Abstract:
Studies have shown that parents’ and teachers’ behaviors shape young people’s self-beliefs and
achievement in mathematics. Little research has documented the ways in which perceived social
support (PSS) promotes students’ self-beliefs (self-confidence and self-concept) towards
mathematics in Ghana. Given the important role that students’ PSS (from parents and teachers)
plays in fostering children's academic interest, this paper aims to identify the empirical link
between PSS and students’ mathematics self-beliefs. The sample consisted of 2034 12th grade
(average age = 18.49, girls = 58.20%) high-school students. The possible mediating role of
students’ self-confidence on the relationship between students’ PSS and self-concept was
examined using latent variable structural equation modeling. The results indicated that PSS
statistically significantly predicts students’ mathematics self-belief. Moreover, students’
mathematics self-confidence was found to play a mediating role between PSS and mathematics
self-concept. The proportion of the effects mediated, however, varied across the two support
sources from 12% to 34%. The findings lend support to the theoretical assumptions in the
literature that supportive social relationships influence students’ self-beliefs.
