Measurement Invariance in Math Anxiety Scales Across Race and Gender

Abstract

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS; Hopko, Bare, & Hunt, 2003) and the Math Anxiety Scale – Revised (MAS-R; Bai, 2009) across race and gender as well as the extent to which race and gender predict learning math anxiety and math evaluation anxiety at both the secondary level, which includes middle and high school students, and the tertiary level, which includes college/university students. Cronbach’s Alpha scores were compared across race and gender subsamples, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted for the theoretically aligned structures of the AMAS and MAS-R, multi-group confirmatory factor analyses were conducted across race and school level for the AMAS, and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with learning math anxiety and math evaluation anxiety as predicted variables and race and gender as predicting variables. Findings from this study suggest that the AMAS and MAS-R are sufficiently reliable across race and gender subgroups, that the theoretical factor structure of the AMAS fits the data from this study, while that of the MAS-R does not, and that the AMAS is non-invariant across White/European American and Black/African American racial groups as well as secondary level and tertiary level students. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis indicate that race and gender are not predictive of learning math anxiety or math evaluation anxiety. Taken together, these results suggest that math anxiety may not be a significant factor in the development of differences in attrition and retention rates across race and gender in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, but that the AMAS is a valid measure to use with Black/African American students, secondary level students, and tertiary level students. Implications and future directions are discussed.