Behind the Numbers: The Preliminary Findings of a Mixed Methods Study Investigating the Existence of Mathematics Anxiety among Mature Students

Admitting that one is "no good at mathematics" or "hates mathematics" is a common admission among student cohorts. For mature students who harbour a strong dislike of mathematics, these feelings can be exacerbated when they are faced with having to do an obligatory service mathematics module as part of a programme of study. For some mature students, their dislike of mathematics can be identified as mathematics anxiety. Their experiences of mathematics as a subject throughout their lives are manifold, and depict a variety of emotions, attitudes, and beliefs about the subject. In spite of their experiences with mathematics, mature students demonstrate a persistence--and even a resilience--in respect of their engagement with mathematics. Research on mathematics anxiety is frequently conducted using quantitative methods, in particular measurement scales such as the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) test or equivalent. However, while these tests reveal a numerical representation for the level of anxiety felt by the participant, there is limited insight available into the context for such anxiety, thereby limiting understanding of the origin of such feelings. To this end, as part of a mixed methods approach, the researcher looks beyond the numerical results of the mathematics anxiety scale to explore the mathematics life histories of three mature students who have taken service mathematics at undergraduate level in Ireland at both University and Institute of Technology (IOT) sectors. This paper reports on preliminary findings of the researcher's data collection.