WHAT MATTERS MOST IN MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT? MOTIVATION, METACOGNITION, AND ANXIETY AMONG MALDIVIAN SECONDARY STUDENTS

Abstract

Mathematics achievement is influenced by a combination of cognitive, motivational, and emotional factors. This study examined the relationships among motivation, metacognition, mathematics anxiety, and mathematics performance among secondary school students in Addu City, Maldives, with particular emphasis on the potential mediating role of mathematics anxiety. Guided by self-regulated learning theory, the study adopted a quantitative survey design involving 251 Grade 9 and Grade 10 students. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The structural model showed that motivation was the strongest positive predictor of mathematics performance, while metacognition also had a significant, although smaller, positive effect. Metacognition was significantly associated with mathematics anxiety, whereas motivation was not significantly related to anxiety. Contrary to much of the existing literature, mathematics anxiety did not significantly predict mathematics performance and did not mediate the effects of either motivation or metacognition on performance. These findings suggest that, within the Maldivian secondary-school context, students’ motivational and self-regulatory resources may have a more direct relationship with mathematics achievement than mathematics anxiety. The study extends the application of self-regulated learning theory to a Small Island Developing State and highlights the importance of strengthening students’ motivation and metacognitive regulation as part of mathematics education.