Experiencing more anxiety than expected? : trait and state mathematics anxiety in high achieving students

Abstract

Anxiety is a widespread and detrimental emotion in school, particularly in the domain of mathematics. The present study examined mathematics anxiety among high and low achieving students (N = 237, grades 9 and 10) by contrasting trait (habitual) and state (momentary) assessments of mathematics anxiety. Previous research revealed that in comparison to state measures which reflect actual experience of (momentary) anxiety, values based on trait measures are often biased due to being recall based and thus strongly influenced by subjective beliefs. In this respect, academic self-concept has been found to influence trait anxiety ratings in that the trait-state discrepancy is smaller (i.e., less overestimation of trait anxiety) in students with higher academic self-concepts. Since high achievers can be expected to have a very high academic selfconcept, we assumed that, besides reporting lower levels of both trait and state anxiety, the trait-state discrepancy would be relatively low in those students. Results of hierarchical linear modelling confirmed these assumptions and revealed that high achievers even report lower trait than state anxiety.Our findings imply that even though high achievers appear well adapted to the classroom environment due to lower levels of trait and state anxiety than low achievers, they underestimate their trait anxiety and actually experience more (state) anxiety in mathematics class than they seem to be aware of (i.e., as reported in trait measures). Consequences of this underestimation of trait anxiety in high achievers and directions for future research will be discussed.