Intervening to Raise Attainment and Reduce Anxiety in Mathematics at Key Stage Two

The review paper evaluates eleven studies that implemented instructional interventions to raise Key Stage Two (KS2) students' mathematical attainment. Each study trained teachers and/or students to enhance the quality of the mathematical learning environment.

The review paper demonstrated that teachers and students can be trained to apply higher-order thinking skills to support students' cognitive development and attainment in maths. Cognitive strategies, helping students think about learning maths in novel ways, were the most effective.

The interventions reviewed were successful for children of differential academic ability, Socio Economic Status and ethnicity.

Applying instructional interventions also developed students' overall intelligence, motivation, social interactions with peers, ability to work more independently, willingness to help peers and attitudes towards maths, as well as their attainment.

There is a well-established link between mathematical attainment and maths anxiety (e.g. Mattarella-Mick, Mateo, Kozak, Foster, & Beilock, 2011). Therefore, if students experience less maths anxiety, their learning potential increases.

Previous research suggests that metacognitive skills facilitate success in learning maths (Cardelle-Elawar, 1995; Panaoura, & Philippou, 2007; Pennequin et al, 2010; Verschaffel et al., 1999).

The empirical paper explores whether Metacognitive Instruction Strategy (MIS) reduces students' maths anxiety, which may have an impact on students' mathematical performance in the long-term.

The researcher applied a quasi-experimental, between-within groups design (Pallant, 2010) in two underperforming schools. Teachers were successfully trained to apply MIS to maths lessons, encouraging students to use self-questioning strategies (developed from Mayer, 1987 and Cardelle-Elawar, 1995).

At post-tests, students in the intervention group (N=119) had significantly lower levels of maths anxiety compared to students in the control group (N=46).

Teacher's confidence in applying metacognitive strategies to maths lessons significantly increased.

Intervention fidelity assessments highlighted that teachers apply MIS in different ways and to varying degrees.