By Etim Usoh

The persistent problem of mathematics anxiety in K-8 classrooms presents a significant barrier, hindering academic achievement and shaping students’ feelings about themselves as capable learners. Despite extensive research documenting this harmful impact, many long-standing instructional practices remain unchanged.

Approaches built around rote memorization, decontextualized instruction, and an emphasis on procedural speed and correctness often overlook the emotional and conceptual sides of learning mathematics. These patterns invite us to critically examine how classroom routines may unintentionally sustain cycles of anxiety.

Kolawole Kushimo, a STEM Education researcher at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, explains that mathematics anxiety should not be viewed as a personal flaw or fixed characteristic. Instead, it emerges from the everyday norms and interactions in classrooms — from shared expectations about what counts as mathematical competence.

Drawing on socially grounded views of learning, he emphasizes that when speed, right answers, and passive reception of information dominate, students can feel pushed away from mathematical meaning. Research repeatedly shows that instruction focused on performance heightens anxious responses. This anxiety also tends to fall more heavily on students who have experienced discouraging messages about their abilities or who have had limited prior support in mathematics. When learning experiences ignore students’ ways of thinking, they may withdraw even further.

To interrupt this pattern, Kolawole Kushimo highlights the promise of concept-first and exploratory approaches. Strategies such as open-ended questions and collaborative problem-solving encourage reasoning over recall and validate multiple ways of approaching ideas. Students are invited to explain their thinking, learn through missteps, and view mathematics as something they can make sense of rather than perform under pressure. The emotional climate of the classroom plays a central role. When classrooms openly acknowledge that struggle is part of learning, encourage many voices, and use supportive language, students gain a greater sense of belonging that counters anxiety. How teachers talk about mistakes — as learning opportunities rather than evidence of failure — deeply shapes how students feel about mathematics.

Kushimo’s perspective positions students as active makers of meaning and teachers as designers of emotionally supportive, intellectually rich environments. This shift has important implications for instructional practice and educational policy. For teaching, he calls for professional learning that helps educators curate spaces where persistence is encouraged and many paths toward understanding are recognized. For policy, he urges forms of support that prioritize comprehension and agency over rote performance. Ultimately, this approach invites all students to “learn without fear,” opening doors to deeper understanding and genuine confidence.

Looking ahead, continued research is needed to explore how classroom talk and teacher expectations influence students’ emotional experiences over time. With a fuller understanding of these subtle classroom dynamics, educators and leaders can design early supports that nurture students’ growth throughout their schooling. The broader goal is to honor varied ways of developing mathematical competence and ensure that every learner has meaningful opportunities to engage, turning mathematics into a subject that strengthens rather than diminishes students’ sense of themselves.