Relationship between Mathematics, self-efficacy and students' performance in statistics: the meditational role of attitude toward Mathematics and Mathematics anxiety

Abstract

The present research seeks to examine the relationship between Mathematics self-efficacy, anxiety and attitude and students' progress in statistics in Orumieh University using structural equations modeling. The population of this research consisted of all students of education sciences and Mathematics who have passed the statistics course. Of that population, 100 students of education sciences and 100 students of Mathematics were selected as samples of this study. Then, the questionnaire of mathematics self-efficacy, anxiety and attitude was distributed among them and the final examination scores were considered as their scores in statistics. In the next stage, the data were analyzed through structural equations modeling methods. The results showed that mathematics self-efficacy has a direct effect on mathematic attitude. Also, the direct effect of mathematics self-efficacy on mathematics anxiety as well as mathematics anxiety on mathematic attitude was confirmed. The mediating role of mathematic anxiety between mathematics self-efficacy and statistics scores, the mediating role of mathematic attitude between mathematics anxiety and statistics scores and also the mediating role of mathematics anxiety between mathematic self-efficacy and mathematic attitude was confirmed.