Related but independent: Trait math anxiety and the developmental trajectories of state anxiety and arithmetic fluency

Do math anxiety and arithmetic develop together? In this preregistered study 391 Northern Irish pupils ( M age = 10.2, SD = 0.3; 49% boys) reported their trait math anxiety at the beginning of Primary 6 (Time 1) and completed measures of state anxiety and arithmetic fluency at the beginning and end of Primary 6 and 7 (Times 1 to 4). Parallel process latent growth curve modelling revealed that, over time, arithmetic improved and state anxiety declined, but the rates of change for arithmetic and anxiety were not related. At Time 1, trait math anxiety was positively related to state anxiety and negatively related to arithmetic. Pupils with higher trait math anxiety had steeper reductions in state anxiety over time, but trait math anxiety was not related to the rate of change in arithmetic. Overall, the developmental trajectories unfolded independently suggesting the processes driving change for arithmetic and math anxiety are distinct. Across late primary school, pupils showed improvements in arithmetic fluency and declining in-the-moment state anxiety; however, these developmental trends were not related. Trait math anxiety was linked to higher state anxiety and lower arithmetic fluency at the first assessment. Pupils with higher trait math anxiety reported greater reductions in state math anxiety over time, although trait math anxiety did not predict changes in arithmetic fluency. This pattern raises the possibility that pupils may become more comfortable with mathematics through continued exposure and practice, even if their arithmetic skills improve at a different pace. These findings highlight the need to consider both emotional experience and skills acquisition when supporting pupils' mathematics learning while also considering that changes in arithmetic fluency are likely predicted by numerous other factors, including cognition and educational experiences. • We investigated arithmetic and anxiety in the final years of primary school. • Arithmetic fluency increased and state anxiety decreased over time. • Developmental trajectories of arithmetic and state anxiety were unrelated. • Pupils with higher trait anxiety showed steeper reductions in state anxiety. • Trait anxiety was not related to arithmetic over time.