Examination of middle school students test anxiation, attitudes toward mathematics and self-efficiency beliefs

The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between middle school students' test anxiety and their attitudes towards mathematics lesson and their self-efficacy beliefs about mathematics and to examine these concepts in terms of gender and grade level variables. The population of the study was determined as 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in the secondary school level in Akyazı district of Sakarya province in the 2019-2020 academic year. The sample of the study, on the other hand, consists of a total of 360 students, 183 boys and 177 girls, studying in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades of secondary schools, selected from three schools using the simple random sampling method from the specified study population. In this study, Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Mathematics Attitude Scale (MBI) and Self-Efficacy Scale Against Mathematics (TCAS) were used to collect data. The data in the study were analyzed with the statistical package program used for social sciences. According to the results of the research, the arithmetic mean of the secondary school students' total score of "Test Anxiety" was calculated as 2.13, the arithmetic mean for the score of the "Worry"dimension was 2.04 and the arithmetic mean for the score of the "Emotionality"dimension was 2.19. When looking at the relationship between students' test anxiety and gender, no significant difference was found in the "Worry" dimension according to gender, while a significant result was found in favor of female students in the "Emotionality" dimension and "Test Anxiety". There are significant differences in the "Emotionality" dimension and "Test Anxiety" total score. The arithmetic mean for the total score of middle school students "Mathematics Attitude" is 3.59, the arithmetic mean for the "Care and Love" sub-dimension score is 3.66, the arithmetic mean for the "Fear and Trust" sub-dimension score is 3.48, the arithmetic mean for the "Profession and Significance" sub-dimension score. The arithmetic mean for the score of 3.82 and the "Pleasure" sub-dimension was calculated as 3.40. When the relationship between the students' attitudes towards mathematics and the gender variable was examined, there was no significant difference, but a significant difference was found in favor of the small classes when the relationship between the class level variable was examined. Arithmetic mean 3.40 for the total score of "Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding Mathematics", 3.68 for the score of the "Mathematical Self Perception" sub-dimension, 3.24 for the "Awareness of Mathematical Behaviors" sub-dimension, and 3.24 for "Converting Mathematics to Life Skills" sub-dimension. The arithmetic mean for the dimension score was calculated as 3.24. No significant difference was found between secondary school students' self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics and their gender, but a significant difference was found between these beliefs and grade levels in favor of small classes. When we look at the relationship between middle school students 'test anxiety, attitudes towards mathematics lesson and their self-efficacy beliefs about mathematics, it is seen that there is a negative, moderate and significant relationship between students' test anxiety total score and mathematics attitude total score, It was observed that there was an inverse, moderate and significant relationship between the total score of efficacy beliefs, and a positive and significant relationship between the total score of mathematics attitude and mathematics self-efficacy beliefs.