Loughborough University Research Links Parents' Anxiety About Maths With Children’s Early Numeracy Skills

The main aim of this study was to find if maths anxiety can be passed to the next generation from parents and if it gets reflected in a child's maths ability.

Study in UK: In new research, the scientists at Loughborough University found that parents' anxiety or ease with mathematics gets transferred to their children and it affects their children's early numeracy performance.

Dr Kinga Morsanyi, an expert in mathematical cognition at Loughborough University commented, “Our results reveal that parental maths anxiety does impact children’s maths outcomes, even when differences in parental education are taken into account."

“We found that parents who reported feeling anxious about maths 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 maths performance at the age of eight, which is remarkable, given the strong influence of schooling on maths development," added Dr Kinga Morsanyi.

Loughborough University's Research On Maths Anxiety Details

Apart from Loughborough University, three Italian universities also participated in the study. Under the study, the universities followed around 130 children for more than five years. The parents' anxiety level was checked when their children were three years old and the children's mathematical development was assessed from ages three to eight.

"While the study found no evidence that children would internalise their parents' anxiety about maths, it did uncover a significant link between parental maths anxiety and children's numeracy skills," says a university statement.

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

“It is also never too late to increase one’s confidence in maths 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 recognise that making mistakes in maths is not only okay, but an important part of the learning process," further added Dr Morsanyi.

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