The effect of an educator's teaching style on the math anxiety of adult learners

Many adults are obstructed from specialized professions based on their anxiety of math. Math anxiety has been extensively researched for over 3 decades. Scholars have attempted to define its origins as well as the means to eliminate its often-debilitating effect on learners. Research indicates that learners with math anxiety often give up career choices based on their fear of higher level math. The problem examined in this study is that of adult learners with math anxiety. A nonexperimental quantitative study with a correlational research design was conducted among all adult learners at a rural community college. A Pearson correlation indicated a significant negative linear correlation between teaching style and learner's level of math anxiety. Findings suggest that learners in math classes with educators who are student-centered in their approach to teaching have less math anxiety at the end of the class. While one variable cannot begin to solve the complex issues related to those learners with math anxiety, if a particular approach to teaching is found to be an effective tool for the reduction of math anxiety, perhaps the nontraditional learner can gain access to career choices he or she thought unattainable.