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IPS215 Elizabeth S. et al.
3. Results
Mathematics Anxiety by Gender
A considerable proportion of students reported feeling stressed when
dealing with mathematics on the 2012 PISA study. Across students in Australia,
60% of students reported that they often worry that it will be difficult for them
in mathematics classes. There was a wide variation between genders on this
item with 68% of females feeling worried (agree or strongly agree with the
statement) that it would be difficult for them in mathematics classes compared
with 53% of males (p<0.01) (Figure 1). Of students completing the
questionnaire, 38% reported that they get very tense when they have to do
mathematics homework, with wide differences in levels of mathematics
anxiety by gender with girls reporting stronger feelings of mathematics
anxiety than boys (41% and 35% respectively for females and males, p<0.01).

Figure 1: Bar Chart displaying the percentage of students who worry that
Mathematics classes will be difficult by Gender.

Study Habits and Perceptions by Gender
Males appeared to spend more hours per week (Mean: 3.83, 95% CI: 3.69-
3.97; Median: 3, IQR 4) attending additional instructions in mathematics,
compared to females (Mean: 3.1, 95% CI: 2.97-3.22; Median: 2, IQR 4) (p<0.01).
Students were also asked to approximate how many hours per week they
spend learning in addition to the learning that takes place in the classroom in
mathematics. Females appeared to spend less time, on average (Mean: 4.71,
95% CI: 4.56-4.87; Median: 4, IQR: 3), compared with males (Mean: 5.45, 95%
CI: 5.26-5.65; Median: 4, IQR: 4) learning in addition to that which occurred in
the classroom (p<0.01). These results indicate potentially higher degrees of

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