Anxiety Moderates the Effects of Drawing Support on Drawing Accuracy in Mathematical Modeling

Many students struggle to make an accurate drawing for a geometry modeling problem, which limits the benefits of drawing. Providing them with drawing support in form of provided elements and a background template can help them make more accurate drawings, but it is an open question whether the effects of drawing support vary based on learner characteristics. We investigate whether enjoyment and anxiety related to the drawing strategy moderate the effects of drawing support, influencing drawing accuracy and modeling performance. In a between-subjects experiment, we randomly assigned 112 undergraduates to either the supported or unsupported drawing condition, assessing their emotions related to the drawing strategy before they solved modeling problems, with or without support. Anxiety moderated the effects of drawing support on drawing accuracy and modeling performance, but not in the expected direction: when provided with support, students with higher anxiety made less accurate drawings. Enjoyment did not contribute significantly to drawing accuracy and modeling performance when students were explicitly asked to make a drawing.