This article could be a good place to start looking...

Suinn, R., & Edwards, R. (1982). The measurement of mathematics anxiety: The mathematics anxiety rating scale for adolescents—MARS‐A. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38(3), 576-580.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1097-4679(198207)38:3%3C576::AID-JCLP2270380317%3E3.0.CO;2-V/abstract

In the case of the focus of the difficulties is linear algebra, I suggest you motivate students with a problem of practice (such as shopping in supermarket) where there are two equations with two unknowns. Then you increase the degree of difficulty to solve and analyse the problem or not with two or more variables and/or equations, always within a "supermarket"! Good luck!

What country are you? Culture has an effect on persons. I suggest with this population not to apply standardized tests, but find their own abilities to help them to solve the problems. Think every task as a micro task, that let them feel capable to understand, that gives them motivation as Joáo explains.

Here is one I've used in my research in the US: Beasley, T. M., Long, J. D., & Natali, M. (2001). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34(1), 14-26.

I like it because it's pretty short, but has good reliability.

Also, my colleague Candace Walkington has done work in personalizing algebra story problems to improve performance. I recommend her recent JEP article for more info.

If you search for a score in a scale, please note the following references:

Dreger, R., & Aiken, L. (1957). The identification of number anxiety in a college population. Journal of Educational Psychology, 48, 344-351.

Richardson, F., & Suinn, R. (1972). The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale: Psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19, 551-554.

Suinn, R. (1988). Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-E (MARS-E). Fort Collins, CO: Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science Institute.

Suinn, R., & Edwards, R. (1982). The measurement of mathematics anxiety: The mathematics anxiety rating scale for adolescents: MARS-A. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 576-580.

Suinn R.M., Winston E.H. (2003). The mathematics anxiety rating scale, a brief version: Psycometric data. Psychological Reports, 92 (1), 167-173. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University.

Fennema, E., & Sherman, J. (1976). Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales: Instruments designed to measure attitudes toward learning mathematics by females and males.JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 6, 31.

Wigfield, A., & Meece, J. (1988). Math anxiety in elementary and secondary school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 210-216.

Kazelskis, R. (1998). Some dimensions of mathematics anxiety: A factor analysis across instruments. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 58 (4), 623-633.

But you shouldn't think that anxiety affects only students. Read, for instance:

Gray, J.J. (2004). Anxiety and Abstraction in Nineteenth-Century Mathematics. Sience in Context, 17 (1/2), 23-47

Tim, Virginia, and Moises all have great feedback. I have read some of these articles but I don't think either the disability or online course angle together have been investigated to my knowledge, so it's great that you're tackling this. Where is the study taking place?

I used in my thesis some tools for this purpose.

You can consult in http://biblioteca.ucm.es/tesis/edu/ucm-t29532.pdf

I used in my work with young students in Universidad Metropolitana (Caracas, Venezuela). You can consult in:

http://www.ime.usp.br/~jbazan/download/Articulo%20M%A0s%20Luz.pdf

the work by Jan Alexis Nielsen at teh South Danish University [email protected] within the PARSEL project (parsel.eu) can provide some clues.

Hi, i am teaching math to middle school for 24 years. My idea about a math anxiety scale validated for adolescents is that for any student there is one scale validated. For example a group students intreste in poam and music, therefore education with poam and musics decrease anxiety . Other group students intreste in playing therefore education with playing decrease anxiety . Depending of kind education there is a math anxiety scale that has been validated for adolescents.

Be successfull.

Thanks for all the good information. We are doing the study in online charter schools in the western United States. At this point, I think we are interested in potentially using anxiety as a covariate in some growth studies we are planning. Looking at the questions, most are applicable to online learning, but some might not be. Since the students receive some synchronous instruction, that makes more of the questions applicable.

That's interesting to use anxiety as a covariate. Does your growth model have standardized test scores as the dependent variable or is there something else you are examining? Also, don't forget to consider the gender differences with respect to math anxiety as well. You may end up with an interaction effect, but it might better explain your results in the end.

Mary,

I am interested in your question. The reason is that I have seen anxiety from adult university students too. Though my comment will not answer your question as I do not have the data for 9th Graders, I can definitely affirm that the anxiety carries over to adult life.

I teach First Year In (FYI) maths university students and at the first day of class, the axniety paralyses my students. I have seen dysfunctional interaction in class. I teach business maths/stats for non-math international science students and the grip of fear I see in their faces is astounding to see - right at the first day.

In my mind though the personality of the teacher has something to do in easing or increasing anxiety on the students. Further, the assessment tasks' difficulty has something to do with this. The more non-graded exercises you give them, the more they increase their level of confidence. When they have been made to be prepared, the you can grade them and I think this ensure's success.

