Dr Merlin Thomas Ellumkalayil and Dr Riya Baby
Bangalore
As schools reopen, Mathematics classrooms must address not only what children remember, but also what they fear.
“I know the formula when I study, but during the exam my mind goes blank.”
Many Mathematics teachers have heard this sentence in different forms. It captures a truth that marks alone cannot explain. For many school students, Mathematics is not merely a subject of numbers, formulas and steps. It is the panic before exams, the silence inside classrooms, the hesitation before raising a hand, and the constant feeling that they are simply “ bad at Maths”.
As schools reopen across India, lakhs of children will enter classrooms with new books, fresh notebooks and a hope of exceeding their expectations. But many will also carry something invisible: the fear of Mathematics. The beginning of an academic year is therefore not just a time to restart the syllabus but it is also a time to reshape how children feel about learning.
The real problem is not Mathematics alone
Mathematics is often described as the language of logic and reasoning. Ironically, for many children, it becomes the language of comparison and self-doubt.
Between the learners, teachers, researchers and parents, we have seen Mathematics from two sides of a coin. One of us grew up loving the subject, drawn to its clarity and beauty. The other remembers being told that Mathematics was scary, believing it, to the extent of telling a Class 10th teacher that Mathematics would never be part of their life after school. Yet, despite such different beginnings, both of us eventually found our way deeply into Mathematics and completed doctoral research in the subject.
This journey taught us something important: love for Mathematics and fear of Mathematics are both shaped by experience.
The fear usually begins early. A child hears adults say, “Maths is very difficult,” “I was also weak in Maths,” or “Only brilliant students can do Mathematics.” Slowly, Mathematics becomes linked not with learning, but with intelligence itself. One low score begins to feel like proof that the child is “not smart enough”.
As Mathematics teachers, we often observe that many students understand concepts during practice but freeze during examinations. They forget formulas they knew the previous evening. They panic during word problems. They make mistakes not because they are careless, but because fear enters the process of thinking.
This is why low marks in Mathematics should not always be read as lack of effort. Sometimes, behind poor marks, there is a silent fear.
What psychology tells us
Educational psychology helps to explain why this happens. Mathematics anxiety is not simply a dislike for numbers. It is an emotional and cognitive response involving fear, tension, self-doubt and helplessness while dealing with mathematical tasks.
Researchers Carey, Hill, Devine and Szücs, in their review article The Chicken or the Egg? The Direction of the Relationship Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Performance, explain two useful ideas. The first is the Deficit Theory, which suggests that repeated poor performance can create anxiety. A child who scores low again and again may begin to fear the subject. The second is the Debilitating Anxiety Model, which suggests the reverse: anxiety itself can reduce performance by disturbing attention, memory and problem-solving.
In simple words, a child may perform poorly because of fear, and then become more fearful because of poor performance. This creates an unbreakable cycle.
Another useful concept is working memory. This is the mental space a student uses to hold formulas, steps and information while solving a problem. Anxiety can disturb this space. That is why a student may know the concept during practice but goes blank during an examination.
A recent Indian review by Singh and Bajpai also points out that Mathematics phobia is shaped by personal, educational, psychological and socio-cultural factors, including the fear of failure, perfectionism, negative self-talk, classroom environment, teaching methods, parental expectations and assessment practices. The same review notes that Mathematics fear can affect not only marks, but also future subject choices and career opportunities.
This is where we must be careful with labels. When a child is quickly called “weak”, “slow”, “lazy” or “not a Maths person”, the problem is placed entirely inside the child. But the real question should be: what is preventing this child from thinking with confidence?
Why students stop trying
One of the most difficult parts of Mathematics learning is the journey from understanding a formula to applying it independently. A student may solve a textbook example confidently. But in an examination, the same student must understand the language of the question, identify the relevant information, choose the correct method, remember formulas, calculate accurately and manage time pressure.
For many students, especially in multilingual classrooms, even the language of a word problem becomes stressful. The fear begins before the reasoning begins.
Another issue is our obsession with the final answer. If the answer is correct, the student is praised. If it is wrong, the reasoning behind the attempt is often ignored. This creates a classroom culture where mistakes become embarrassing instead of educational.
A Mathematics classroom should not send the message that speed is equal to intelligence. Some children think quickly. Some think deeply. Some need repetition. Some need visual explanation. Some need reassurance before confidence develops. A slow learner is not necessarily a weak learner.
Students are often not afraid of learning itself. They are afraid of humiliation. A harsh comparison, laughter after a wrong answer, public ranking, or constant pressure to be fast can push a child away from the subject for years.
What schools can do after reopening
The first few weeks of the academic year should not be used only to measure what students remember. They should also be used to understand what students fear.
A meaningful first step could be a short bridge course in Mathematics. Instead of beginning immediately with the pressure of the syllabus, teachers can use the first week to revisit essential concepts, understand students’ fears, and remind them that anxiety about Mathematics is not unusual. Sharing simple stories of students who gradually overcame Mathematics fear can help children realise that confidence is built slowly. Such a beginning can make Mathematics feel less like a burden and more like a subject connected to everyday thinking, problem-solving and simply life itself.
Schools can also begin with a simple “Mathematics confidence check”. Students may be asked anonymously: What part of Mathematics scares you? Do you fear formulas, word problems, speed, exams or being judged? Do you avoid asking doubts? Such questions can tell a teacher more than a test score alone.
From our experience as Mathematics teachers, we have also seen the quiet power of peer learning. Many students hesitate to approach a teacher with doubts, but they may feel more comfortable discussing a problem with classmates. Research on reciprocal peer tutoring among middle-school students has shown that structured peer support can reduce Mathematics learning anxiety and evaluation anxiety. However, peer learning must be carefully supervised so that no child is labelled as “weak”. Students should take turns explaining, questioning and learning together, so that peer support builds confidence, responsibility and healthy collaboration.
Parents, too, must rethink their questions. Instead of asking, “Why did you lose marks in Mathematics?”, they can ask, “Which part was difficult for you?” Instead of comparing a child with their classmates or siblings, they can help identify whether the difficulty lies in basics, language, application, speed or confidence.
Mathematics must also be connected more clearly to life. It is present in money, time, travel, design, technology, cooking, games, patterns and decision-making. When children see relevance, they are more likely to see the meaning. When they see the meaning, fear begins to reduce.
Mathematics should build confidence, not fear
Not every child will become a mathematician, and that is perfectly acceptable. Children may shine in literature, arts, sports, music, science, design or public service. But no child should grow up believing that Mathematics is not meant for them.
Mathematics, at its best, is not a subject designed to decide who is intelligent and who is not. It is a subject that teaches children how to think, analyse, observe patterns, solve problems and persist through difficulty.
A child who fears Mathematics does not need more pressure. The child needs patience, clarity, encouragement and repeated experiences of small success.
As schools begin to reopen, this may be the most important lesson to remember: Mathematics anxiety cannot be solved only by giving more problems. It must be addressed by changing the experience of learning itself.
Only then can Mathematics stop being a subject students fear and become a subject through which they learn confidence itself. Because Mathematics, at its best, is not a subject that tells children whether they are intelligent. It is a subject that teaches them how to think.
Dr Merlin Thomas Ellumkalayil and Dr Riya Baby are both Assistant Professors in the Department of Mathematics, CHRIST University, Bangalore.
