A Self-Regulated Learner Framework for Students with Learning Disabilities and Math Anxiety

Students with math learning disabilities have been shown to experience math anxiety at rates nearly double those of their typical peers. Anxiety about math is thought to disrupt learning by co-opting attentional resources that could be used in problem-solving and may be caused by the way in which students interpret their math-related experiences. This article describes a math intervention designed through a framework of self-regulated learning that defines self-regulated learners as students who are connected, self-aware, self-determined, strategic, and resilient. Specifically described is an intervention that helps students regulate anxiety, initiate a problem-solving strategy, and advocate as needed to use approaches they find effective.