Do Geometry Self-Efficacy and Spatial Anxiety Predict the Attitudes Towards Geometry?

Abstract

Self-efficacy and spatial anxiety towards geometry are stated to be effective to improve teachers' attitudes towards geometry. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the effect of geometry self-efficacy and spatial anxiety on attitude towards geometry. This determines the extent to which the pre-service primary school teachers’ geometry self-efficacy and spatial anxiety predict their attitudes towards geometry. The study used the cross-sectional survey model and the sample was determined with the convenience sampling method. The sample consists of 165 pre-service primary school teachers attending a state university. To collect the data, the geometry self-efficacy scale, the spatial anxiety scale, and the geometry attitude scale were used. Multiple regression analysis was conducted in the data analysis to explain the predictors of the attitude towards geometry. It was found that the pre-service teachers’ geometry self-efficacy beliefs and spatial anxiety were high while their geometry attitude was medium. Their geometry self-efficacy positively and significantly correlated with the attitude towards geometry and negatively and significantly correlated with spatial anxiety. While the sub-dimensions of geometry self-efficacy; positive self-efficacy beliefs, use of geometry knowledge, and negative self-efficacy beliefs had positive effects on the attitude towards geometry, spatial anxiety had a negative effect on the attitude towards geometry.