The status of secondary school students' having affective goals of mathematics teaching

The primary aim of this study is to determine the status of secondary school students' having affective goals of mathematics teaching. To achieve this aim, an explanatory mixed-method design, which combines both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, was employed. In the quantitative dimension of the research, the descriptive survey model and causal-comparative method, while the qualitative dimension was conducted through a case study design. The population of the quantitative aspect of the study consisted of secondary schools located in the central districts of Onikişubat and Dulkadiroğlu in Kahramanmaraş province. The sample was composed of 1,016 secondary school students in 5th and 8th grades selected from this population through stratified sampling. For the qualitative dimension, a purposive sampling method, specifically the typical case sampling technique, was used to include 33 students and 12 teachers as participants. The research data were obtained using both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools/methods. Quantitative data were gathered using instruments such as the "Attitude Towards Mathematics Scale", the "Mathematics Anxiety Scale", the "Mathematics Self-Efficacy Beliefs Scale" and the "Motivation Towards Mathematics Scale." For the qualitative data, semi-structured interview forms were prepared for students and teachers. To analyze the quantitative data, the assumption of normality was tested. Parametric statistical methods were applied for data conforming to a normal distribution, while non-parametric statistical methods were employed for non-normally distributed data. Qualitative data were analyzed using a descriptive analysis approach. The quantitative findings revealed that secondary school students demonstrated high levels of positive attitudes towards mathematics, strong self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics, and high motivation for mathematics lessons, while their levels of mathematics anxiety were found to be low. Furthermore, significant differences were observed in students' attitudes towards mathematics, mathematics anxiety, self-efficacy beliefs, and motivation levels according to variables such as gender, grade level, parents' educational background, external support for mathematics, and mathematics grades. Qualitative findings indicated that factors such as family, environment, and teachers had a greater influence on students' attitudes, anxiety, self efficacy beliefs, and motivation towards mathematics compared to other factors.