Bridging Motivation and Mastery: The Role of Self-Efficacy in Math Education

- The main objective of this study was to examine new ways of assessing self-efficacy in learning mathematics that affect students' educational performance through perceived utility and intrinsic motivation. The study's research design was crosssectional in nature, consisting of 1232 elementary-level students. Data were collected using the Mathematics Motivation Scale (MMS), which was later analyzed using SmartPLS4 and SPSS software. After analysis, the authors concluded that SELPM (Self-Efficacy to Learn and Perform in Mathematics) partially mediates the relationship between the IMLM (Intrinsic Motivation to Learn Mathematics) of the students and their PUM. The researchers suggested that teachers should design effective teaching methodologies that significantly contribute to their (self-efficacy to learn and perform in mathematics) SELPM, (intrinsic motivation to learn mathematics) IMLM, and PUM (Perceived Utility of Mathematics). Future studies might be conducted to replicate the study's result and to explore the causes of the partially mediated effect of students' SEPM between their IMLM and PUM.