Mapping mathematics anxiety research: A bibliometric and science mapping study of Scopus indexed articles (2012–2025)

Lalin Abbacan-Tuguic; Lalin Abbacan-Tuguic

doi:10.3934/steme.2026030

STEM Education

2026, Volume 6, Issue 4: 744-775. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026030

Previous Article Next Article

Research article

Mapping mathematics anxiety research: A bibliometric and science mapping study of Scopus indexed articles (2012–2025)

Lalin Abbacan-Tuguic ^,

College of Educaion, Kalinga State University, Purok 6, Bulanao Tabuk Kalinga, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines

Academic Editor: Zlatko Jovanoski

Received: 22 March 2026 Revised: 22 July 2026 Accepted: 24 July 2026 Published: 30 July 2026

In this study, I examined how mathematics anxiety research has evolved in scope, structure, and focus within the international literature from 2012 to 2025. Drawing on a corpus of 1,201 Scopus-indexed, peer reviewed journal articles, I combined performance indicators (publication and citation trends) with science mapping techniques, including co authorship analysis, co word analysis, bibliographic coupling, and thematic evolution mapping. The results showed a marked acceleration in publication output, especially after 2020, alongside a collaborative but geographically and institutionally concentrated authorship structure. Conceptually, the field remains anchored in affective motivational and cognitive constructs such as achievement, self-efficacy, motivation, working memory, and gender, while increasingly engaging statistics anxiety, intervention research, digital and online learning, and artificial intelligence in education. Collaboration and coupling networks reveal several well defined but only partially connected research streams, particularly between measurement and mechanism studies on the one hand and classroom or technology focused interventions on the other. Rather than indicating fragmentation, this pattern suggests a mature yet unevenly integrated field in which newer technology rich and post pandemic topics are layered onto long standing theoretical cores. The study is limited to Scopus indexed, English language journal articles, and to the inferential scope of bibliometric methods, so my findings should be interpreted as a structured representation of this segment of the literature rather than an exhaustive map. Within these boundaries, the analysis offers educators and researchers a data driven view of where mathematics anxiety research has consolidated, where it remains segmented, and where opportunities exist for stronger cross-national collaboration and closer linkage between mechanisms and interventions in digitally mediated learning environments.
- mathematics anxiety,
- bibliometric analysis,
- science mapping,
- digital learning,
- artificial intelligence in education
Citation: Lalin Abbacan-Tuguic. Mapping mathematics anxiety research: A bibliometric and science mapping study of Scopus indexed articles (2012–2025)[J]. STEM Education, 2026, 6(4): 744-775. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026030

Related Papers:

Abstract

In this study, I examined how mathematics anxiety research has evolved in scope, structure, and focus within the international literature from 2012 to 2025. Drawing on a corpus of 1,201 Scopus-indexed, peer reviewed journal articles, I combined performance indicators (publication and citation trends) with science mapping techniques, including co authorship analysis, co word analysis, bibliographic coupling, and thematic evolution mapping. The results showed a marked acceleration in publication output, especially after 2020, alongside a collaborative but geographically and institutionally concentrated authorship structure. Conceptually, the field remains anchored in affective motivational and cognitive constructs such as achievement, self-efficacy, motivation, working memory, and gender, while increasingly engaging statistics anxiety, intervention research, digital and online learning, and artificial intelligence in education. Collaboration and coupling networks reveal several well defined but only partially connected research streams, particularly between measurement and mechanism studies on the one hand and classroom or technology focused interventions on the other. Rather than indicating fragmentation, this pattern suggests a mature yet unevenly integrated field in which newer technology rich and post pandemic topics are layered onto long standing theoretical cores. The study is limited to Scopus indexed, English language journal articles, and to the inferential scope of bibliometric methods, so my findings should be interpreted as a structured representation of this segment of the literature rather than an exhaustive map. Within these boundaries, the analysis offers educators and researchers a data driven view of where mathematics anxiety research has consolidated, where it remains segmented, and where opportunities exist for stronger cross-national collaboration and closer linkage between mechanisms and interventions in digitally mediated learning environments.

