Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Moorman Walker, Calandra
Author's Email Address	walkerc@tcc.fl.edu
URN	etd-11092007-161958
Title	An Investigation of How African American Community College Students with Different Levels of Mathematics Anxiety Engage in Problem Solving Tasks
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Middle and Secondary Education, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Leslie Aspinwall Committee Chair Ithel Jones Committee Member Kathleen Clark Committee Member Kenneth Shaw Committee Member
Keywords	Community College African Americans Mathematics Anxiety Problem Solving
Date of Defense	2007-10-18
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract This qualitative case study examined the strategies and thinking processes used during problem solving tasks with African American community college students with varying levels of mathematics anxiety. Two students had high mathematics anxiety, while the other two students had low mathematics anxiety. These students were administered the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale – Shortened Version (MARS). They participated in task-based interviews that included six problem solving tasks while thinking aloud. After completion of the problem solving tasks the students completed a mathematics anxiety symptom survey and participated in a short interview. The study was completed in order to answer the following questions: (1) What strategies and thinking processes do students with low mathematical anxiety use when they engage in problem solving tasks? (2) What strategies and thinking processes do students with high mathematical anxiety use when they engage in problem solving tasks? (3) What differences and similarities are there, if any, in the strategies and thinking processes of students with high mathematical anxiety and low mathematical anxiety when they engage in problem solving tasks? Using the frameworks of Malloy (1994) and Montague (2003), I was able to make the following recommendations. (1) Exhibiting mathematics anxiety symptoms may not completely hinder student performance. (2) Drawing pictures or diagrams maybe important for high mathematics anxiety students when solving problems, but not necessarily meaningful. (3) Mathematics anxiety may lead to an inability to recall previously studied material which hinders student performance. (4) Failure to use all of the thinking processes described by Montague (2003) does not hinder the student’s ability to successfully solve mathematical problems. (5) Difficulty with reading skills may hinder the problem solving process. (6) Students must be able to check their calculations and check for the use of correct procedures. (7) Mathematical anxiety symptoms can be visibly present even if a student does not notice the symptoms himself.
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