The Relationships Between Flow, Mathematics Self-Efficacy, and Mathematics Anxiety Among International Undergraduate Students in the United States
type: CreativeWork
description: Problem A worldwide problem, math anxiety is defined as an anxious state with an unpleasant feeling of tension characterized by fear of failing to achieve mathematics targets. Psychologically, math anxiety involves anxiety, tension, discomfort, nervousness, fear, shock, and insecurity. Math anxiety has been perceived as a key influencer of reduced math achievement, and avoidance of math-related careers. On the other hand, abilities, flow, interests, and psychological conditions contribute to student mathematics success. Belief in one's ability to perform a specific task boosts self-efficacy, which has been studied widely as a predictor of student academic performance. When students are interested in, concentrated on, and passionate about doing an activity, they are experiencing flow. How math anxiety is affected by both mathematics self-efficacy and flow experience has not been well researched, especially among international undergraduate students in the United States. Method To bridge this gap, this study investigated the influence of flow experience on math anxiety, the influence of mathematics self-efficacy on mathematics anxiety, and the influence of flow experience on mathematics anxiety through math self-efficacy as a mediator. To conduct this quantitative study, a questionnaire was designed to collect participant demographic data, and data about the research variables: (a) math anxiety, (b) math self-efficacy, and (c) flow experience. The Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ) developed by May (2009) was used to measure student mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics anxiety. The Core Flow Scale developed by Martin and Jackson (2008) measured student flow experience. Based on a convenience sampling method, 614 international undergraduate students were surveyed and 503 (136 males, 367 females) produced valid responses which were analyzed statistically using SPSS and AMOS. Descriptive statistics were computed to understand the data distri…
abstract: Problem A worldwide problem, math anxiety is defined as an anxious state with an unpleasant feeling of tension characterized by fear of failing to achieve mathematics targets. Psychologically, math anxiety involves anxiety, tension, discomfort, nervousness, fear, shock, and insecurity. Math anxiety has been perceived as a key influencer of reduced math achievement, and avoidance of math-related careers. On the other hand, abilities, flow, interests, and psychological conditions contribute to student mathematics success. Belief in one's ability to perform a specific task boosts self-efficacy, which has been studied widely as a predictor of student academic performance. When students are interested in, concentrated on, and passionate about doing an activity, they are experiencing flow. How math anxiety is affected by both mathematics self-efficacy and flow experience has not been well researched, especially among international undergraduate students in the United States. Method To bridge this gap, this study investigated the influence of flow experience on math anxiety, the influence of mathematics self-efficacy on mathematics anxiety, and the influence of flow experience on mathematics anxiety through math self-efficacy as a mediator. To conduct this quantitative study, a questionnaire was designed to collect participant demographic data, and data about the research variables: (a) math anxiety, (b) math self-efficacy, and (c) flow experience. The Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ) developed by May (2009) was used to measure student mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics anxiety. The Core Flow Scale developed by Martin and Jackson (2008) measured student flow experience. Based on a convenience sampling method, 614 international undergraduate students were surveyed and 503 (136 males, 367 females) produced valid responses which were analyzed statistically using SPSS and AMOS. Descriptive statistics were computed to understand the data distri…
author: Abduljabbar, Samah
keywords: Mathematics, Anxiety, Undergraduate Students, Flow, Self-Efficacy, International
date published: 2023-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:54:11Z
provider: Andrews University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Andrews University