5th and 8th grade pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions of the relationships between teaching methods, classroom ethos, and positive affective attitudes towards learning mathematics in Japan

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deterioration of performance is perceived as low self-efficacy (Pajares, et al., 1994), not
anxiety itself (also see Pintrich, et al., 1990; Siegel et al, 1985).

Liebert et al. (1967) found a cognitive (worry) component and a motivational-arousal
(emotional) component in anxiety. They found that worrying about test performance was
negatively related to test performance, while emotionality was not related to this.
Similarly, Harter et al. (1986, cited in Harter et al. 1992) argued that children’s perception
of their competence as low was found to relate to their worry about performance directly
related to task engagement, but not to their emotional reactions. Kowalski (1984, cited in
Harter, 1992) found that children who had high perception of their competence reported
emotion such as pride at success or shame at failure. Students who reported self-affect
on both success and failure had internalised motivation and cultivated intrinsic
motivation, and in turn, their performance was enhanced. In contrast, children who
perceived their competence as low reported emotion directly related to either outcomes
or attributions for success and failure. These students depended much more on extrinsic
motivation, particularly the avoidance of disapproval and sanctions. Their performance
deteriorated.

Wigfield et al. (1988) found that pupils’ anxiety was more than a lack of confidence in
mathematics, rather it arose from negative affective reactions. Ho et al. (2000) found that
affective factors measured by the Mathematics Anxiety Questionnaire (Wigfield et al.,
1988) had a strong negative impact on mathematics achievement. Wigfield et al. (1988)
found that the pupils who perceived their competence as low and were concerned about
the possible consequences of failure had low performance, while pupils who had high
expectations for success valued mathematics learning and put effort into it. Thus,
Wigfield et al. (1988) also support the negative relationships between individuals’
perception of their competence and anxiety. Taken together this research suggests that
pupils’ perceived competence, intrinsic motivation and sense of security are related.
Pupils are assumed to show high performance when these aspects are high, while
pupils are likely to show lower performance when these aspects are low.

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