IntroductionAs an employee of County Community College, I teach a basic skills mathematics course for adults. I initially started the academic year with 18 students, but by April 2015 I had around 6 students per session. The majority of students are women, of Afro-Caribbean or African origin and aged between 20 and 50. It has been suggested that many students view numeracy as a male domain (Cemen, 1987; Gutbezahl, 1995; Levine, 1995; Miller et al, 1994) and I have noticed that I teach predominantly female students who are particularly shy and have a low self-esteem. esteem. They are also full of self-doubt and lack confidence in their mathematical abilities and some do not see numeracy as a useful subject compared to literacy. For some it is just a means to an end and not something to be learned for the sake of self-improvement. Most students are not in full-time employment when they start the course, but as the course progresses, around half of all students will leave the course. to accept a job. The students' main motivation is to achieve a mathematics qualification and couple this with a literacy qualification and use this as a route into higher education entry programs offered by the County Community College or nearby colleges. Most students see the benefit of gaining qualifications as a way to improve their lifestyle allowing them to have more career options. Most students have children of school age and it has been noted that many students want to set a good example for their children regarding education and employment. I chose two students to use for a case study on the learning difficulties experienced by adult mathematics students. The learning difficulties that are... in the center of the paper... in the special section. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 130 (June): 163http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_05.htm23/07/2007 Physical Relaxation Technique: Deep Breathing, PMR, and Relaxation Technique [accessed July 2007 ]http ://www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/anxiety/23/07/2007 Coping with Math Anxiety [accessed July 2007]http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20010630/fob4.asp23/ 07/2007 Mathematical Fears Hijack Memory and Learning [accessed July 2007] Trujillo, KM, Tracing the Roots of Mathematics Anxiety through In-Depth Interviews with Preservice Elementary Teachers http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_2_33/ ai_62839422 [accessed July 2007] Bibliography Cofield, F. et al. 2004. Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: a systematic and critical review. Learning and Skills Research Centre, London.