The Mediating Effect of Self-Regulation on the Relationship between Mathematical Disposition and Mathematics Proficiency among Mathematics Education Students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-regulation mediates the relationship between mathematical disposition and mathematics proficiency among first-year mathematics major students. The study was quantitative non-experimental research that utilizes descriptive-correlational, and mediation analysis. Using stratified random sampling, specifically proportional allocation, for the sampling techniques and Slovin’s formula with 0.05 margin of error for the sample size, a sample of 92 randomly selected mathematics education students answered the surveys on the three variables. Results showed that the level of mathematical disposition and the mediating variable, self-regulation, are all at high level; the level of mathematics proficiency, which was measured through a 25-item multiple-choice questionnaire, is at a very good or satisfactory level. Results also revealed that the relationship between mathematical disposition and mathematics proficiency, between mathematical disposition and self-regulation, and between self-regulation and mathematics proficiency among first-year mathematics education students are all significant. However, results showed that self-regulation did not mediate the relationship between mathematical disposition and mathematics proficiency as the indirect effect has a p-value greater than 0.5 or null accepted. It implied that mathematical disposition directly influences mathematics proficiency without the intervention of self-regulation. This finding underscored the complexity of factors influencing mathematical proficiency and suggests avenues for further research to better understand the mechanisms at play. Understanding these relationships can inform interventions and educational strategies aimed at improving mathematics proficiency.