References

[1]	Aldrup, K., Klusmann, U. and Lüdtke, O., Reciprocal Associations between Students' Mathematics Anxiety and Achievement: Can Teacher Sensitivity Make a Difference?. Journal of Educational Psychology, 2020,112(4): 735–750. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000398 doi: 10.1037/edu0000398
[2]	Cipora, K., Santos, F.H., Kucian, K. and Dowker, A., Mathematics Anxiety: Where Are We and Where Shall We Go?. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2022, 1513(1): 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14770 doi: 10.1111/nyas.14770
[3]	Consoli, T. and Petko, D., Which Educational Approaches Predict Students' Generative AI Confidence and Responsibility?. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2025, 9: 100431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100431 doi: 10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100431
[4]	Daker, R.J., Gattas, S.U., Sokolowski, H.M., Green, A.E. and Lyons, I.M., First-Year Students' Math Anxiety Predicts STEM Avoidance and Underperformance throughout University, Independently of Math Ability. npj Science of Learning, 2021, 6(1): 17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00095-7 doi: 10.1038/s41539-021-00095-7
[5]	DiStefano, M., O'Brien, B., Storozuk, A., Ramirez, G. and Maloney, E.A., Exploring Math Anxious Parents' Emotional Experience Surrounding Math Homework Help. International Journal of Educational Research, 2020, 99: 101526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101526 doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101526
[6]	Dondio, P., Gusev, V. and Rocha, M., Do Games Reduce Maths Anxiety? A Meta‑Analysis. Computers and Education, 2023,194: 104650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104650 doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104650
[7]	Du, C., Qin, K., Wang, Y. and Xin, T., Mathematics Interest, Anxiety, Self‑Efficacy and Achievement: Examining Reciprocal Relations. Learning and Individual Differences, 2021, 91: 102060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102060 doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102060
[8]	Egara, F.O. and Mosia, M., Fostering Students' Interest in Trigonometry Using Game‑Based Learning Strategy: A Case of Repeated Measures. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 2025, 14(5): 3973–3982. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v14i5.31173 doi: 10.11591/ijere.v14i5.31173
[9]	Gabriel, F., Buckley, S. and Barthakur, A., The Impact of Mathematics Anxiety on Self‑Regulated Learning and Mathematical Literacy. Australian Journal of Education, 2020, 64(3): 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944120947881 doi: 10.1177/0004944120947881
[10]	Geary, D.C., Hoard, M.K., Nugent, L. and Scofield, J.E., In-Class Attention, Spatial Ability, and Mathematics Anxiety Predict Across-Grade Gains in Adolescents' Mathematics Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 2021,113(4): 754–769. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000487 doi: 10.1037/edu0000487
[11]	Hill, J., Kern, M.L., Seah, W.T. and van Driel, J., Feeling Good and Functioning Well in Mathematics Education: Exploring Students' Conceptions of Mathematical Well-Being and Values. ECNU Review of Education, 2021, 4(2): 349–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120928084 doi: 10.1177/2096531120928084
[12]	Inoferio, H., Espartero, M., Asiri, M., Damin, M. and Chavez, J., Coping with Math Anxiety and Lack of Confidence through AI-Assisted Learning. Environment and Social Psychology, 2024, 9(5): 2228. https://doi.org/10.54517/esp.v9i5.2228. doi: 10.54517/esp.v9i5.2228
[13]	Jiang, R., Liu, R., Star, J., Zhen, R., Wang, J., Hong, W., et al., How Mathematics Anxiety Affects Students' Inflexible Perseverance in Mathematics Problem Solving: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Reflection. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 2021, 91(1): 237‒260. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12364 doi: 10.1111/bjep.12364
[14]	Kaskens, J., Segers, E., Goei, S.L., van Luit, J. and Verhoeven, L., Impact of Children's Math Self-Concept, Math Self-Efficacy, Math Anxiety, and Teacher Competencies on Math Development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 2020, 94: 103096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103096 doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2020.103096
[15]	Levine, S.C. and Pantoja, N., Development of Children's Math Attitudes: Gender Differences, Key Socializers, and Intervention Approaches. Developmental Review, 2021, 62: 100997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2021.100997 doi: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.100997
[16]	Li, Q., Hyeree, C., Jimena, C. and Yukiko, M., Relations between Students' Mathematics Anxiety and Motivation to Learn Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 2021, 33(3): 1017–1049. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09589-z doi: 10.1007/s10648-020-09589-z
[17]	Li, H., Zhang, A., Zhang, M., Huang, B., Zhao, X., Gao, J., et al., Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations between Parental Educational Involvement, Teacher Support, and Math Anxiety: The Role of Math Learning Involvement in Elementary School Children. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2021, 66: 101984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101984 doi: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101984
[18]	Merrick, M. and Fyfe, E.R., Should I Stay or Should I Go? Children's Motivation in Response to Feedback and Its Association with Math Anxiety and Math Self-Concept. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2025, 82: 102393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2025.102393 doi: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2025.102393
