Parents’ math anxiety linked to lower numeracy skills in children

New research findings reveal that parents’ anxiety about mathematics can have a negative impact on their children’s early numeracy skills, influencing their performance in the subject as they progress through school.

The study, conducted by experts from Loughborough University and three Italian universities, followed nearly 130 children over five years. Parents’ levels of math anxiety were assessed when their children were three years old, and their children’s mathematical development was tracked from ages three to eight.

The aim of the study was to assess whether math anxiety can be passed on from parents to children and if parental math anxiety influences children’s mathematical development over time. While the study found no evidence that children would internalize their parents’ anxiety about math, it did uncover a significant link between parental math anxiety and children’s numeracy skills.

“Our results reveal that parental math anxiety does impact children’s math outcomes, even when differences in parental education are taken into account,” says Dr. Kinga Morsanyi, an expert in mathematical cognition at Loughborough University, who was part of the research team.

“We found that parents who reported feeling anxious about math when their children were three raised children with poorer early numeracy skills than parents with lower levels of anxiety.

“This effect continued as their children grew and entered school, with the same children still showing lower math performance at the age of eight, which is remarkable, given the strong influence of schooling on math development.”

Early math development has been found to be a key predictor of future academic success, which, in turn, influences crucial life outcomes, including career opportunities, earning potential, and even long-term mental and physical well-being.

Dr. Morsanyi hopes the study findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, highlight the need for initiatives that not only enable parents to support their children’s math learning, but help them to develop positive attitudes and confidence towards the subject.

For parents concerned about their math anxiety wanting to take action now, Dr. Morsanyi says avoiding speaking negatively about math is a good start.

“One simple yet powerful step parents can take is to speak more positively about math and recognize that you do not need a special talent in math to be able to learn it,” says Dr. Morsanyi, “Even if parents struggle with math, showing interest, enthusiasm and encouragement can make a big difference for their children.

“It is also never too late to increase one’s confidence in math and to learn functional numeracy skills. Parents can explore adult numeracy classes or take advantage of free online resources to help boost their confidence. They can also embrace a growth mindset where you recognize that making mistakes in math is not only okay, but an important part of the learning process.”

The study, which was led by the University of Bologna and involved the Universities of Trieste and Macerata, was conducted with children in Italy, who start school at the age of six. The researchers now hope to build on their findings by further investigating the role of parents in children’s early math development, as well as the early origins of mathematics anxiety, and the stability of these findings across different countries.