Impact of teaching style on perceived mathematics achievement of elementary education preservice teachers: the mediating roles of attitude and math self-concept

Abstract Teaching style has long been recognized as a factor influencing students’ achievement, particularly in subjects like mathematics. However, its impact on aspiring elementary mathematics teachers, often considered generalists, remains relatively underexplored. Based on the theoretical underpinning of self-determination theory, the paper examines how teaching style (autonomy support and structured), attitude towards mathematics, and math self-concept form part of the overall variations of perceived mathematics achievement of 444 preservice elementary teachers in the central Philippines. In this paper, autonomy support and structure form a second-order construct of teaching style, while attitude and math self-concept serve as mediating variables toward perceived mathematics achievement. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling demonstrated the statistical significance of all five hypothesized paths and identified two partial mediation effects within the examined relationships. This study sheds light on the importance of teaching style in promoting positive attitudes, math self-concepts, and perceived mathematics achievement among preservice elementary teachers, which has implications for the quality of mathematics education in elementary schools. Implications for teacher training programs for elementary education are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.