Project: Is Liking Math Enough? The Effects of Math Interest and Confidence on the Math Anxiety–Performance Relation

It has been well established that higher math anxiety is associated with lower math performance. Thus, it is important to understand what individual-level factors might play a role in the math anxiety–performance relation to inform intervention efforts. Grounded in the expectancy-value theory and control-value theory with converging support from the broaden-and-build theory, we conceptualized math interest and confidence as stable positive attitudes and hypothesized that they would buffer the negative relation between math anxiety and both concurrent and later performance. Regression analyses were conducted in two samples of elementary school children (n1 = 310; n2 = 3,007) spanning kindergarten through third grade. We examined the interaction effects of math anxiety and math interest, as well as math anxiety and math confidence, on children’s math performance. Additionally, we explored age-related differences in these interactions. Results suggest that positive math attitudes did not reduce the negative relation between math anxiety and performance. Rather, there was some weak evidence that there is a stronger negative relation between math anxiety and performance among children with higher levels of math interest. Similarly, there was a stronger negative relation between math anxiety and performance among children with higher levels of math confidence, a finding that was stable across multiple analyses. There were no age-related differences in these interactions. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between math attitudes, anxiety, and performance in elementary school, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to specifically address math anxiety.