Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework

Mbazima Amos Ngoveni

doi:10.29333/ejmste/19894

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Mbazima Amos Ngoveni ¹ ^*

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¹ Department of Mathematics Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Mathematics anxiety is associated with lower achievement, avoidance and restricted participation, yet it is often addressed primarily through individual coping strategies. This conceptual synthesis reframes mathematics anxiety as a classroom-mediated affective and equity concern. Seven topic-specific Scopus searches identified 2,688 records, which were reduced to 1,485 unique publications and examined alongside foundational and policy sources. The synthesis integrates cognitive, pedagogical, sociocultural and equity-oriented evidence into four analytically distinct but conditionally interacting classroom conditions: agency-supportive participation, instructional clarity and formative support, adaptive mathematical beliefs and self-regulation, and equitable belonging and emotional safety. Technology is positioned as a conditional cross-cutting enabler. The framework specifies mechanisms, interactions, boundary conditions, and testable propositions, while distinguishing established associations from evidence of direct intervention. It offers a theoretically explicit basis for classroom inquiry, teacher development and future empirical testing.

Keywords

mathematics anxiety
equity
emotional safety
self-regulation
formative assessment
mathematical well-being

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Literature Review

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 22, Issue 12, December 2026, Article No: em2962

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894

Publication date: 08 Nov 2026

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Article Downloads: 4

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How to cite this article

APA

Ngoveni, M. A. (2026). Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 22(12), em2962. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894

Vancouver

Ngoveni MA. Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2026;22(12):em2962. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894

AMA

Ngoveni MA. Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2026;22(12), em2962. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894

Chicago

Ngoveni, Mbazima Amos. "Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2026 22 no. 12 (2026): em2962. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894

Harvard

Ngoveni, M. A. (2026). Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 22(12), em2962. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894

MLA

Ngoveni, Mbazima Amos "Reframing mathematics anxiety through equity and emotional support: A four-pillar conceptual framework". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 22, no. 12, 2026, em2962. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/19894