Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Emotional Expression and Students' Academic Engagement: The Mediating Role of Students' Academic Self-efficacy

Abstract

The underlying mechanism through which teachers' emotional expression influences students' academic engagement in pre-service mathematics teacher education programs warrants deeper investigation, with particular focus on the mediating role of students' self-efficacy. This study utilized a random sampling strategy to recruit participants, comprising firstthrough fourth-year undergraduates who met the study's inclusion criteria. A hybrid online-offline data collection approach was employed to administer 500 questionnaires, resulting in 413 valid responses (Freshman: n= 109; Sophomore: n= 100; Junior: n= 137; Senior: n= 67). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using AMOS 26.0 for data analysis. The measurement scale exhibited robust internal consistency and construct validity, and the SEM demonstrated acceptable model fit. Regarding direct effects, teachers' emotional expression exerted a significant positive effect on both students' academic engagement and self-efficacy, confirming Hypotheses 1 and 2. Additionally, students' self-efficacy was positively associated with their academic engagement, supporting Hypothesis 3. Furthermore, students' self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between teachers' emotional expression and students' academic engagement (standardized indirect effect =.58, 95% CI [0.49-0.69], [0.48-0.68]). Students' self-efficacy was identified as a partial mediator in the association between pre-service mathematics teachers' emotional expression and students' academic engagement.