Math Interest on Primary School Students’ Mathematics Achievement: Self-Control/Resilience Chain Mediation

Abstract

Studies have explored the correlation between students’ math interest and their academic performance in grades 4 to 6, emphasizing the role of self-control and resilience as mediators in this relationship. Drawing on interest development and self-regulation theories, we hypothesized that interest directly predicts achievement and indirectly through self-control, resilience, and their chain effect. Using a cross-sectional design, 544 primary school students in grades 4–6 were surveyed using the Mathematics Learning Interest Questionnaire, the Self-Control Scale, and the Resilience Scale, and bivariate correlation analyses, chain mediation effect tests by Process Model 6, and effect analyses by Bootstrap sampling method were applied. There is a significant positive correlation between two and two of the primary school students' math interest, self-control, resilience, and mathematics achievement. The pathways identified were: self-control alone, psychological flexibility alone, and a chain mediation effect of self-control on psychological flexibility. Cultivating primary school students’ interest in learning mathematics is conducive to improving primary school students' mathematics achievement, which can directly affect the mathematics achievement of students in grades 4 to 6, and can also be mediated by self-control and resilience.

Keywords

academic achievement self-regulation psychological resilience elementary mathematics serial mediation model

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Artuch-Garde

González-Torres

M. D. C.

de la Fuente

Vera

M. M.

Fernández-Cabezas

López-García

(2017). Relationship between resilience and self-regulation: A study of Spanish youth at risk of social exclusion. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(1), 612. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00612

Ayyash-Abdo

Sanchez-Ruiz

Barbari

M. L.

(2016). Resiliency predicts academic performance of Lebanese adolescents over demographic variables and hope. Learning and Individual Differences, 48(48), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.04.005

de la Fuente

(2021). A path analysis model of protection and risk factors for university academic stress: Analysis and psychoeducational implications for the COVID-19 emergency. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1), 562372. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.562372

de la Fuente

González-Torres

M. C.

Artuch-Garde

Vera-Martínez

M. M.

Martínez-Vicente

J. M.

Peralta-S'Anchez

F. J.

(2021). Resilience as a buffering variable between the big five components and factors and symptoms of academic stress at university. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(1), 600240. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.600240

de la Fuente

Malpica-Chavarria

E. A.

Garzón-Umerenkova

Pachón-Basallo

(2021). Effect of personal and contextual factors of regulation on academic achievement during adolescence: The role of gender and age. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 8944. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18178944

de la Fuente

Martínez-Vicente

J. M.

(2024). Conceptual utility model for the management of stress and psychological Wellbeing, CMMSPW™ in a university environment: Theoretical basis, structure and functionality. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(1), 1299224. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1299224

de la Fuente

J. D. L.

Sander

Garzón Umerenkova

Urien

Pachón-Basallo

O Luis

(2024). The big five factors as differential predictors of self-regulation, achievement emotions, coping and health behavior in undergraduate students. Bmc Psychology, 12(1), 267. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01768-9

de la Fuente

Urien

Luis

E. O.

González-Torres

M. C.

Artuch-Garde

Balaguer

(2022). The proactive-reactive resilience as a mediational variable between the character Strength and the flourishing in undergraduate students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1), 856558. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856558

X. F.

Liu

(2017). Study of the relationships among mathematics Interest,Mathematics self-Efficacy,Learning Persistence,and mathematics achievement on grade eight. Journal of Mathematics Education, 26(2), 29–34. https://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-SXYB201702006.htm.

10.

Duckworth

A. L.

Carlson

S. M.

(2013). Self-regulation and school success. In self-regulation and autonomy: Social and developmental dimensions of human conduct (40, pp. 208–230). Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139152198.015

11.

Duckworth

A. L.

Taxer

J. L.

Eskreis-Winkler

Galla

B. M.

Gross

J. J.

(2019). Self-control and academic achievement. Annual Review of Psychology, 70(1), 373–399. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103230

12.

Friederike

Andrea

Judith

Florian

(2022). Day-to-day variation in students’ academic success: The role of self-regulation, working memory, and achievement goals. Developmental Science, 25(6), e13301–e13477. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13301

13.

Geng

J. Y.

Hou

Yang

H. Y.

Han

P. G.

Gao

F. Q.

Han

(2019). The relationship between trait anxiety and procrastination of college students: A moderated mediating effect. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 17(3), 402–407. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1672-0628.2019.03.016

14.

S. Q.

C. X.

(2018). Effect of teacher-student relationship and mathematics learning interest on mathematical academic performance. Educational Science Research, 1(12), 47–54.

15.

Y. Q.

Gan

Y. Q.

(2008). Development and psychometric validity of the resilience scale for Chinese adolescents. Acta Psychology Sinica, 40(8), 902–912. https://doi.org/10.3724/sp.j.1041.2008.00902

16.

Huang

(2012). The research of the relationship among interest in mathematics learning,self-efficiency and academic emotion of iunior middle school students. Sichuan Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10636-1012502886.htm

17.

