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Differentiating anxiety forms and their role in academic performance from primary to secondary school

Author

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  • Emma Carey
  • Amy Devine
  • Francesca Hill
  • Dénes Szűcs

Abstract

Introduction: Individuals with high levels of mathematics anxiety are more likely to have other forms of anxiety, such as general anxiety and test anxiety, and tend to have some math performance decrement compared to those with low math anxiety. However, it is unclear how the anxiety forms cluster in individuals, or how the presence of other anxiety forms influences the relationship between math anxiety and math performance. Method: We measured math anxiety, test anxiety, general anxiety and mathematics and reading performance in 1720 UK students (year 4, aged 8–9, and years 7 and 8, aged 11–13). We conducted latent profile analysis of students’ anxiety scores in order to examine the developmental change in anxiety profiles, the demographics of each anxiety profile and the relationship between profiles and academic performance. Results: Anxiety profiles appeared to change in specificity between the two age groups studied. Only in the older students did clusters emerge with specifically elevated general anxiety or academic anxiety (test and math anxiety). Our findings suggest that boys are slightly more likely than girls to have elevated academic anxieties relative to their general anxiety. Year 7/8 students with specifically academic anxiety show lower academic performance than those who also have elevated general anxiety. Conclusions: There may be a developmental change in the specificity of anxiety and gender seems to play a strong role in determining one’s anxiety profile. The anxiety profiles present in our year 7/8 sample, and their relationships with math performance, suggest a bidirectional relationship between math anxiety and math performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Emma Carey & Amy Devine & Francesca Hill & Dénes Szűcs, 2017. "Differentiating anxiety forms and their role in academic performance from primary to secondary school," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0174418
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174418
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    Cited by:

    1. Aitana Fernández-Sogorb & Nelly G. Lagos-San Martín & Ricardo Sanmartín & María Vicent, 2021. "Child Anxiety Profiles in Chilean Elementary School Students and Academic Self-Attributions in Mathematics," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, November.
    2. Aitana Fernández-Sogorb & María Vicent & Carolina Gonzálvez & Ricardo Sanmartín & Antonio Miguel Pérez-Sánchez & José Manuel García-Fernández, 2020. "Attributional Style in Mathematics across Anxiety Profiles in Spanish Children," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-11, February.
    3. Franco, Catalina & Povea, Erika, 2024. "Innocuous Exam Features? The Impact of Answer Placement on High-Stakes Test Performance and College Admissions," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 4/2024, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    4. Aitana Fernández-Sogorb & Ricardo Sanmartín & María Vicent & José Manuel García-Fernández, 2020. "Latent Profiles of Anxious Children and Their Differences in Aggressive Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Aitana Fernández-Sogorb & Ricardo Sanmartín & María Vicent & Carolina Gonzálvez, 2021. "Identifying Profiles of Anxiety in Late Childhood and Exploring Their Relationship with School-Based Distress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, January.

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