Female+Developing+Math+Anxiety+Due+to+a+Weakness+in+Thinking+With+Numbers

==Maria is twelve years old and in the seventh grade. Previous local and statewide standardized test results indicated that she was at or above grade level in word decoding and reading comprehension, written expression, spelling, and mathematics during these years. Although Maria experienced much in the way of academic success during the first four years of school, her grades in math provide evidence of a gradual and continual decline in performance.==

==Maria’s lack of success in mathematics during late elementary and throughout middle school stands in stark contrast to her performance in other content areas and electives (e.g., art, choral music, physical education) where she continues to excel.==

==Her seventh grade math teacher reports that Maria performed well when the required computation was relatively straightforward. During this same time period, according to her parents, Maria was able to complete lengthy math homework assignments with little assistance and even less anxiety. However, since then, her performance has declined dramatically.==

==Maria’s current performance reflects a superficial understanding of many math concepts such as fractions, complex multiplication, and terms used in math (e.g., compare, change, equalize, and combine). Her problems in math became especially evident during a nine-week period when the teacher introduced algebra. They also consistently recur when Maria must solve story problems.==

==Maria has said, "I don’t even know where to start solving a story problem. I just sit there and read, read, read it while all of my friends read a problem one time and solve it. So I just solve the problems by doing what I think will work… and forget about problems with just letters and no numbers except for those little ones just above the letters… I don’t understand why I can’t do math, I get A’s and B’s in all of my other classes and I could do math before… I don’t worry too much about it, I guess I am just math dumb… Besides, I fit better in a different world. How many seventh graders have sold pieces of artwork and acted in summer theater like I have? I love that stuff!"==

Adapted from All Kinds of Minds. (n.d.). Resources, Case Studies, Thinking with Numbers, Maria– 7th grade. Retrieved from June 21, 2008 http://allkindsofminds.org/CategoryAll.aspx?section#CaseStudy