Profiles of general, test, and mathematics anxiety in 9- and 12-year-olds: relations to gender and mathematics achievement

Abstract

As international focus increasingly turns to the need to build a future mathematics workforce, research has aimed to better understand the salient individual and contextual factors that influence maths engagement and achievement across development. This study investigates self-reported general anxiety, test anxiety, and maths anxiety in two cohorts of Australian students aged 9–10 years (n = 158) and 12–13 years (n = 115) and associations with maths achievement and gender. Test and maths anxiety were negatively correlated with maths achievement and there were no gender differences in maths achievement. Cross-sectional latent profile analyses established two anxiety profiles in the older cohort (low and high across all anxiety measures) and a more complex five-profile solution for the younger cohort (various combinations of anxiety). Members of profiles with higher levels of test and mathematics anxiety had lower maths achievement, with girls over-represented in these profiles.