Examination of the relationship between attitude towards mathematics and self-efficiency of classroom teacher candidates

The aim of this study is to examine pre-service primary school teachers' beliefs about mathematics self-efficacy and their attitudes towards mathematics lessons through various variables such as gender, grade level, and the field they chose while in high school. The study group consisted of 300 students studying at Fırat University and Mustafa Kemal University Classroom Teaching Department in the 2021-2022 academic year. To reach the aim of the research, three scales were used, namely the "Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale", "Math Attitude Scale" and "Personal Information Form". "Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale" consisted of three factors and these were named OYF1 (Mathematics Self-Perception), OYF2 (Differentials in Behaviors in Mathematics Subjects), and OYF3 (Transforming Mathematics into Life Skills). Analysis of the findings obtained from the study was made using the SPSS 22.0 package program. In the analysis of the data obtained, "arithmetic mean", "percentage", "frequency" were used. Independent Groups T-Test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Multiple Regression Analysis were used in the analysis of the opinions of the students continuing their education in the Department of Primary Education according to demographic data. As a result of the findings, there was no significant difference between the students' mathematics self-efficacy beliefs according to the grade level variable. It was concluded that there was a significant difference according to variables of gender and the field they chose in high school. In addition, there is no significant difference according to the variable of the field chosen by the students in high school; It was concluded that there was a significant difference in terms of gender and grade level variables. In addition to these results, a significant difference was found between prospective classroom teachers' mathematics self-efficacy beliefs and their attitudes towards mathematics. In addition, the findings obtained from the multiple regression analysis concluded that mathematics self-efficacy belief explained 58% of mathematics attitudes.