Reciprocal associations between students’ mathematics anxiety and achievement: Can teacher sensitivity make a difference?

Students' mathematics anxiety is closely related to poor report card grades and low scores on standardized mathematics testsbut what is cause, what is consequence and how can teachers intervene?Mathematics anxiety is a problem for many secondary school students worldwide, and the accompanying concerns (= worry as cognitive component) and unpleasant affective reactions (= emotionality as affective component) threaten their wellbeing (PISA 2015).An extensive body of studies has found a negative correlation between anxiety and concurrent mathematics achievement (for a comprehensive overview, see this review article).However, the question as to which causes which cannot clearly be answered.Furthermore, the question of how teachers' instructional behavior could reduce anxiety and its negative consequences remains open and was addressed in our study.