From Classroom to Test Score: How Proactive Behaviors and Anxiety Shape the Effects of Cognitive Activation in Mathematics

Abstract

This study aims to examine the mediating role of proactive mathematics study behavior and mathematics anxiety in the relationship between cognitive activation in mathematics teaching and mathematics achievement. A quantitative research design was employed, and data analysis was conducted using Mplus 8.11. The representative sample for this study consists of a total of 6,027 students from Kosovo who participated in the PISA 2022 assessment. The dependent variable in this study is the mathematics score earned by Kosovar students in PISA 2022. The independent variable is cognitive activation in mathematics, while the mediators are proactive mathematics study behavior and mathematics anxiety. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships, and indirect effects were assessed using bootstrapping with 10,000 resamples. The results indicate that cognitive activation has both a direct positive impact on mathematics achievement and indirect effects by increasing proactive behaviors and decreasing anxiety. Furthermore, the relationship between cognitive activation and mathematics achievement is mediated by both proactive study behavior and mathematics anxiety, with a sequential mediation pathway involved.