Huang

C. Y.

M. X.

Zhang

Xiao

Zhang

(2016). Discussion on the stimulation and cultivation of students’ interest in learning in classroom teaching. Research Achievements of Classroom Teaching Methods and Means Effectiveness under the New Curriculum Reform, I(1), 932–944. https://cpfd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CPFDTOTAL-ZJCX201610001099.htm.

18.

Hyunjoo

Eunjoo

(2022). The effects of teachers’ instructional styles on students’ interest in learning school subjects and academic achievement: Differences according to students’ gender and prior interest. Learning and Individual Differences, 1(99), 102–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102200

19.

Kan

Y. Y.

(2020). Research on strategies to enhance students’ psychological resilience in elementary science teaching. Education & Equipment Research, 36(11), 49–53. https://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTOTAL-JXYQ202011014.htm.

20.

Kotzé

Kleynhans

(2013). Psychological well-being and resilience as predictors of first-year students' academic performance. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 23(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2013.10820593

21.

Leonie

Elisabeth

R. S.

(2023). The relationship between accuracy in numerosity estimation, math achievement, and math interest in primary school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1146458

22.

Yin

S. S.

Chen

A. G.

Zhu

F. S.

(2024). Relationship between physical exercise and aggressive behavior in lower-grade college students:A chain intermediary function of self-control and mental resilience. China Journal of Health Psychology, 32(01), 86–92. https://doi.org/10.13342/j.cnki.cjhp.2024.01.016

23.

Moenikia

Zahed-Babelan

(2010). A study of simple and multiple relations between mathematics attitude, academic motivation and intelligence quotient with mathematics achievement. Procedia, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 1537–1542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.231

24.

Nurhayani

Rosnawati

Amimah

(2020). Optimization of guided discovery learning models to increase students' interest in mathematics. Infinity Journal, 9(1), 69–80. https://doi.org/10.22460/infinity.v9i1.p69-80

25.

Olusola

Taofeek

Olumide

(2015). Parents and students’ interest as determinants of students’ academic performance in agricultural science in selected secondary schools in Oyo state, Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 4(4), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/V4-I4/1864

26.

Pei

C. G.

Song

N. Q.

Liu

Q. H.

Mou

S. X.

(2018). Constructing and verifying an evaluation index system of mathematics learning interest. Journal of Mathematics Education, 27(02), 70–73. https://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTOTAL-SXYB201802015.htm.

27.

Taj

Hussain

Afzal

(2019). The relationship between academic success and emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being in nursing students. Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing, 62(0), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.7176/JHMN

28.

Tang

(2012). A study on the relationship between emotional intelligence, learning self-control, and academic performance in upper elementary school students. Guangzhou University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-11078-1012519234.htm

29.

Tangney

J. P.

Baumeister

R. F.

Boone

A. L.

(2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72(2), 271–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x

30.

Taylor

P. S.

Chin

T. C.

Brodrick

D. A. V.

(2021). Do subjective and objective resilience measures assess unique aspects and what is their relationship to adolescent well‐being? Psychology in the Schools, 58(7), 1320–1344. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22517

31.

Thomas

Veronika

(2023). The Willpower Paradox: Possible and impossible conceptions of self-control. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 18(6), 1339–1367. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221146158

32.

Wang

H. J.

(2003). A study on the correlation between self-control ability and academic performance in middle school students. Shanghai Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10270-2003098951.htm

33.

Wang

Y. N.

(2017). Research on self-control in elementary school students and its relationship with academic performance. Liaoning Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10165-1017089980.htm

34.

Wang

Zhou

X. H.

(2017). Relationship between study interest and self-control ability among university students. China Journal of Health Psychology, 25(09), 1408–1411. https://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTOTAL-JKXL201709034.htm.

35.

Xiao

(2021). A study on the relationship between psychological problems, resilience, and academic performance in high school students. Xinjiang Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10762-1022432056.htm

36.

Xie

(2006). Research on the influencing factors of learning self-control in junior high school students. Fujian Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10394-2006179131.htm

37.

Yang

L. Z.

W. J.

(2001). Children’s social development and education (pp. 310–311). Liaoning Normal University Press.

38.

Yang

M. F.

W. D.

P. X.

(2019). Study on correlation between nursing resilience and self-control of nursing students. Chinese Journal of School Doctor, 33(03), 188–190. https://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTOTAL-XIYI201903011.htm.

39.

J. M.

(2013). A survey of the current situation of self-control in college students and its relationship with healthy lifestyles and emotions. Hunan Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10542-1014150069.htm

40.

Zhang

C. Y.

(2022). A study on the relationship between interest in mathematics learning, mathematics learning engagement, and academic performance in high school students. Central China Normal University. Available at:https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10511-1022090262.htm(Preparing your manuscript)

41.

Zhao

R. F.

(2019). A study on the relationship and intervention of psychological resilience and learning burnout in upper elementary school students. Hebei Normal University. Available at: https://cdmd.cnki.com.cn/Article/CDMD-10094-1019161596.htm