Parents’ Math Anxiety Negatively Affects Children’s Academic Success
A joint study by researchers from Italy and the UK shows that parents' fear of math can lead to lower numeracy skills in their children, with effects lasting well beyond the preschool years.
A new study conducted through the collaboration of researchers from Italy and the UK has revealed that parents’ math anxiety negatively affects children’s academic performance. In a long-term study carried out in cooperation between the Universities of Bologna, Trieste, and Macerata in Italy and Loughborough University in the UK, the mathematical development of children from the age of 3 to 8 was tracked.
The research, involving 126 children and their families, showed that children of parents who fear math had lower numeracy skills in preschool years, and this gap continued in later years. Interestingly, the study found that the parents’ anxiety does not directly cause anxiety in their children, but it does result in a noticeable decline in academic performance. This effect remains unchanged even when the parents’ level of education is taken into account.
The researchers note that children’s math development is multidimensional, but parental attitudes play an influential role in the process. While parental support consistently yields positive outcomes in literacy development, it can have the opposite effect in math when accompanied by anxiety.
Experts recommend adopting a positive approach and suggest encouraging children to see mistakes in math as a natural part of the learning process.
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