Further development of the math experience questionnaire

Math anxiety (MA) is a prevalent concern that can negatively impact students’ academic engagement and achievement. The current research aimed to refine and extend the Math Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) originally developed by O’Leary and colleagues (2017), with the goal of identifying which types of past math experiences most strongly predict MA. Two studies were conducted to evaluate the revised measure. In Study 1 (𝑛 = 217), undergraduate students completed the revised MEQ (MEQ-R) alongside measures of MA, general and test anxiety, and academic motivation. Factor analyses supported a six-factor structure, with a novel factor, Others’ Perspectives, emerging as the only unique predictor of MA after controlling for general and test anxiety. Study 2 (𝑛 = 292) used the MEQ-R in a more diverse sample and incorporated objective math tasks and a measure of math identity (MI). Results supported a fourfactor structure and identified the fourth factor as Negative Experiences. This was the only MEQ-R factor that significantly predicted MA after controlling for other variables. MI partially mediated this relationship, though the direct effect remained with MA. Across both studies, teacher and parent support were initially correlated with MA but lost predictive power once other anxiety variables were considered. These results highlight the importance of students’ internalized perceptions and the impact of negative math-related interactions in understanding the development of MA. They also suggest that the MEQ-R may be useful beyond predicting MA alone, offering broader insight into MI and motivational outcomes.