by Dr Julie Pepper and Dr Katherine Ashbullby

The Top Banana network, which started thanks to an Exeter Education Incubator Discovery Grant, aims to share best practice at Exeter University to promote positive maths self-concept and prevent maths anxiety. It has a Microsoft Teams channel and 20 members (new members still welcome, please email me – j.s.a.pepper@exeter.ac.uk). The aim is to use the network to promote best practice and act as a catalyst for more research. Several of the network members are actively researching the topic. For example, Dr Andrea Giachino is working on an Education Incubator project grant this year on maths anxiety with medical students. 

We were pleased to get a project incubator last year on the topic of maths anxiety. Working with postgraduate student, Kate Nechyporenko, we developed and piloted research-inspired sessions in person and online. The sessions covered mindfulness, growth mindset, resilience and having a buddy.

The first session used LEGO Serious Play (and for those online, sessions inspired by the LEGO method) to break down barriers in talking about maths anxiety and self-concept. Kate used a breathing exercise for the students to introduce the idea of mindful breathing. The second session explored the body’s reaction to stress (Kate’s area of expertise) and practical ways to experience growth mindset. The last session drew on Dr Inma Adarves Yorno’s (who was an advisor on this project) work on mindfulness, resilience, and self-compassion.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot sessions we measured students’ maths anxiety and resilience before and after sessions using measures devised by Professor Thomas Hunt (who runs the Mathematics Anxiety Research Group)and Professor Sue Johnston-Wilder. We presented our ideas at the School of Education Conference and got positive feedback from participants who tried out LEGO Serious Play. We also used LEGO Serious Play at the EduExe café and learned about other exciting incubator projects. With only small student numbers more research is needed on this topic. We are excited to have ethics approval for what we hope is a bigger study with degree apprentices, so watch this space!

Elements of our sessions have been built into some of the degree apprenticeship inductions and we have plans to run regular sessions like this for any students who would like to attend. We are currently working on the way to best deliver these sessions. We also plan to develop some sessions for staff that will focus on how to support students with maths anxiety, as well as recognise the link between educators’ own anxiety and that of students. 

During the Education Incubator project, Julie was fortunate to get an Environment, Science and Economics Faculty Small Grant (that Kat was an advisor) to work with the fantastic Exeter Science Centre to produce the below infographics – one for students and one teachers/lecturers. We would be grateful if you would share these. Thanks also to infographic designer, Dr Will Stahl-Timmins for his advice, we are delighted with them.

Our hope is that, while this project has ended, the network and our work on maths anxiety very much continues. We also are excited to be starting a new incubator project this year. This project is on the topic of eco-anxiety, which like our work on maths anxiety puts student wellbeing at its heart. Working with Exeter Science Centre and Natural England, we are aiming to develop innovative resources to help explain, from a psychological viewpoint, the meaning of eco-anxiety and how students and staff could turn anxiety into action, by drawing on the most recent research.

Project Grants 2022-23 Education Education Incubator Higher Education Innovation Pedagogy