A Survey On The Relationship Between Eighth Grade Students' Mathematical Self-efficacy And Geometry Problem-solving Abilit

A good sense of self-efficacy is a key factor in promoting students’ growth and can provide a psychological foundation for their future development.At the same time,self-efficacy in the field of mathematics needs to be studied and explored in depth.This study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses,using the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale and the Geometry Test Paper as research tools to explore the relationship between eighth-grade students’ Mathematics Self-efficacy and geometric problem-solving ability.Therefore,this study selected 140 eighth graders from a junior high school as the research object.In this study,Mathematics Self-efficacy Scale and geometric test were used for testing.This study mainly answers the following research questions: First,what are the levels of mathematics self-efficacy and geometric problem-solving ability of eighth graders?Second,are there differences in the middle school students’ mathematics self-efficacy and geometric problem-solving performance across gender,difficulty topics,and problem contexts? Third,does mathematics self-efficacy have an impact on geometric problem-solving ability? How much is the impact?This paper uses questionnaire and interview survey research methods to conclude that:(1)Eighth graders’ geometric problem solving ability is above the passing level,and generally have higher mathematical self-efficacy,most or even more than half of them overestimate their own geometric problem-solving ability,most boys have higher self-efficacy,girls’ self-efficacy is more dispersed,and boys’ judgment level of their own geometric problem-solving ability is generally higher than that of girls.(2)As the difficulty of geometry problems increased,eighth graders’ self-efficacy in mathematics gradually decreased.Students’ judgments of their geometric problem-solving ability were almost consistent on easy problems,mildly overestimated or consistent on moderate problems,and showed severe overestimation on difficult problems.(3)Students’ geometric problem-solving ability and mathematics self-efficacy in both abstract and concrete contexts were significantly different.Students’ geometric problem-solving ability and mathematics self-efficacy in abstract contexts were both better than their performance in concrete contexts.(4)Mathematics self-efficacy was predictive of geometric problem solving performance.(5)It was concluded from the interview method that mathematics self-efficacy acts on the whole process of geometric problem solving through cognitive,affective,motivational,and choice processes.Finally,based on the results of the study,methods and strategies to improve students’ self-efficacy and problem solving ability in each problem solving session are proposed so that teachers can implement them in a targeted manner in the actual educational teaching process.