The Relationship Between Cognitive Activation and Math Anxiety in Japan: Moderating Roles of Socioeconomic Status and Math Self-Efficacy

Math anxiety undermines students’ motivation and achievement and is a pervasive challenge in mathematics education. Although prior studies have shown that cognitively demanding instruction can alleviate anxiety, the possibility of nonlinear effects and contextual moderators remains underexplored. Drawing on nationally representative data from 5,760 Japanese 15-year-olds in PISA 2022, this study examined the curvilinear relationship between cognitive activation and math anxiety, and the moderating roles of student SES, school SES, and math self-efficacy. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that mathematical-thinking activation was associated with reductions in math anxiety at lower to moderate levels, but its benefits plateaued beyond that point, whereas reasoning-focused activation showed negligible curvilinear effects. Student SES and school SES moderated these associations in complex ways, suggesting that cognitive activation can act as a compensatory resource in low-SES contexts. In contrast, math self-efficacy, although strongly predictive of anxiety as a main effect, did not moderate the relationship. These findings refine control-value and cognitive load theories by highlighting nonlinear and SES-dependent dynamics, and they underscore that instructional quality affects not only cognitive but also emotional outcomes. Practically, the results suggest the value of promoting mathematical-thinking activation in teacher training to reduce math anxiety, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged students.