PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Individual student characteristics like self-beliefs, motivational and emotional orientations are major factors in school performance and influence the latter based on a complex network of direct and indirect effects. This study explores the relations between these individual characteristics as well as their effects on students' mathematics achievement using a linear structural equation model. As a theoretical framework, the expectancy-value theory of Eccles as well as the control-value theory of Pekrun are utilised. The empirical analyses are based on a data set from the 2012 PISA study comprising 4168 15-year-old students, who predominantly attended the ninth grade. The results show that self-beliefs (i.e. self-concept and self-efficacy) in conjunction with instrumental motivational orientation account very well for differences in emotional orientations (i.e. enjoyment and interest as well as anxiety) in mathematics. Moreover, self-concept plays a central role in explaining the other personality traits, while self-efficacy has the strongest positive effect on mathematics achievement.