[19]	Orbach, L., Herzog, M. and Fritz, A., State- and Trait-Math Anxiety and Their Relation to Math Performance in Children: The Role of Core Executive Functions. Cognition, 2020,200: 104271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104271 doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104271
[20]	Pizzie, R.G., Sortino, R.M., Kim, C.E.Y. and Inghram, R., Math Anxiety and Science Anxiety Are Associated with Spatial Cognition and STEM Interest in Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing People. npj Science of Learning, 2025, 10(1): 45. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00336-z doi: 10.1038/s41539-025-00336-z
[21]	Dmitri, R., Tiina, K., Kristel, M., Kerli, O.P. and Karin, T., Mathematics Anxiety among STEM and Social Sciences Students: The Roles of Mathematics Self-Efficacy, and Deep and Surface Approach to Learning. International Journal of STEM Education, 2020, 7(1): 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00246-z doi: 10.1186/s40594-020-00246-z
[22]	Samuel, T.S. and Warner, J., 'I Can Math!': Reducing Math Anxiety and Increasing Math Self-Efficacy Using a Mindfulness and Growth Mindset-Based Intervention in First-Year Students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2021, 45(3): 205–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2019.1666063 doi: 10.1080/10668926.2019.1666063
[23]	Seo, E. and Lee, Y., Stereotype Threat in High School Classrooms: How It Links to Teacher Mindset Climate, Mathematics Anxiety, and Achievement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2021, 50(7): 1410–1423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01435-x doi: 10.1007/s10964-021-01435-x
[24]	Steinberger, P., Eshet, Y. and Grinautsky, K., No Anxious Student Is Left Behind: Statistics Anxiety, Personality Traits, and Academic Dishonesty—Lessons from COVID-19. Sustainability, 2021, 13(9): 4762. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094762 doi: 10.3390/su13094762
[25]	Szczygieł, M., Gender, General Anxiety, Math Anxiety and Math Achievement in Early School-Age Children. Issues in Educational Research, 2020, 30(3): 1126–1142.
[26]	Szczygieł, M. and Pieronkiewicz, B., Exploring the Nature of Math Anxiety in Young Children: Intensity, Prevalence, Reasons. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 2022, 24(3): 248–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2021.1882363 doi: 10.1080/10986065.2021.1882363
[27]	Trassi, A.P., Leonard, S., Rodrigues, L., Rodas, J. and Santos, F.H., Mediating Factors of Statistics Anxiety in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2022, 1512(1): 76–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14746 doi: 10.1111/nyas.14746
[28]	Valle, N., Antonenko, P., Valle, D., Dawson, K., Huggins-Manley, A. and Baiser, B., The Influence of Task-Value Scaffolding in a Predictive Learning Analytics Dashboard on Learners' Statistics Anxiety, Motivation, and Performance. Computers and Education, 2021,173: 104288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104288 doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104288
[29]	Valle, N., Antonenko, P., Valle, D., Sommer, M., Huggins-Manley, A., Dawson, K., et al., Predict or Describe? How Learning Analytics Dashboard Design Influences Motivation and Statistics Anxiety in an Online Statistics Course. Educational Technology Research and Development, 2021, 69(3): 1405–1431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09998-z doi: 10.1007/s11423-021-09998-z
[30]	Vanbecelaere, S., Cornillie, F., Sasanguie, D., Reynvoet, B. and Depaepe, F., The Effectiveness of an Adaptive Digital Educational Game for the Training of Early Numerical Abilities in Terms of Cognitive, Noncognitive and Efficiency Outcomes. British Journal of Educational Technology, 2021, 52(1): 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12957 doi: 10.1111/bjet.12957
[31]	Vos, H., Marinova, M., Sasanguie, D., De Léon, S.C. and Reynvoet, B., Gender Differences in Young Adults' Mathematical Performance: Examining the Contribution of Working Memory, Math Anxiety and Gender-Related Stereotypes. Learning and Individual Differences, 2023,102: 102255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102255 doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102255
[32]	Yang, K. and Lu, B., Towards the Successful Game-Based Learning: Detection and Feedback to Misconceptions Is the Key. Computers and Education, 2021,160: 104033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104033 doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104033
[33]	Zhang, D. and Wang, C., The Relationship between Mathematics Interest and Mathematics Achievement: Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Mathematics Anxiety. International Journal of Educational Research, 2020,104: 101648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101648 doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101648
[34]	Živković, M., Pellizzoni, S., Doz, E., Cuder, A., Mammarella, I. and Passolunghi, M.C., Math Self-Efficacy or Anxiety? The Role of Emotional and Motivational Contribution in Math Performance. Social Psychology of Education, 2023, 26(3): 579–601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-023-09760-8 doi: 10.1007/s11218-023-09760-8

Author's biography Lalin Abbacan-Tuguic is a faculty member at the College of Education, Kalinga State University, Philippines. Her research focuses on mathematics education, learners' affective and motivational processes, and the application of bibliometric and science-mapping methods to understand the evolution of educational research fields. She has experience in quantitative and mixed-methods designs and is particularly interested in how digital and AI-mediated learning environments interact with mathematics anxiety and student engagement

Reader Comments

Your name:*

Email:*
© 2026 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)