Maria D. Ryan
Mary Immaculate College, Thurles, Ireland
MariaD.Ryan@mic.ul.ie
Adult learners make a solid contribution to their programme of study, bringing collective real-world experiences to their new learning situation. However, since many undergraduate programmes have mathematical content, this may give rise to mathematics anxiety on the part of the adult learner. A combination of factors contributes to mathematics anxiety, and mathematics anxiety in turn impacts negatively on the learner’s working memory, performance and confidence in mathematics, as well as adversely influencing subject choices and prospective career paths (Safford-Ramus, 2008). While the present context for mathematics typically provides the trigger for a student’s mathematics anxiety, it is frequently a past experience that is at the root of their apprehension (Ryan, Fitzmaurice & Johnson, 2023). To understand the nature of the adult learner’s experiences with mathematics it is necessary to revisit and reflect on particular times in a student’s life where they engaged with mathematics. In this way, the adult learner’s mathematics journey as portrayed through their mathematics life story helps to elucidate the course and development of their anxiety towards mathematics (Thumpston & Coben, 1994). Having the opportunity to talk or write about their experiences of doing mathematics can help the adult learner – and their teacher(s) – understand the basis for anxious responses to mathematics. With this backdrop, the paper aims to heighten awareness of how mathematics anxiety can be alleviated for learners across the education system through the study of adult learners’ previous experiences of learning mathematics. In this regard, the findings elucidate implications for the teaching and learning of mathematics across the education system.
doi: https://doi.org/10.64710/MBXB1156
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