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We assessed math anxiety in 6th- through 12th-grade children (N = 564) as part of a comprehensive longitudinal investigation of childrens beliefs, attitudes, and values concerning mathematics. Confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence for two components of math anxiety, a negative affective reactions component and a cognitive component. The affective component of math anxiety related more strongly and negatively than did the worry component to childrens ability perceptions, performance perceptions, and math performance. The worry component related more strongly and positively than did the affective component to the importance that children attach to math and their reported actual effort in math. Girls reported stronger negative affective reactions to math than did boys. Ninth-grade students reported experiencing the most worry about math and sixth graders the least. The negative effects of math anxiety on students achievement in mathematics has interested researchers for several years. Richardson and Woolfolk (1980) discussed how certain features of math, such as its precision, logic, and emphasis on problem solving, make it particularly anxiety provoking for
Wigfield et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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