Perceived Teacher Support Profiles and Students’ Mathematics Engagement, Anxiety and Attitude: A Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract

The importance of perceived teacher support in mathematics learning is well-documented, yet individual student differences have often been overlooked. This study examined Chinese high school students in a highly standardized educational system characterized by a uniform curriculum, competitive rankings, and high-stakes examinations. We adopted a person-centered approach and analyzed perceptions from a sample of 1314 students, identifying three profiles: low (5.78%), medium (44.29%), and high (49.93%) perceived levels of teacher support. Results showed that neither gender nor grade predicted profile membership; however, significant variations emerged in mathematics engagement, anxiety, and attitude. Further analysis revealed significant differences across these profiles in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement, as well as in classroom anxiety, learning motivation, and learning strategy. Mediation analysis demonstrated that mathematics attitude indirectly linked perceived teacher support to mathematics engagement, whereas anxiety did not mediate this relationship. These findings underscore how individual differences in perceived teacher support influence mathematics engagement, anxiety, and attitude. Stronger support fosters a more positive attitude and greater engagement, providing empirical support for differentiated instruction.