The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between involving self-efficacy beliefs, self-concept and performance in mathematics amongst early elementary school students. The subjects comprised 122 third and fourth graders, both male and female, whose ages varied from eight to thirteen, attending a state public school in an inner city in the state of São Paulo. Data were collected using a mathematical self-efficacy questionnaire, a mathematical self-concept scale, and a mathematics test. To investigate correlations among variables, a Pearson correlation test was conducted. The results indicated that student performance was positively related to self-concept and mathematical self-efficacy. In addition, a significant, positive relationship could be seen between the beliefs of mathematical self-concept and mathematical self-efficacy. The results of the present study, in general terms, bear out other research data on the same theme, as well as theoretical assumptions from a socio-cognitive perspective.
Self-concept; Self-efficacy; Performance; Mathematics
