MATEMATIČKA ANKSIOZNOST I POSTIGNUĆE NA RANOM OSNOVNOŠKOLSKOM UZRASTU: ULOGA UKLJUČENOSTI RODITELJA U PODUČAVANJE
MATH ANXIETY AND ACHIEVEMENT AT EARLY ELEMENTARY STAGE: THE ROLE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN TEACHING

Summary/Abstract: Parental involvement in child education is one of the most important factors in children’s mathematical success and math anxiety. Different characteristics of parents show various contributions to the manifestation of these phenomena. In addition, it seems that there are specific gender differences in contributions, so that characteristics of mothers and fathers must be considered separately. The goal of this research was to examine the contribution of various forms of parental role in children’s mathematical anxiety and mathematical achievement. The sample consisted of 176 early elementary school pupils (52.3% boys), from the territory of Serbia (average age 9.26 years), and both parents of each child. Modified abbreviated math anxiety scale (mAMAS), with learning anxiety and evaluation anxiety as its subscales, as well as Parental involvement scale (PI) were applied. PI is operationalized through four factors: Positive experience, Helping, Expectations, and Perceived Difficulties. Math achievement is operationalized as the average of final school marks in mathematics (the half-term mark and the previous school year’s final mark). The results indicate a significant negative contribution of the mother's and father's perceived difficulties to the mathematical achievement of the child, as well as negative contributions of the mother's positive experiences to math learning and evaluation anxiety. The father's expectations negatively contribute only to the child's anxiety in the area of evaluating. The results of this research provide confirmation of the findings of previous research, but also useful practical implications in the context of parent-child interaction and parental involvement in child education. It seems that the characteristics of the mother and father contribute differently to the manifestation of the child's mathematical anxiety and mathematical achievement. These results can help parents educate themselves in relation to typical patterns of association of their characteristics and educational outcomes of their child, with particular emphasis on those behaviors that contribute to maladaptive learning behaviors, poorer mathematical achievement and more expressed mathematical anxiety.

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