Exploring the Relationship between Students' Attitudes toward Mathematics and Mathematics Achievement in the UAE

This study presents the relationship between students' attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics achievement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 data. The target population is grade 8 UAE students, and the sample consisted of 22,334 eighth-grade students. The researcher used the variables "like learning mathematics," "confident in mathematics," and "value mathematics" to represent the independent variable, students' attitudes toward mathematics. The dependent variable, achievement in mathematics, contains four content domains (algebra, geometry, data probability, and numbers) and three cognitive domains (knowing, applying, and reasoning). After conducting regression analysis, the researcher found a positive relationship between students' attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics achievement. Both confidence in mathematics and valuing mathematics significantly predict mathematics achievement, while there is no significant relationship between liking to learn mathematics and mathematics achievement. The study recommends using instructional strategies to improve students’ attitudes toward mathematics, such as constructive feedback and solving real-world problems. Keywords: attitudes toward mathematics, mathematics achievement, grade 8, TIMSS.