Examining Students' Mathematics Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of Students' Motivational Beliefs and School Mathematics Instructional Quality

Abstract

This study examined the effects of students' motivational beliefs and school mathematics instructional quality on students' mathematics achievement based on the Opportunity Propensity Framework. We selected 8854 15-year-old students from 683 schools across 5 countries/economies (Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai-China, Singapore, Chinese Taipei) in PISA 2012. Multilevel analysis revealed that the student-level economic, social and cultural status (ESCS), mathematics interest, and mathematics self-efficacy positively predicted achievement. Conversely, instrumental motivation for mathematics exhibited a negative direct effect in Hong Kong, Shanghai-China, and Singapore, explained by a suppression effect where its indirect benefits through interest and self-efficacy were counteracted by extrinsic pressure. At the school-level, ESCS, cognitive activation, and classroom management positively predicted achievement, while mathematics teacher support in Shanghai-China demonstrated a suppression effect, with positive indirect effects via classroom management offset by a negative direct effect. The implications of the results and suggestions for future study are discussed.