The Relationship between Self-Efficacy, Math Anxiety, and Students’ Achievement in Senior High School Mathematics

Abstract

Mathematics achievement in senior high school is strongly influenced by students’ psychological readiness, particularly their levels of self-efficacy and math anxiety. Despite the importance of these constructs, many students continue to struggle with low confidence and heightened anxiety when engaging in mathematical tasks. This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, math anxiety, and students’ mathematics achievement in senior high school. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving the administration of self-efficacy and math anxiety questionnaires, along with the collection of students’ mathematics scores. Data were analyzed using SPSS through descriptive statistics, Pearson product–moment correlation, and multiple linear regression. The results indicate that self-efficacy has a positive and significant relationship with mathematics achievement, while math anxiety shows a negative and significant association. Regression findings further reveal that both predictors contribute meaningfully to explaining students’ performance, with self-efficacy serving as a positive predictor and math anxiety acting as a negative predictor. Additionally, a significant negative relationship was found between self-efficacy and math anxiety, suggesting that higher confidence reduces students’ anxiety levels. These findings align with existing literature, emphasizing that psychological factors shape cognitive engagement, motivation, and problem-solving behavior in mathematics. In conclusion, the study highlights the necessity of strengthening students’ self-efficacy while reducing math anxiety to improve mathematics achievement. Educational interventions that combine confidence-building strategies with anxiety-reduction approaches are recommended to support students’ success in senior high school mathematics.