Exploring Math Anxiety and Math Self-Efficacy among Health Administration Students

The application of mathematics is an essential skillset for students in undergraduate health administration degree programs. Health administration majors are required to take courses that utilize mathematical concepts. Math anxiety, however, can be a barrier for many students within the field. Math...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of health administration education 2019-06, Vol.36 (2), p.151-168
Main Authors: Gabriel, Meghan Hufstader, Atkins, Danielle, Chokshi, Aditi, Midence, Sara, Bowdon, Melody
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
College Students
Hospital administration
Mathematical Concepts
Mathematics Anxiety
Self Efficacy
Student Characteristics
Students
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Summary:The application of mathematics is an essential skillset for students in undergraduate health administration degree programs. Health administration majors are required to take courses that utilize mathematical concepts. Math anxiety, however, can be a barrier for many students within the field. Math anxiety is a feeling of apprehension regarding math-related assignments, assessments, and tests. Prior research has shown that math anxiety is prevalent among college students and is often associated with diminished academic performance on math-related assessments. The sample for this study consisted of 244 health administration undergraduate majors from a large public university. The tool used to measure math anxiety and math self-efficacy is the Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ), which has been validated for use in the post-secondary student population. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe the characteristics of students who participated in the survey. Multivariate linear regression models were estimated to determine associations between student characteristics and the outcome variables of MSEAQ total score, math-anxiety score, and math self-efficacy score. Students who chose to take fully online math-related health administration courses were more likely to report lower levels of math anxiety and higher levels of math self-efficacy than those who chose to take in-person math-related health administration courses. No differences were found between gender, race, or other student demographic characteristics. Additionally, students who switched into the health administration major tended to be from math and science intensive majors. Implications for faculty and advisors in health administration programs are discussed.
ISSN:0735-6722
2158-8236