Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Education Evaluation and Research

First Advisor

Dr.Do-Hong K. Kim

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, mathematics is an essential subject for all freshmen except students majoring in medical sciences. The struggle of students in mathematics is one of the most common issues in the last ten years (Khoshaim, 2015). According to Higbee and Thomas (1999), mathematics self-efficacy, along with other effective characteristics such as test anxiety and perceived usefulness of mathematics, influenced students' mathematical achievements. Mathematics self-efficacy refers to individuals’ confidence or perceptions regarding their mathematics ability. Given the possible predictive power of Mathematics self-efficacy on students' mathematic performance, a reliable and valid mathematic self-efficacy measure appropriate for Arabic-speaking Saudi students is required. The purpose of this study is to validate an Arabic version of the Mathematic Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ; Al Mlhem, 2018) and examine its psychometric characteristics with a student sample at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia.The measured Cronbach's coefficients and coefficient alphas were considered exceptionally good for the entire Arabic version of MSEAQ. Also, the CFA was run to measure the validity; although the Chi-square fit value was statistically significant, but the 89 other fit indices indicated strong model fit (CFI=0.933, RMSEA=0.079, and SRMR=0.054). Moreover, for questions four and five, Evidence suggests a measurement invariance among Arabic and English speakers and between male and female Saudi university students. Lastly, the results of the investigation indicate that male students demonstrated higher mathematical self- efficacy and lower anxiety than female students. This result is aligned with the findings of Arens et al. (2020), Pajares & Miller (1994), and Rozgonjuk et al., (2020). As a result, the researchers should focus on the challenges Saudi students face to perform well and stay in school. Future research is recommended to examine the reliability and validity of MSEAQ among different student populations in Saudi Arabia and other Arabic countries.

Download

Share

COinS