Interest, enjoyment, and confidence in mathematics in the United States: exploring patterns across age, gender, race, and time

Abstract Background Although prior research has explored students’ affective experiences in mathematics and its demographic correlatives, additional studies are needed that: (1) use large national data sets; (2) incorporate a broad range of affective constructs; (3) consider trends in student affect over time; and (4) include younger children and adolescents. We address these gaps in the literature by using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data from 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024 to explore relationships between 4 and 8th graders’ demographic characteristics and interest, enjoyment, and confidence in mathematics, as well as how these relationships have changed over time. Methods We used the NAEP Data Explorer to examine the relationship between four independent variables (time, race/ethnicity, gender, grade level) and students’ self-reported interest, enjoyment, and confidence in mathematics as measured through two NAEP indices. Analysis centered on descriptive statistics and visual trends of the data, as well as simple significance testing via independent samples t-tests. Findings Fourth and eighth grade students’ interest, enjoyment, and confidence in mathematics mostly declined from 2017 to 2024. The percentage of 8th grade students reporting high levels of interest and enjoyment in mathematics was much lower than 4th graders, indicating that students’ interest and enjoyment in mathematics declines as they progress through schooling. Asian and Black students generally reported the highest levels of interest and enjoyment in mathematics across races/ethnicities, while White students reported very low levels of interest and enjoyment. White and Asian students reported the highest levels of confidence in mathematics across races/ethnicities, while Black and Hispanic students showed substantial declines in confidence in 2022. There were few noticeable differences between male and female students’ interest/enjoyment and confidence in mathematics. Discussion Findings indicate a need for targeted interventions that support minoritized groups in the U.S. to increase their confidence in mathematics. Further research is needed to understand why White students report low levels of interest/enjoyment and high levels of confidence. Further research is needed to understand whether there is a gender gap in students’ affective relationship with mathematics—our study showed no gap.