Relations among math self efficacy, interest, intentions, and achievement: A social cognitive perspective

Drawing on social cognitive perspectives, the present study examined an integrative model of the interplay among math self-efficacy, interests, aspirations, and achievement among early and middle adolescents. Based on short-term longitudinal data from approximately 400 students, analyses using fully latent structural equation analyses, establishing requisite levels of longitudinal invariance, revealed that (a) math self-efficacy positively predicted math achievement using both class grades and standardized test score operationalizations; (b) prior math achievement positively predicted basal levels of math self-efficacy but not changes in self-efficacy; (c) math interest and intentions were reciprocally linked over time; and (d) prior math interest positively predicted subsequent math self-efficacy whereas the opposite was not true. Notably, all effects were observed while accounting for prior variance in outcomes as well as the effects of known covariates. The current findings contribute to understandings of the motivational processes involved in math achievement and choosing educational pathways, and suggest that multidimensional interventions may be most profitable if both achievement and selection outcomes are at stake.