Self-construal and students’ math self-concept, anxiety and achievement: An examination of achievement goals as mediators

Abstract

This study examines the role of self-construal in student learning by testing a mediation model: through math achievement goals, self-construal predicts math self-concept and anxiety, which further predict math achievement. A sample of 1196 students from 104 secondary classes in Singapore took a survey and a math achievement test. The results from multi-group structural equation modelling support measurement invariance and equal path coefficients in the mediation model between boys and girls. Interdependent self-construal positively predicted mastery approach and avoidance goals, through which interdependent self-construal had a positive total indirect effect on math anxiety. Independent self-construal positively predicted mastery approach, performance approach and performance avoidance goals, and through the two approach goals, high independent self-construal was associated with high math self-concept. Overall, self-construal was not associated with math achievement. The findings enhance our understanding of achievement motivation from a sociocultural perspective and help explain East Asian students' relatively higher anxiety and lower self-concept in comparison with their Western counterparts as reported in international studies.

The relation between math self-concept, test and math anxiety, achievement motivation and math achievement in 12 to 14-year- old typically developing adolescents

“…In the present study, a positive correlation was found between math self-concept and math achievement, and automatized math skills, which is in line with expectations based on previous studies (Atunes & Fontaine, 2007;Luo et al, 2014;McWilliams et al, 2013;Parker et al, 2013). The correlation was small for the math domains "measurement" and "relations", and medium for the domains "numbers" and "scale".…”

“…In line with expectations based on literature (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007;Ashcraft & Moore, 2009;Carey et al, 2016;Luo et al, 2014;Ramirez et al, 2013;Stankov et al, 2012;Wang et al, 2015), the current study found a negative correlation between math anxiety and math achievement. This correlation appeared to be only significant for the math domain "relations".…”

“…Both scales are based on questionnaires from the PISA-research project (Lee, 2009). The items of the self-confidence scale overlap with how math self-concept is measured in comparable studies (Lee, 2009;Luo et al, 2014). A high score on this scale means that a student has confidence in his/her own math skills.…”

“…Specifically, for math, there is a correlation between math self-concept and math achievement in children, (young) adolescents, and young adults (Atunes & Fontaine, 2007;Luo et al, 2014;McWilliams, Nier, & Singer, 2013;Parker, Marsh, Ciarrochi, Marshall, & Abduljabbar, 2013). Math self-concept refers to the belief in and feelings about one's own math competence (Atunes & Fontaine, 2007).…”

Development of Mathematics Motivation across the Transition from Elementary to Junior High School in Japan

“…Mathematics anxiety is commonly defined as a feeling of tension or fear that interferes with mathematics performance, and the correlations between mathematics anxiety and variables such as motivation and self-confidence in math are strongly negative (Ashcraft, 2002). Further, Mastery goal predicted negatively and performance goal did positively mathematics anxiety (Luo, Hogan, Tan, Kaur, Ng, & Chan, 2014). In the current study, we posit children and students' mathematics anxiety which reduce mathematics motivation.…”