The mediating role of attitude toward math and math self-efficacy on the relationship between the teacher's perception of academic optimism with math achievement in Birjand high school students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of attitude toward math and math self-efficacy on the relationship between the teachers’ perception of academic optimism with math achievement. To do so, 315 high school students of Birjand (133 females and 182 males) were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling method. They completed attitudes toward math questionnaire (Aiken, 1978), the teachers’ perception of academic optimism questionnaire (woolfolk Hoy, Hoy & Kurz, 2008) and math self-efficacy scale (Liu, Koirala & May, 2009). Also, math achievement was assessed through math test grade of students at the end of the term. The data was analyzed using path analysis. The path analysis model showed a good fit to the data. The findings suggested that the direct effect of the teachers’ perception of academic optimism and attitudes toward math on math achievement is not significant, but the direct effect of the math self-efficacy on math achievement is significant. Findings also showed that the indirect effect of the teachers’ perception of academic optimism on math achievement through attitudes toward math and math self-efficacy is significant. In addition, the direct effect of the attitudes toward math on math self-efficacy is significant and the indirect effect of attitude toward math on math achievement through math self-efficacy is significant. It was concluded that the student's perceptions of teachers’ academic optimism through other mediated variables, i.e., the attitudes toward math and math self-efficacy in math achievement is effective.