Math anxiety is significantly negatively correlated with math achievement in second and third graders, independent of trait anxiety and IQ¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2012 · 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? After controlling for trait anxiety and FSIQ, SEMA scores significantly and negatively predicted WIAT-II Math Composite scores in 7- to 9-year-olds. → Wu SS 2012

Evidence¶

Wu SS 2012¶

Wu SS, Barth M, Amin H, Malcarne V and Menon V (2012) Math anxiety in second and third graders and its relation to mathematics achievement. Front. Psychology 3:162. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00162

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Cross-sectional correlational study of 162 second and third graders using hierarchical regression controlling for CBCL trait anxiety and WASI FSIQ. The article reports "β =− 0.26, t (126) =− 2.62, p = 0.01, R2 = 0.43" for the Math Composite, shown in Figure 1. No standardized effect size beyond the regression statistics is printed.

"When controlling for these two variables, math anxiety was still significantly and negatively correlated with math achievement [Math Composite score; β =− 0.26, t (126) =− 2.62, p = 0.01, R2 = 0.43; Figure 1]."

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

Both SEMA subscales — numerical and situational anxiety — are equally negatively related to math achievement — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
Math anxiety is not significantly correlated with reading achievement in young children — related
Math anxiety relates more strongly to Mathematical Reasoning than to Numerical Operations in second and third graders — related
Math anxiety is not significantly correlated with trait anxiety in young children — related
Math anxiety correlates strongly and negatively with mathematics achievement among third graders — related
Math anxiety correlates negatively with math achievement, grades, enjoyment, motivation, and amount of math taken — a broader claim this one bears on
Self-image and learning mathematics anxiety, but not other metacognition dimensions or evaluation anxiety, predict mathematics achievement after controlling for IQ — related
Math anxiety predicts mathematics achievement in linear regression (R2=.357) — related

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`math-anxiety-negative-math-achievement-young-children`
`title`	`Math anxiety is significantly negatively correlated with math achievement in second and third graders, independent of trait anxiety and IQ`
`description`	`Math anxiety is significantly negatively correlated with math achievement in second and third graders, independent of trait anxiety and IQ`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`moderate`
`newest_evidence`	`2012`
`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 — `wu-ss-2012`

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.