Relationship between Math Anxiety and Perception of the Utility of Geometry in Primary Education in Prospective Teachers

Math Anxiety not only plays an important role in the academic performance of students but also has a significant influence on the methodology adopted by teachers. In this study, we examine the relationship between the levels of Math Anxiety of a group of prospective teachers and their opinions about the importance of Geometry in Primary Education. Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) was applied to 152 students of the Primary Education Degree, along with open-ended questions on their opinions about the role of Geometry in Primary School. An internal consistency check and a factorial analysis were performed on AMAS data to obtain factors Math Learning Anxiety (MLE) and Math Evaluation Anxiety (MEA). The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized and classified into procedural or relational reasons. Results indicate a biased conception about what Geometry teaching should be. Procedural reasons are related to higher levels of Math Anxiety, being the MLE factor more correlated than MEA. Conversely, relational reasons are related to lower levels of such anxiety. Not all the reasons were correlated at the same level, and no differences between genders were observed in the reasons alleged. Results suggest that emotional factors in prospective teachers should be taken into account as they can induce a bias in their future didactic strategies.