A bibliometric study published in Frontiers in Psychology has positioned the University of Trieste as the leading university in Europe, and among the top three worldwide, for research into processes related to mathematics learning, with a particular focus on a topic of growing importance: mathematics anxiety. Defined as a feeling of discomfort or fear associated with the manipulation of numbers, mathematics anxiety has been the subject of numerous studies in recent decades, identified as one of the main obstacles to success in mathematics and influencing phenomena such as the well-known gender gap in pursuing careers in the scientific field.

In this context, the scientific output of the UniTS Laboratory for Developmental Psychology and Psychology of Learning (Department of Life Sciences) stands out. For years, under the direction of professor Maria Chiara Passolunghi and professor Sandra Pellizzoni, and with the contribution of dr Alessandro Cuder, dr Eleonora Doz, dr Federica Granello, dr Giorgia Morosini, dr Lorena Perrotti and dr Martina Taruscia, the laboratory has been dedicated to the study of these themes. 

Recent national and international reports highlight how, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant decline in mathematical skills within the school population. Among the most critical aspects is the gender gap in mathematical competence to the disadvantage of girls, a gap that in Italy is the widest among OECD countries. In this context, increasing evidence points to mathematics anxiety as a key factor in understanding the difficulties associated with learning this discipline.

The scientific work of the Laboratory for Developmental Psychology and Psychology of Learning has shown how this form of anxiety represents a risk factor as early as primary school, affecting pupils regardless of their cognitive abilities and having a negative impact on their performance. Girls in particular appear more vulnerable to this phenomenon than their male peers, reporting stronger anxious experiences with potential consequences for their wellbeing at school and their motivation to embark on study paths in the technical-scientific fields. The laboratory’s studies also indicate that mathematics anxiety expressed by parents can be transmitted to children as early as the preschool years, from the age of three, interfering with the development of early numerical skills. Mathematics anxiety then tends to reinforce itself over time through the accumulation of academic failures, extending into secondary school and reverberating into adulthood. In this context, the laboratory’s research has also highlighted how negative attitudes towards mathematics can predict, even years later, whether or not students choose to pursue scientific pathways, potentially influencing the readiness of future citizens to address the challenges of scientific and technological progress, which are strategic for the development of the country.

Despite the pervasive and persistent nature of mathematics anxiety from childhood to adulthood, research is increasingly focusing on identifying intervention strategies to promote positive attitudes towards the subject. Several studies have shown encouraging results through activities developed in collaboration with parents and teachers, designed to help pupils recognise and manage their emotions during learning.

In this direction, the Laboratory has achieved promising results through programmes that help children learn to ‘name’ the feelings of anxiety experienced while performing mathematical tasks, before applying specific procedures to reduce the impact of these anxious experiences. Such interventions encourage alternatives to avoidance behaviours, fostering a more adaptive approach to tasks by valuing mistakes as an informative resource – particularly significant in a discipline where error is an intrinsic part of the learning process. In this context, the Laboratory’s recent activities have also focused on assessing the effectiveness of programmes for teachers and parents, who are key figures in the educational and emotional experience of students and can act as promoters of effective, lasting and continuous change over time.