The development of a country is normally connected to its ability to train a sufficient number of engineers to be able to develop technological solutions to their national problems. Engineers' insight and designs help solve problems that affect all of humanity such as access to food and safe drinking water, communication, health care, and environment protection. There are both personal and national benefits to pursuing a degree in engineering; however, engineering training and education both rely heavily on students' math abilities. Students' math preparation and attitudes toward math-related activities have shown to be significant factors in students' decision to pursue an engineering major. Students' development of math knowledge before college is commonly influenced by their experiences in math courses, where their experiences create different feelings about math activities. An important factor influencing students' perceptions about math courses and activities is math anxiety. Richardson & Suinn defined math anxiety as ‘feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic settings’ (p. 551). Math anxiety is not just dislike of mathematics or lack of math knowledge, but a set of feelings that affect performance in math-related activities that may lead to avoidance of math courses and math-related careers.
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