Examining the mediating role of communication skills in the relationship between classroom teachers' perceptions of competence and mathematics teaching anxiety

Mathematics holds significant importance in terms of student success, and the anxiety that teachers experience in this area can negatively impact both the quality of education and students' learning processes. Additionally, teachers' perceptions of their professional competence are critical for the success of educational processes and for establishing effective communication with students. In this context, it is important to understand how teachers' communication skills affect their anxiety and how they are related to their perceptions of competence. This study aims to examine the mediating role of communication skills in the relationship between primary school teachers' perceptions of professional competence and mathematics teaching anxiety. The study group consists of 523 primary school teachers working in state primary schools in the Diyarbakır province of Turkey. The data collection tools used in the research include the Communication Skills Assessment Scale, the Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale, and the Ohio Teacher Competence Scale. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage) were used to reveal the teachers' demographic variables, along with Independent Samples t-Test, One-Way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation Analysis, and mediation analysis using Model 4 of Hayes' SPSS Process Macro plugin. The findings of the study reveal a negative relationship between teachers' communication skills and mathematics teaching anxiety. It was observed that when teachers had stronger communication skills, their anxiety about teaching mathematics decreased. Additionally, a positive relationship was found between teachers' communication skills and their perceptions of competence. This indicates that teachers who are more effective in communication tend to feel more competent in their profession. Another finding was the strong negative relationship between mathematics teaching anxiety and perceptions of competence. Teachers with high levels of mathematics teaching anxiety were found to feel less competent in their professional roles. The study showed that communication skills play a mediating role in the relationship between competence perceptions and mathematics teaching anxiety. Teachers with higher perceptions of competence demonstrated more effective communication skills, which in turn contributed to a reduction in mathematics teaching anxiety. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving teachers' professional competence, as well as programs focused on enhancing communication skills, could be effective in reducing mathematics teaching anxiety. The results of the study highlight a strong relationship between teachers' mathematics teaching anxiety and their perceptions of competence. Communication skills positively influenced this relationship, playing a key mediating role in reducing anxiety and increasing perceptions of competence. Based on these results, it can be concluded that training programs aimed at improving teachers' communication skills should be enhanced, and these skills should be more emphasized in professional development programs. Such initiatives will contribute to reducing teachers' anxiety and help them feel more competent in their roles.