Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Emilie Johnson

Second Advisor

Tonya Ryan

Third Advisor

Laura Erickson

Abstract

Math anxiety has been a cause for concern in many people's lives before research commenced on its impact on math performance and learning. The dissertation in practice was focused on how a teacher’s lack of preparation and tools to support students with math anxiety could be changed in the field of education. Using a design thinking-based process, the student researcher identified a research question about how professional development about math anxiety helps teachers understand and support affected students while analyzing two null hypotheses regarding teacher understanding and ability to support students. Once the knowledge gap was identified, the student researcher worked with a stakeholder team of elementary school teachers and staff to clarify and define the problem, brainstorm possible prototypes, and outline testing for a potential solution. Eight kindergarten to fifth-grade teachers spread over various educational contexts attended a one-hour professional development session about math anxiety and its roots. They implemented up to five mindfulness lessons in their context to support teachers and students with tools to combat math anxiety. Data was gathered through pre-and post-surveys, and reflective journals were completed after lesson implementation. The data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. After quantitatively analyzing the survey results, there was no significant increase in the general understanding of math anxiety. However, there was a significant improvement in teachers' ability to identify signs of math anxiety after the professional development session. There was also strong statistical evidence of increased preparedness to support students and teachers having the necessary tools to help students who may or may experience math anxiety. The reflective journals were analyzed for common themes with a human-centered approach. There were four themes that emerged with a concise focus on the teachers and students involved: transferability of the skills for other struggles beyond math anxiety, opening up meaningful discussions about math anxiety, strong potential for long-term implementation, and the revealing of complex and personal emotions tied to math anxiety. The research revealed a systematic need for professional development to support teacher preparation and that there was considerable value in mindfulness-based interventions to combat math anxiety and keep professional development human-centered. The study revealed the importance of intentional professional development in directly supporting student needs and organizational change through teacher understanding and preparation in a prevalent issue.

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