experiencing heat flashes vii) Breathing difficulties
7. Tightness of chest
8. Headache, feeling sick, and fainting
9. Inability to articulate ideas clearly
10. Instantaneous desire to leave the classroom
11. Detachment from reality
12. Avoidance behavior
13. Feeling anxious and stressed when given math problems to solve
14. Skipping classes and illogical thinking

Ways To Overcome From Maths Phobia:

1. Strengthen the child’s perception of their ability and aptitude for learning math
2. Establish a nurturing atmosphere for the study of mathematics
3. Motivate the youngster to pursue math
4. Educate the child on the benefits of arithmetic and Introduce the child to math teaching tools.
5. Use games and riddles to make teaching mathematics enjoyable
6. Refrain from evaluating a child’s aptitude in relation to others
7. Make more use of teaching aids
8. Use of cutting-edge and innovative teaching strategies
9. Establish and preserve a close rapport between students and teachers
10. Encourage students to approach mathematics positively
11. Provide access to reference materials
12. Utilize modern facilities, devices, and tools
13. Use of ICT in teaching and learning situations
14. Practice math sufficiently and successfully.