In the main hall of the Ceina Center, Dr. Claudia Vargas of the University of Santiago (Usach) delivered a presentation on "How to Love Mathematics: Emotions in Learning" to a packed auditorium.
Representing the Usach Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dr. Vargas served as the university’s exclusive speaker for the 2026 event.
During Session 32, she explored the causes of math anxiety in students and educators while sharing the stage with neuroscience experts. Her address focused on transforming fear into curiosity through a school-museum network, offering new pedagogical strategies to improve problem-solving skills by centering emotions in mathematics learning.
In a 20-minute TED-style presentation, Dr. Vargas reflected on her childhood and how positive mathematical memories shaped her life—a contrast to the negative experiences common among young people today.
From this personal perspective, she addressed the root causes of math anxiety, describing it as a pervasive nervousness that affects students and adults alike when facing math-related tasks due to a lack of self-confidence.
She argued that mathematical thinking is embedded in everyday life, from cooking and sales to managing a household budget, noting that we often fail to realize we are using complex abilities to achieve successful results.
Citing the 2022 PISA test results, the University of Santiago (Usach) scholar noted that Chilean students are among the most anxious in the OECD, with math anxiety in women significantly outnumbering that of men.
“When students believe they have limited mathematical ability, they tend to perform poorly in school. This is reflected in self-efficacy, a key psychological concept that has proven to be a stronger predictor of academic performance than math anxiety,” she explained.