Math self-efficacy trajectories differ in initial math skills and rate of math skill development¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 The High Stable SE and Decreasing SE trajectories had higher initial math skills than the Low Stable and Increasing trajectories (ES .56–.80), and High Stable children developed math skills faster than Decreasing (d = 0.47) and Low Stable (d = 0.66) children. → Peura 2026

Evidence¶

Peura 2026¶

Peura, P., Koponen, T., Aro, T., Viholainen, H., & Aro, M. (2026). Dynamics of change in math self-efficacy, sources of self-efficacy, and math skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 118(2), 209-223. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0001006

q3 · i2 · associational · r2

Latent growth models of arithmetic fluency and basic arithmetic skills were linked to the four self-efficacy trajectories via BCH; the trajectories differed in level and rate of change in math skills (LR test < .01), with pairwise effect sizes ranging from .56 to .80 for initial skills.

"Children in the High Stable SE trajectory developed their math skills faster than children in the Decreasing SE (d = 0.47) and Low Stable SE (d = 0.66) trajectories."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Primary school children follow four distinct trajectories of change in math self-efficacy over a school year: high stable, low stable, increasing, and decreasing — a broader claim this one bears on
• Girls are overrepresented in the low-and-stable math self-efficacy trajectory — related
• Declining math self-efficacy is characterized by decreasing mastery experiences and increasing negative emotional and physiological arousal — related
• Increasing math self-efficacy co-occurs with increasing verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, and mastery experiences and decreasing negative arousal — related
• Students with low initial reading and math proficiency grew faster over two school years than students with higher initial proficiency, with the inverse relation stronger in math than reading — related
• Psychological variables show a wide range of effects on academic achievement, with self-efficacy showing a huge positive effect (ES = 1.173) and negative low-arousal emotions showing a medium negative effect (ES = -.799) — related