Don't sweat the big math test, and you might do better.
That is the suggestion of a new Statistics Canada study looking at factors affecting achievement in arithmetic on the heels of an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ranking, which ranked Canadian students third behind China and Finland in terms of math skills.
The latest results found that more confidence and less anxiety could play a role in how students approach the subject and how well they ultimately do in it.
Compared with the OECD average, Canadian students – who performed near the top of the ranking – were also more confident they could succeed in math.
“Canadian students reported above-average levels of mathematics confidence and above-average levels in their perceived ability in mathematics,” Statscan said.
At the same time, 15-year-old students reported slightly lower levels of anxiety over math than their OECD counterparts, the agency said, noting that anxiety might impede learning and leave to an avoidance of the subject.
Looking at how students fair both provincially and on a national basis, Statscan said students with high levels of math confidence placed two levels higher on a scale used to measure their performance than those with low confidence levels.
Students with high levels of math anxiety, meanwhile, performed about one level lower on the same scale as those with low levels, the report said.
“Motivation to learn mathematics, as measured by interest and enjoyment in math and belief in its usefulness, was also positively related to achievement,” the government agency said.
Compared to the Canadian average, students in Quebec and Alberta showed higher levels of confidence in dealing with math, while those in Newfoundland and British Columbia were in line with standard.
Students in the remaining provinces reported lower confidence levels compared with the Canadian average.
As well, the report said, students in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia reported levels of mathematics anxiety below the Canadian average.
“Students in Ontario reported levels of anxiety above the Canadian average,” Statscan noted, adding that the level of anxiety reported by students in other provinces didn't differ significantly from the national average.
