Identification of the root causes of mathematics anxiety and possible interventions based on an exploratory review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1982-5153.2025.e100056Keywords:
mathematical anxiety, strategies and interventions, mathematics education, Ishikawa DiagramAbstract
Mathematics Anxiety (MA) is a phenomenon that affects many individuals, having multifactorial causes and diverse effects that result in problems with manipulating numbers. This article aimed to map and establish an associative structure between the causes, effects and possible interventions for AM, identified in articles available on the Google Scholar platform, based on an exploratory review. Works published in journals in the last 5 years, with open access, containing the keyword “mathematical anxiety” in the title were reviewed. From the 18 articles selected, information was extracted and categorized for analysis. Applying the Ishikawa Diagram tool, an associative structure between AM causes and effects was established, and the root causes were identified. Also, we sought to establish a connection between these causes and the interventions available in the literature. From this link, it was observed that the suggested interventions are comprehensive, not very tangible and require the involvement of the entire school community, which makes their implementation difficult.
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