Mathematics teaching outcome expectancy, self-handicapping, and mathematics teaching anxiety: a two-wave mediation study.

BACKGROUND: Beliefs about the instructional impact of teaching may shape how preservice classroom teachers respond to demanding mathematics teaching. Mathematics teaching anxiety and self-handicapping also play an important role. The present study tested a two-wave mediation model examining the mediating roles of anxiety related to teaching and anxiety related to subject knowledge in the relationship between mathematics teaching outcome expectancy and self-handicapping. METHODS: A total of 180 Turkish preservice classroom teachers (130 female), aged 18-27 (M age = 21.78, SD = 1.96), participated in this study. Participants completed an online survey including the Teaching Mathematics Efficacy Belief Instrument, Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale, and Self-Handicapping Scale. RESULTS: The findings showed that mathematics teaching outcome expectancy was negatively associated with self-handicapping, anxiety related to teaching, and anxiety related to subject knowledge. The results also revealed that anxiety related to teaching and anxiety related to subject knowledge had parallel mediating effects in the relationship between mathematics teaching outcome expectancy and self-handicapping. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that stronger beliefs about the effects of teaching may reduce self-protective coping among preservice classroom teachers, partly by lowering mathematics teaching anxiety. These results are important because they indicate that strengthening mathematics teaching outcome expectancy and addressing different dimensions of mathematics teaching anxiety may help reduce self-handicapping during teacher training.