Math anxiety in Grade 2 shows an indirect effect on subsequent math performance in Grade 3¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2017 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q3 i? Longitudinal analyses show an indirect effect of Grade 2 math anxiety on Grade 3 math performance. → Cargnelutti 2017

Evidence¶

Cargnelutti 2017¶

Cargnelutti, E., Tomasetto, C., Passolunghi, M.C. (2017). How is anxiety related to math performance in young students? A longitudinal study of Grade 2 to Grade 3 children. COGNITION & EMOTION, 31(4), 755-764. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2016.1147421

q3 · i? · associational · r?

Longitudinal analyses following the same children from Grade 2 to Grade 3 tested whether earlier math anxiety predicted later math performance. The article reports "an indirect effect of math anxiety in Grade 2 on subsequent math performance in Grade 3"; no effect size is printed in the available text.

"Longitudinal analyses also showed an indirect effect of math anxiety in Grade 2 on subsequent math performance in Grade 3."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Academic Anxiety — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Affect Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Math anxiety's direct effect on math performance emerges in grade 4 but not grade 3, suggesting a developmental trajectory — related
Working memory mediates the indirect effects of anxiety on math performance — related
The prevalent direction of the Grade 3 anxiety-performance link runs from math anxiety to performance, not the reverse — related
Math anxiety arises and relates to math performance already in early primary school (Grades 2-3) — a broader claim this one bears on

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`grade-2-math-anxiety-indirect-effect-grade-3-performance`
`title`	`Math anxiety in Grade 2 shows an indirect effect on subsequent math performance in Grade 3`
`description`	`Math anxiety in Grade 2 shows an indirect effect on subsequent math performance in Grade 3`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`moderate`
`newest_evidence`	`2017`
`source_checked`	`2026-10-17`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-17`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `cargnelutti-2017`

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