Adaptation of the modified abbreviated math anxiety scale: its relationship with mathematics self-efficacy and academic buoyancy

Abstract

Mathematics anxiety (MA) is a widely recognized phenomenon that refers to the negative thoughts, fears, and stress experienced by individuals when working with numbers. It has a severe impact on individuals ranging from elementary school students to college students across various countries. Despite several instruments available for measuring MA, the majority of them are in English. At this time, we first adapted the Modified Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (m-AMAS) to the Turkish culture to be used with early adolescent students. The m-AMAS was administered to 224 students (mean age:13.35 years, SD = 0.49, 128 girls) and was found to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring MA. The study also explored the link between MA and math self-efficacy (MSE), academic buoyancy (AB). The findings support the validity of the 9-item, two-dimensional structure of the m-AMAS used in this research, as it was found to be comparable to the original scale tested on British students. Intriguingly, the results of the mediation analysis demonstrated that MA significantly predicted MSE, which in turn significantly predicted AB. Notably, the model unveiled a significant indirect effect between MA and AB, with a partial mediating effect of MSE. However, for a comprehensive understanding of this sequence, future research endeavours, encompassing longitudinal and experimental studies, are imperative.