Tutum ve Öz-Yeterliğin Matematik Başarısı Üzerindeki Etkilerinde Matematik Kaygısının Aracı Rolüne İlişkin Keşfedici Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Although the impacts of math anxiety, attitude toward math, and math self-efficacy on math achievement have been well-defined in the relevant literature, the interrelations among these predictors to explain math achievement are understudied. This study examined the structural relationships among math achievement, math anxiety, math self-efficacy, and attitude toward math. Within this scope, a full mediation model involving math anxiety as the mediator in the relationship of math achievement with attitude toward math and math self-efficacy was proposed. Data collected from 470 middle school students were used for the analyses. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping methods were used to investigate the proposed relationships. Moreover, various alternative models were tested to see whether the proposed model was empirically the best model to explain math achievement. The findings showed that the proposed model fit the data well and was superior to alternative models. Accordingly, attitude toward math and math self-efficacy had significant and positive indirect effects on math achievement as mediated by math anxiety. In conclusion, the study provided a meaningful model based on a strong theoretical and empirical background to explain math achievement.