The relationship of teacher efficacy, mathematics anxiety, achievement, preparation, and years of experience to student Iowa Tests of Basic Skills mathematics test scores

The knowledge of mathematics is essential to students who plan careers in the scientific and/or technical fields. Test scores in mathematics have declined over the past few years. Many students in our country do not score as well as their peers in other countries. Teachers are very important components in the learning process of students. This study focused on the teacher as the critical individual in the learning of mathematics and examined the characteristics of selected sixth grade teachers to determine if there was a correlation between teacher characteristics and their students' composite ITBS test scores in mathematics.;Data was collected from 80 sixth grade public school teachers in Idaho who were employed in 20 of the 113 Idaho school districts. Teachers completed packets containing four self-administered instruments: (a) The Teacher Questionnaire, (b) the Personal Reaction Inventory, (c) the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, and (d) the Teacher Mathematics Achievement test. As a result, data was collected on five independent variables: (a) Teacher mathematics efficacy scores, (b) teacher mathematics anxiety scores, (c) teacher mathematics achievement test scores, (d) teacher mathematics preparation, and (e) teacher years of experience as they related to one dependent variable: sixth grade students' ITBS mathematics composite test scores. A Pearson's correlation coefficient (P ;The results of this study indicated that as teachers' mathematics efficacy increased a corresponding decrease in mathematics anxiety occurred (r = -0.64). Positive teacher efficacy was correlated with high achievement (r = 0.37). As teachers' mathematics achievement test scores increased their students' mathematics achievement test scores also increased (r = 0.28). Teacher mathematics preparation had an impact on students' ITBS composite mathematics test scores (r = 0.24). Teacher preparation in mathematics was found to be the key: (a) In the improvement of student mathematics knowledge and ability to perform in mathematics, (b) in decreasing teacher mathematics anxiety, and (c) in increasing teacher mathematics efficacy.