Children as young as six feel fear, rage and despair as a result of "mathematics anxiety", a condition which can cause physical symptoms and behaviour problems in class, according to a study.

根据一项研究报道，6岁的小孩子因为“数学焦虑”而感到害怕，愤怒，以及绝望，这种情况可能在课上引起孩子们的生理性症状及行为问题。

Pupils in both primary and secondary school can find themselves locked in a cycle of despair, suffering from anxiety which harms their maths performance, which in turn leads to increased anxiety.

中小学生发现焦虑会使他们的数学成绩降低，而数学成绩降低反过来又让他们更加焦虑，他们陷入了绝望的循环。

Researchers say maths anxiety should be treated as a "real concern" because of the damage it does to a child's learning. They also point out it may be contributing to a growing maths crisis in the UK, where the level of adult numeracy is relatively low and getting worse.

研究人员说，数学焦虑应该被视为一种“真正的担忧”，因为它会损害孩子的学习能力。他们还指出，这可能是导致英国日益严重的数学危机的原因，在英国，成人算术水平相对较低，而且还在恶化。

According to the Nuffield Foundation report, Understanding Mathematics Anxiety, the proportion of adults with functional maths skills equivalent to a GCSE grade C has fallen from 26% in 2003 to 22% in 2011. In contrast, functional literacy skills are steadily increasing, with 57% of working-age adults gaining the equivalent level.

根据NF报道，为了理解数学焦虑，成年人应用数学技能达到GCSE成绩C的比例，在2003的26%已经降到22% 到2011。相比之下，应用读写能力正平稳地上升，有57%的成年人达到同样C成绩的水平。

Researchers from the faculty of education and the centre for neuroscience in education at Cambridge University worked with 2,700 primary and secondary students in the UK and Italy – including detailed one-to-one interviews – to explore maths anxiety and its causes.

来自剑桥大学教育学院和神经科学教育中心的研究人员与英国和意大利的2700名中小学生进行了合作，包括详细的一对一访谈，以探讨数学焦虑及其原因。

The children they interviewed provided graphic descriptions of their fears about maths. "I felt very unwell and I was really scared," said one primary school student, describing his reaction during a lesson about equivalent fractions. "Because my table's in the corner I kind of tried not to be in the lesson."

他们采访的孩子们形象地描述了他们对数学的恐惧。“我感觉很不舒服，我真的很害怕，”一名小学生说。他描述了他在一堂关于等效分数的课上的反应。“因为我的桌子在角落里，所以我尽量逃课。”

The co-author Dr Ros McLellan, who led the interview research, said: "Maths anxiety is very much an emotional reaction. Younger kids won't want to go to school when they have maths classes; they get tearful and upset.

共同作者RosMcLellan博士领导了这次采访研究，他说：“数学焦虑在很大程度上是一种情绪反应。年幼的孩子在上数学课的时候不会想去上学，他们会泪流满面，心烦意乱。“

"We had some young people saying: 'I get so frustrated, I end up hitting the desk,' and then they get themselves into bother. If we know what is at the bottom of the problem rather than addressing the symptoms we can address the root cause."

”我们有一些年轻人说：‘我太沮丧了，我最后会想要敲打桌子，’然后他们就麻烦了。”如果我们知道问题的根源是什么，而不是解决问题的表象，我们就可以解决问题的根源了。”

Researchers found there was a general sense that maths was hard compared with other subjects, which led to a loss of confidence, yet the study points out that most children with high levels of maths anxiety are normal to high achievers in the subject.

然而，研究指出，大多数数学焦虑程度高的孩子在这门学科中取得高分也是正常的。

Key triggers for anxiety included poor marks, test pressures, teasing by fellow pupils and a confusing mix of teaching methods. National Sats tests taken in the final year of primary school were a cause of anxiety for some, while the transition to secondary school was challenging for others.

引发焦虑的主要因素包括成绩不佳、考试压力、同学们的取笑以及各种教学方法的混淆。对一些人来说，小学最后一年参加的国家技能考试是一种焦虑的原因，而过渡到中学对另一些人来说则是一种挑战。

The children's emotional reactions included feelings of apprehension, tension, frustration or fear, while physical symptoms included butterflies, a racing heart or struggling to catch breath.

儿童的情绪反应包括恐惧、紧张、沮丧，而身体症状包括痉挛、心跳加速或呼吸困难。

"The experiences of maths anxiety are multifaceted, with students expressing emotions from rage to despair," the report says. "Students often reported overwhelming negative emotions which in some cases led them to act out in class and be removed from the classroom, or to become tearful. Others reported that they dreaded their mathematics lessons or that physical symptoms had an impact on their ability to flourish."

“数学焦虑的经历是多方面的，学生表达从愤怒到绝望的感情，”报告说明。“学生经常表达巨大的负面情绪，再一些案例里，她们会冲出课堂，被赶出教室，或者开始哭泣。另一些说到她们害怕数学课，或者身体症状影响她们的发展能力”。

It warns teachers and parents that their own anxieties about maths might have a negative influence and so urges them to tackle these first. It also urges policymakers to be conscious that emotional blocks can affect learning potential.

它警告教师和家长，他们自己对数学的焦虑可能会产生负面影响，因此敦促他们首先解决这些问题。它还敦促政策制定者意识到情绪障碍会影响学习潜力。