Assessing students’ maths self-efficacy and achievement

We describe new PAT: Mathematics assessment items that focus on students’ maths self-efficacy (students’ belief in their ability to correctly solve particular maths problems). In 2017, schools using PAT: Mathematics online will be able to give their students an opportunity to respond to these items to help build a picture of New Zealand students’ maths self-efficacy and achievement.
Relationships between students’ maths self-efficacy and maths achievement have been well-researched overseas. Much less is known about how the relationship plays out over time for different groups of students in Aotearoa New Zealand. We explain why it is important to learn more about this, and introduce a new research project that is doing just that. We also present a collection of practical pedagogical strategies teachers can use to strengthen students’ maths self-efficacy.