| Exploring the factors that influence students’ mathematical learning and helping them improve their mathematical performance is an important issue Previous studies have investigated various factors related to students’ mathematical performance,such as internal factors and external environmental factors.In this study,mathematical anxiety and mathematical academic self-efficacy are the two main non-intellectual factors that affect mathematical performance.Scholars have proposed a theoretical model for the source of mathematical academic self-efficacy based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory,one of which is "emotional arousal",which refers to the emotions aroused when individuals evaluate their ability to solve mathematical problems.These emotions are an important source of individuals’ self-efficacy.When individuals are highly anxious,their self-efficacy is often weakened.Therefore,the influence that mathematical anxiety and mathematical academic self-efficacy caused to mathematical performance is worth to being studied.This study will first describe and analyze the current situation of mathematical anxiety and mathematical academic self-efficacy among high school students,and then further investigate the impact of mathematical anxiety and mathematical academic self-efficacy on mathematical performance,particularly the mediating effect of mathematical academic self-efficacy in the relationship between mathematical anxiety and mathematical performance,especially in high school students.This study is a quantitative study.Based on the research subjects and problems,the existing mathematical anxiety and mathematical academic self-efficacy scales were adapted to form a questionnaire tool suitable for this study,and a questionnaire survey was conducted among high school freshmen in a key high school in Shanghai.This study discusses the following three aspects: firstly,the current situation of mathematical anxiety and its impact on mathematical performance;Secondly,the current situation of mathematical academic self-efficacy and its impact on mathematical performance;Thirdly,the mediating effect of mathematical academic self-efficacy in the relationship between mathematical anxiety and mathematical performance,as well as the parallel mediating effect of different dimensions of mathematical academic self-efficacy on the relationship between mathematical anxiety and mathematical performance.The main research conclusions from these three perspectives are as follows:(1)Math anxiety has a significant negative impact on mathematical performance;(2)Mathematical academic self-efficacy has a significant positive impact on mathematical performance;(3)Mathematical academic self-efficacy is a better predictor of mathematical performance than mathematical anxiety;(4)Mathematical academic self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between mathematical anxiety and mathematical performance,with a mediating effect of 37.49%.That is,in the total effect of mathematical anxiety on mathematical performance,37.49% is achieved through the negative effect of mathematical anxiety on mathematical academic self-efficacy and the positive effect of mathematical academic self-efficacy on mathematical performance;(5)In this study,mathematical academic self-efficacy is divided into three subdimensions: goal confidence,course competence,and difficulty coping.It is known from the discussion of their parallel mediating effects on the relationship between mathematical anxiety and mathematical performance that the mediating effects of course competence self-efficacy and difficulty coping self-efficacy are significant and partial,while the mediating effect of goal confidence self-efficacy is not significant.Finally,this study puts forward some suggestions on how to reduce math anxiety and improve math self-efficacy of high school students.It aims to help teachers,parents and other educators to better improve and cultivate the math ability and academic level of high school students. |
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