Anxiety about maths “locks pupils in cycle of despair

Children as young as six feel fear, rage and despair as a result of "mathematics anxiety", a condition which can cause physical symptoms and behaviour problems in class, according to a study.

Pupils in both primary and secondary school can find themselves locked in a cycle of despair, suffering from anxiety that has a negative     1    on their maths performance, which in turn leads to increased anxiety.

Researchers say maths anxiety should be treated as a "real     2    " because of the damage it does to a child's learning. They also point out it may be     3    to a growing maths crisis in the UK, where the level of adult numeracy is relatively low and getting worse.

According to the Nuffield Foundation report, Understanding Mathematics Anxiety, the     4     of adults with functional maths skills equivalent to a GCSE grade C has fallen from 26% in 2003 to 22% in 2011. In contrast, functional literacy skills are steadily increasing, with 57% of working-age adults     5     the equivalent level.

Researchers from the faculty of education and the centre for neuroscience in education at Cambridge University worked with 2,700 primary and secondary students in the UK and Italy – including detailed one-to-one interviews – to explore maths anxiety and its     6    .

The children they interviewed provided graphic descriptions of their fears about maths. "I felt very unwell and I was really scared," said one primary school student, describing his     7     during a lesson about equivalent fractions. "Because my table's in the corner I kind of tried not to be in the lesson."

Researchers found there was a general sense that maths was hard compared with other subjects, which led to a loss of     8    , yet the study points out that most children with high levels of maths anxiety are normal to high     9    in the subject.

Key triggers for anxiety included poor marks, test pressures, teasing by fellow pupils and a confusing     10     of teaching methods.