A Bibliometric Performance Analysis of Mathematics Anxiety Research in Educational Psychology: Temporal Evolution, Geographic Contributions, and Publication Characteristics
Asrida Sigiro, Isma Widiaty

Indonesian Education University

Abstract

Mathematics anxiety affects approximately 20-25% of students worldwide and represents a significant challenge in education. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 2,794 publications on mathematics anxiety (1977-2025) retrieved from the Scopus database using the core keywords ^math anxiety,^ ^mathematical anxiety,^ and ^mathematics anxiety.^ The analysis examined temporal patterns, geographical contributions, and publication characteristics. Results revealed substantial growth, increasing from fewer than 10 annual publications in the early years to 147 in 2024, with ^math anxiety^ emerging as the dominant terminology (40.3%). The United States (26%) and China (18%) accounted for the largest contributions, although the overall level of international collaboration remained relatively low (15%). The majority of publications were peer-reviewed journal articles (79.6%) and overwhelmingly published in English (96.5%). These findings highlight the evolution of mathematics anxiety research from a marginal topic to a central domain within educational psychology, while underscoring geographical disparities, cultural representation gaps, and the need for enhanced cross-cultural collaboration and culturally responsive approaches.

Keywords: mathematics anxiety, bibliometric analysis, educational psychology, research trends, temporal evolution

Topic: Education for sustainable development