Exploring Motivational Factors and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies as Predictors of Students’ Anxiety in Mathematics Learning

Abstract

Learning is a complex process that involves interaction of factors which are too numerous to count. The purpose of this study is to determine whether motivational factors and self-regulated learning strategies are significant predictors of students' mathematics anxiety in secondary schools in Malawi. The subscales for the motivation investigated in this study were intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, control of learning beliefs, self-efficacy for learning, and anxiety. While the subscales for the self-regulated learning strategies scale are rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, self-regulation, time and study environment management, effort regulation, peer-learning, and help-seeking. The study group was comprised of 184 secondary school students.It was found that students' motivational factors and self-regulated learning strategies were significant predictors of students' mathematics anxiety. The findings are useful to educators in the research areas of mathematics education.It is hopeful that the proposed model will become a useful reference for further investigations of factors influencing mathematics anxiety.Keywords: education, mathematics, students' motivational factors, learning strategies, math anxiety Introduction Research indicates that there are many factors influencing self-regulated learning strategies (Pintrich, 2004;Shores & Shannon, 2007;Garcia & Pintrich, 1996). A review of literature on mathematics self-concept, mathematics self-efficacy, beliefs toward mathematics and affective toward mathematics has shown that these variables are closely related to mathematics self-regulated learning strategies (Zimmerman, 2003;. However, the inter-relationships of these variables and their causal effects on each other are still unclear. Much recent research has focused on the various aspects of teaching and investigated how the motivational factors and self-regulated learning strategies influence students' achievement in mathematics (Wolters, 2003;Kurman, 2006). However, there are very few studies on students' predictors of learning behaviours, such as mathematics anxiety.Self-regulated learning strategies, motivational factors, and anxiety are all interrelated and are likely to affect academic self-regulated learning strategies (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). It is argued that these factors form a complex network that brings about changes in mathematics self-regulated learning strategies (Pintrich, 2004;Garcia & Pintrich, 1996). Therefore, the focus of this study is to clarify the directions and magnitude of the Elias Kaphesi, Dr, senior lecturer, Mathematics and Statistics Department, University of Malawi-The Polytechnic. relationships between these variables among students of secondary mathematics. In doing so, a path model is created to explain the relationships between motivational factors, self-regulated learning strategies, and mathematics anxiety.Motivational factors are more complex than the additive effects of student ability, perceived competence and se...