Relation Between Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Mathematics Anxiety, Behavioural Engagement, and Mathematics Achievement in Japan

Enhancing mathematical achievement has been identified as a pivotal issue in school education, extending beyond mathematics education alone. However, research comprehensively examining the relationship between multiple affective variables and learning and mathematics achievement is limited. The present study examines the relationship between self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, behavioural engagement, and mathematics achievement among students in Japan. Moreover, this study examines whether there are any differences in this relationship according to gender and socio-economic status (SES). A path analysis using the data from students in Japan (n = 5760) in the PISA 2022 dataset revealed that (1) self-efficacy for formal and applied mathematics was significantly negatively related to mathematics anxiety and significantly positively related to behavioural engagement and mathematics achievement, (2) self-efficacy for mathematical reasoning and 21st-century mathematics was found to be significantly negatively associated with mathematics anxiety and positively associated with behavioural engagement, and (3) while a negative correlation was observed between mathematics anxiety and behavioural engagement, a significant relationship was not identified between the two and mathematics achievement. Furthermore, the multiple-group structural equation modelling, with gender and SES as the grouping variable, demonstrated no differences in gender and SES in the relationship between self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, behavioural engagement, and math achievement.