Math Anxiety in Pre-Licensure Nursing Students: a Pilot Study

Abstract

Background Math anxiety is a common phenomenon among nursing students. A review of the literature has revealed that math anxiety interferes with student cognition which could ultimately lead to patient harm. The purpose of this project is to determine if a basic math tutorial affects levels of math anxiety in pre-licensure students at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Methods Thirty-five students were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Math anxiety was measured with the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Rating Scale (AMARS). The experimental group participated in a math tutorial while the control group quietly waited outside of the classroom. Results There is no evidence that the math tutorial was useful in reducing math anxiety. Conclusions Both groups of participants had a decrease in math anxiety, yet it is uncertain how significantly the math tutorial (Appendix E) affected their math anxiety levels.