Student Personal Beliefs & Behaviors – Scales and Sample Items

Ability
• Self-Efficacy
How certain are you that you can learn everything taught in math?

Value
• Interest
I enjoy the subject of math.
• Utility
Math will be useful for me later in life.
• Attainment
It is important to me to be a person who reasons mathematically.
• Cost
Success in math requires a big investment of my time.

Emotion and Affect
• Math Anxiety
Math tests scare me.
•Positive Affect
How often do you feel happy in your math class?

Achievement Goal Orientation
• Mastery Approach
Learning a lot of new things is what is important to me in math.
• Performance Approach
In math, doing better than other students is important to me.
• Performance Avoid
My goal is to keep others from thinking I’m not smart in math.

Self-Regulation
• Cognitive Strategy Use – rehearsal
When I study for math, I read my notes, my homework, and the textbook over and over.
• Cognitive Strategy Use – organization
I outline my notes from math class or the textbook chapter.
• Metacognitive Strategy Use – planning, monitoring, regulating
During math class I think about whether I understand what the teacher is trying to explain.
• Social/Contextual Strategy Use – help-seeking
If I didn’t understand my math homework I would ask someone in my class for help.
• Time Management
I spend my time memorizing key equations or facts when I study for math.