A – 75 Early Math Competency and High School Math Grades: Investigating the Moderating Effects of Critical Thinking Skills and Math Self-Efficacy in Chinese Adolescents

Abstract Objective The current study examined the association between adolescents’ self-rated basic math competency in elementary school and their high school math achievement. Specifically, it tested whether critical thinking skills and math self-efficacy moderated this association in a sample of Chinese high school students. Method Participants were 264 high school adolescents in China (M age=16; 43% in grade 11, 74% male; 63% reported at least one parent with some college education). Prior math competency was assessed using five self-report items reflecting difficulty in elementary calculation skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and money concepts) on a 5-point Likert scale. Critical thinking skills and math self-efficacy were measured using the Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES) subscales. Math achievement was measured using end-of-year math exam scores. Results Hayes’s Model 2 (2022) was used with basic math competency entered as the independent variable, ACES mathematics skills and critical thinking subscales as the moderators, and math grades as the dependent variable. The interaction between prior math competency and critical thinking skills was significant, F(1, 65) = 3.94, p = .05, indicating that the effect of early math competency on math grades was stronger at higher levels of critical thinking, Tb4 = 20.08. In contrast, math self-efficacy did not moderate this relation, F(1, 65) = 0.006, p = .94. Conclusion Critical thinking skills may enhance the positive impact of early math competency on later math performance, highlighting the importance of fostering critical thinking skills to support sustained mathematic success. Contrary to prior research, math self-efficacy did not appear to moderate this relation.