Psychological Determinants of Mathematical Performance in Palestinian Eighth-Graders: A Structural Equation Model

Objectives: This study investigates the combined influence of perceived self-efficacy, motivation, attitudes, anxiety, and enjoyment on mathematical performance using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Methods: A cross-sectional study of 439 eighth-grade students from Palestinian public schools was conducted using stratified random sampling. Results: The initial model displayed poor fit indices (χ² = 181.10, RMSEA = .16), prompting modifications. Adding a significant path from anxiety to enjoyment and removing an insignificant path from attitudes to enjoyment improved the model’s fit (χ² = 1.05, RMSEA = .01). The revised model showed intrinsic motivation positively impacted attitudes (β = .468, p < .001) and enjoyment (β = .116, p < .001) while reducing anxiety (β = −.304, p < .001). Self-efficacy positively influenced attitudes (β = .142, p = .003) and enjoyment (β = .268, p < .001) while lowering anxiety (β = −.367, p < .001). Anxiety negatively affected both enjoyment (β = −.557, p < .001) and performance (β = −.126, p = .004). Attitudes (β = .098, p = .002) and enjoyment (β = .121, p = .01) positively affected performance. Conclusions: Motivation and self-efficacy also had significant positive effects on performance.