The Effect of Students’ Mathematics Self-efficacy on Mathematical Understanding Performance

Abstract

Numerous studies on students’ attitude toward mathematics have suggested that a positive attitude predicts academic achievement. However, little research has been conducted in specific areas of academic achievement, such as mathematical understanding. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between students’ mathematics self-efficacy (SMSE) and students’ mathematical understanding (SMU). The participants of this study were 4th-grade primary school students in Kuningan, Indonesia (N = 44). The data were collected through a questionnaire assessing students’ mathematics self-efficacy (QSMSE) and a test of students’ mathematical understanding (TSMU). First, the QSMSE was administered to the participants to measure SMSE. Then, the TSMU was applied to them to measure their SMU. The results indicate that SMSE is positively correlated with and has a significant effect on SMU. The results also reveal that students with a high level of SMSE perform better in their TSMU than students with medium and low SMSE. Furthermore, our findings indicate that SME could be the best predictor for student achievement, such as mathematical understanding.