LPC

The work of Johanna L. Geldenhuys might help you to overcome these challenges. 'Mathematics anxiety', Pythagoras 52, 2000, pp. 24 - 29.

You can find a nice overview in

Jameson, M. M. (2013). The Development and Validation of the Children’s Anxiety in Math Scale. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 31(4), 391–395. doi:10.1177/0734282912470131

where you among other things can find the following information concerning adults:

"To assess math anxiety in adolescent and adult samples, the 98-item Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS; Richardson & Suinn, 1972) was the predominant math anxiety scale for several decades; a shortened version, the 25-item sMARS (Ashcraft & Kirk, 2001), and an even shorter scale, the nine-item Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS; Hopko, Mahadevan, Bare, & Hunt, 2003) are more modern versions that offer researchers tools to assess math anxiety in adolescents and adults."

Sheila Tobias wrote a book some time ago about math anxiety, (Overcoming Math Anxiety) and she is retired but still very interested in the field. (she recently updated the book with a co-author, though it is geared toward college students and doesn't include a scaled instrument.) I suspect if you asked her about older instruments she might have some ideas what was out there, that could be used/adapted? Her website is

www.sheilatobias.com

Just an idea.

Howdy.

The MARS-A is a very good instrument. There is published psychometrics for reliability and validity of scores. The original authors are Richardson and SUINN. Consider searching in Google Scholar for the MARS. I THINK SOME VERSIONS ARE AVAILABLE FREELY. Others you have to pay for. Good luck.

I am afraid I cannot help you for 9-graders, but I am interested in this subject : could you please keep me informed ?

Successful in answering the questions you set? How could these questions be excluded from any influence to the indicators of their disabilities?

Could an anxiety scale help to further students' mathematical competence from any of possible understanding from the scale? Would that understanding be always unchanging?

How would this piece of possibly unchanging information help to facilitate minds in a class possibly everyday in pre-algebra and/or under the context of possibly identified specific disabilities?

How would this piece of possibly unchanging information help to facilitate minds in a class possibly changing everyday in pre-algebra and/or under the context of possibly identified specific disabilities?

though i am not expert,

there is express need to the way Maths is taught in Class !!!

it should be started in reverse order, by creating interest.

pose questions >> unable to find answer >> create an urge to learn and find solution.

unless and until need is created it will not create interest.

Student should know in advance why and how it will be useful to learn giving practical examples.

regards

rashmi shah

Dear Mary

In Brasil there is a Mathematic Anxiety Scale (MAS) applied by Mendes (2012) in 1,106 middle school students and high school in a city in São Paulo, with 597 girls and 549 boys. No statistically significant differences were found in scores for boys girls, regardless of grade, level of education, frequency shift or a public or private school. The data obtained by Mendes with a sample of Brazilian students, although quite significant, are the only national study with these characteristics

Mendes, A. C. (2012). Identification of degrees of mathematics anxiety in students of elementary and secondary education: contributions to the validation of a scale to mathematics anxiety. Thesis, Federal University of São Carlos

I hope that thesis can help you

I believe you can use MARS-SV. It was validated at least with one study I know from Bilkent University (thesis) by Kurum, H. Actually googling it will give more results.

I hope this answer will be helpful for your study,

Good luck

One of math anxiety scale you can use is “Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-A (MARS-A)” by Richard M. Suinn.

The effect of mathematics anxiety on the course and career ... - iDEA

http://dspace.library.drexel.edu/bitstream/1860/492/8/Scarpe..

Many students who suffer from mathematics anxiety have little confidence in their ability to do mathematics and tend to take the minimum number of required mathematics courses, greatly limiting their career choice options. This is unfortunate, especially as our society becomes more reliant on mathematical literacy.

“The mathematical ignorance of our citizenry seriously handicaps our nation in a competitive and increasingly technological global marketplace” (Battista, 1999 p.426). According to the National Research Council, 75% of Americans stop studying mathematics before they have completed the educational requirements for their career or job (Battista, 1999 p. 426). Why do students shy away from taking mathematics in school? How does this avoidance of mathematics affect their career choice?

Because mathematics anxiety is so wide spread, many are not afraid to admit to having it. Many people believe that learning mathematics is not only useless but a painful experience that is courageously endured. Attitudes are different when it comes to reading. People will proudly admit to having mathematics anxiety but would never admit to not being able to read (Battista, 1999; McLeod, 1992).

could you help me have a copy of a MARS by Dr. Richard Suinn or the 24 item RMARS by Dr. Suinn and Winston..

I agree with answer of Dr. Qefsere Doko Gjonbalaj.