Publication Date

Summer 2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Désia Bacon; Arlene Asuncion; Shinchieh 'CJ' Duh

Abstract

Students form beliefs about their academic abilities through a combination of emotional experiences and early learning environments. While prior research has documented how math anxiety can undermine performance and how early experiences with math-typed activities can foster positive attitudes, less is known about how these factors collectively influence students’ math confidence. The present study investigates how math anxiety, engagement in childhood math-typed activities, and perceived support for math-related learning contribute to college students’ confidence in their math abilities. Participants (N = 102) completed self-report measures assessing each of these constructs. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the three predictors collectively accounted for 63% of the variance in math confidence. Math anxiety was the strongest predictor, showing a robust negative association with math confidence. Childhood math-typed activities were also significantly and positively associated with math confidence, while perceived support was not a significant unique predictor in the model. Exploratory results suggest that gender is marginally associated with math confidence. These findings suggest that emotional barriers and early informal experiences may be more central to math confidence than generalized perceptions of support, and they highlight the value of addressing math anxiety and early engagement to promote long-term confidence in quantitative domains. Keywords: math confidence, math anxiety, childhood activities, perceived support

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