How to Get Better at Math: Why Students' Math Identity Matters

The stories you tell yourself about your own math ability tend to become true. 

This isn’t some Oprah aphorism about attracting what you want from the universe. Scientific research actually backs it up. 

In more technical terms, researchers have found that there is an empirical link between students’ academic identity and academic achievement. Quite literally how you think of yourself in terms of math—your deeply held beliefs about what you’re good at, what you’re bad at and your ability to grow and learn—all have a direct impact on how successful you’ll be in it. 

Jo Boaler of Stanford University put it this way:

Many students hold damaging fixed mindsets, believing that their intelligence is unchangeable. When students shift to a growth mindset (believing that their intelligence is malleable), their achievement increases.

Danny Martin from the University of Illinois in Chicago noted that “a mathematics identity is expressed in narrative form as a negotiated self, is always under construction and results from the negotiation of our own assertions and the external ascriptions of others.”

In other words, math identity is always a work in progress and, as parents and teachers, we can help students build stronger, more positive math identities.

Michael De Sousa—teacher, school leader, leadership coach, community advocate and researcher—observed:

Fixed mindsets about mathematics are prevalent in our society. Many people believe their math ability, or inability, is a fixed trait. People often communicated these mindsets by stating, “I am not a math person.” Others explicitly state their distaste for math by saying things like, “I hate math” or “I have never liked math.” These strong negative relationships with math often denote a relationship with math that people do not see changing soon. These fixed mindsets and negative relationships to math impede an individual's math identity and normalize a narrative that suggests math is not for everyone and that not everyone can succeed at math. Furthermore, these negative relationships can lead to math anxiety, reduce an individual's persistence in developing math skills, and avoid engaging with traditional math tasks.

As The Atlantic points out in “The Myth of ‘I’m Bad at Math”, that phrase isn’t just self-deprecating—it’s a story many students learn to tell themselves. Disrupting that story is one of the most powerful things teachers and families can do.

Math Identity Is Built in Every Interaction

Research has also shown that identity formation happens in schools regardless of intention or strategic design. For example, in 2021 researchers found that girls in classes with highly math-anxious teachers learned less math during the school year, as compared to girls whose math teachers were less anxious about math.

More recent research continues to affirm this truth. For example, a 2023 study of over 28,000 students found that math anxiety has a stronger negative impact on achievement for girls than boys. A separate 2023 study showed that when students perceive their teachers as supportive, it can reduce math anxiety by improving self-efficacy and student–teacher relationships. And in elementary classrooms specifically, additional research reaffirmed that teachers’ math anxiety is linked to lower student performance—especially for girls, echoing earlier findings from 2021.

Other decisions, conscious and unconscious, can also influence a student’s math identity. For example, how much intellectual work teachers do for students versus how much they let students do for themselves, who gets selected for advanced math courses, recommendations teachers make for students’ math track, how teachers console and encourage struggling students and more can all impact the narrative a student is building or repeating in their mind. Sometimes referred to as the “hidden curriculum,” these choices communicate implicit messages about who is intelligent, who needs help, and who is worthy of additional opportunities.

Teachers Can Disrupt Negative Narratives

De Sousa notes that developing positive math identity requires teachers to challenge the dominant narratives around who is “good” at math, build meaningful relationships with students, and intentionally support identity development. 

Building on this idea, researchers Rochelle Gutiérrez, Ebony McGee, and Danny Martin outline four core practices that help educators foster positive math identity in the classroom. These pillars—shown below—offer a clear, practical starting point for teachers working to shift how students see themselves as math learners. 

While potentially useful to teachers, the framework above is incomplete. Another important area where teachers can help shape the mindsets of their students is by drawing connections between math concepts and the students themselves. 

Schools should also consider how race may affect a student’s math identity. According to a study by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Black students, in particular, often face challenges to development of strong math identities, and many are forced to contend with other students perceiving them as “affirmative action” cases if they are marked as high achieving.

Positive Math Identity and Instruction Go Hand in Hand

Helping students get better at math starts with how they see themselves in relation to the subject. Identity is not separate from instruction. When students feel a sense of belonging in math class and see how math connects to their lives, they are more likely to stay engaged and build real understanding.

Strong instruction builds on that foundation. Teachers can:

• Design lessons that reflect students’ communities and lived experiences

• Treat mistakes as part of the learning process, not a measure of ability

• Highlight and celebrate different approaches to solving problems

When students feel seen, challenged, and supported, they’re more likely to push their thinking and grow.

Math identity, instructional quality, and academic achievement are deeply connected. A student who feels ownership over their learning is more likely to succeed—not just in math class, but well beyond it.

Originally posted March 8th 2023. Updated August 18 2025.