Relations between secondary school 8th grade students' beliefs, thoughts, fear of mathematics and academic achievements about mathematics

Mathematical belief significantly influences an individual's participation in mathematical processes, persistence in problem-solving, and emotional responses to learning. Positive mathematical beliefs are associated with openness to learning and success, while negative beliefs are linked to anxiety, low motivation, and poor performance. Therefore, mathematics education should aim not only to develop cognitive skills but also to foster individual belief structures. Math anxiety, on the other hand, can negatively affect students' motivation and performance in the subject. As a result, the attitudes students develop toward mathematics are considered a critical factor in determining their level of success. Reducing this anxiety and helping students develop a positive perspective toward mathematics requires teachers to provide a supportive learning environment. In this study, a correlational research model was used to identify the relationships between 8thgrade middle school students' beliefs, thoughts, math anxiety, and academic achievement, and to describe the relationship between two or more variables and determine the degree of this relationship. The research data were collected from 493 8th-grade students attending a public school in a city in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey. It was found that students viewed mathematics as a useful and effortrequiring subject, and they felt the restrictive aspects of mathematics at a low level. Students' thoughts about mathematics were generally at a moderate level, with both positive and high levels of negative thoughts present. The level of fear toward the mathematics lesson was generally moderate. Significant negative relationships were found between students' math achievements and math anxiety, while positive relationships were identified between their mathematical beliefs and thoughts. The study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of students' affective characteristics related to mathematics on their academic achievements. KEYWORDS: Mathematics, Mathematical Belief, Mathematics Anxiety, Achievement