Test anxiety correlates negatively with math achievement at a pooled r = −.23, weaker than math anxiety's correlation¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesisr3·q4·i2medium
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · 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
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q4 i2 Across 51 independent samples, test anxiety shows a negative pooled correlation with math achievement (r = −.23), notably weaker than the math anxiety correlation. → Caviola 2022
Evidence¶
Caviola 2022¶
Caviola, S., Toffalini, E., Giofrè, D., Mercader Ruiz, J., Szűcs, D., & Mammarella, I. C. (2022). Math Performance and Academic Anxiety Forms, from Sociodemographic to Cognitive Aspects: a Meta-analysis on 906,311 Participants. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09618-5
q4 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r3
Random-effects meta-analysis of test anxiety and math achievement correlations (41 studies, 51 independent samples, 19,733 participants pooled). The pooled estimate was "r = − .23", p < .001, with high heterogeneity (I2 = 88%).
"The overall correlation between test anxiety and math achievement was notably weaker than the correlation between math anxiety and math achievement,r = − .23 [− .26, − .19; p <. 0 0 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
Related Claims¶
- Enjoyment correlates positively (r = .31), and boredom, mathematics anxiety and test anxiety negatively (r = −.23 to −.28), with mathematics achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
- Math anxiety correlates negatively with math performance at a pooled r = −.30 across 169 independent samples — related
- Math anxiety has a small-to-moderate negative correlation with math achievement (r = −.28) in a meta-analysis of correlations from 223 studies — related
- Math anxiety correlates negatively with math achievement, grades, enjoyment, motivation, and amount of math taken — related
- Mathematics achievement correlates more strongly with learners' knowledge, skills and cognitive abilities than with their personality traits, goals or emotions — related
- Academic buoyancy moderates the relation between anxiety and mathematics test performance, with performance highest when anxiety is low and buoyancy high — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
test-anxiety-negative-correlation-math-achievement |
title |
Test anxiety correlates negatively with math achievement at a pooled r = −.23, weaker than math anxiety's correlation |
description |
Test anxiety correlates negatively with math achievement at a pooled r = −.23, weaker than math anxiety's correlation |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
strong |
newest_evidence |
2022 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — caviola-2022 |
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