Abstracts - Earli

on Pekrun’s Control-Value Theory, we hypothesized that gender differences in mathematicsemotions are partially mediated by their levels of competence beliefs in mathematics.Anxiety, motivation, gender and peers in mathematicsSarah Buckley, University of Melbourne, AustraliaMary Ainley, University of Melbourne, AustraliaPip Pattison, University of Melbourne, AustraliaIn today’s society, it is accepted by peers and the wider community for students to demonstratenegative motivation towards mathematics (Ashcraft, 2002; Wilkins, 2000). This type of culture, inturn, encourages the development of mathematics anxiety. Relationships between mathematicsanxiety, motivation and gender were examined in the present project. Anxiety was measured intwo ways. Firstly, the more trait-like aspect of mathematics anxiety was measured using traditionalquestionnaire techniques. Secondly, anxiety was assessed on-task as students completed amathematics problem via the computer program Between The Lines (BTL; Ainley & Hidi, 2002).Ma (1999) emphasizes the role of social factors in the mathematics classroom. In this project, therole of peer influence was also explored using a network approach. Two hundred and twenty nineYear 8 students (120 girls and 109 boys) participated completing mathematics anxiety, testanxiety, motivation and social network measures. TwoStep cluster analysis revealed threegeneralised anxiety groups – high, medium and low anxiety. Relationships were found betweenthese groups and levels of motivation. Furthermore, girls (84%) tended to be members of themedium and high anxiety groups while boys (84%) were represented in the low and mediumgroups. Finally, students in the low and high anxiety groups reported their friends as more and lessanxious than themselves, respectively. Analysis of the social network data substantiated theseresults demonstrating patterns of anxiety and motivation within friendship and status networks. Infurther stages of this project, sophisticated modelling techniques will be employed to investigate ifsocial relationships have the potential to ameliorate anxiety for the individual student. Findingssupport theoretical perspectives which emphasize the social context in the development ofstudents’ motivation and emotion.– 469 –