| Social cognitive research has linked students' perceived academic capabilities, or self-efficacy, to academic choices, self-regulation, and performance in diverse contexts from reading comprehension to mathematical problem solving. This study addressed a need to investigate the interactions among prior achievement, self-efficacy, calibration (the accuracy of self-efficacy beliefs), and mathematics performance for students enrolled in the content courses of a secondary mathematics teaching program. The sample included 195 students in 12 classes ranging from calculus to second-semester abstract algebra at a mid-sized U.S. doctoral-granting university with a large secondary mathematics teacher education program. Data included background surveys, self-efficacy ratings preceding final exams, completed final exams, and transcripts of interviews with 10 secondary mathematics majors. Data analysis utilized structural equation modeling, analysis of variance, and thematic coding. Findings from both quantitative and qualitative analyses suggested participants' perceptions of their prior math performance, together with strong self-efficacy and slight overconfidence, were most associated with increased final exam performance. The discussion includes potential implications of the study for the content preparation of secondary mathematics teachers.Keywords: self-efficacy, calibration, undergraduate mathematics, preservice mathematics teachers, structural equation modeling, social cognitive theory... |
