Unveiling the anxiety about teaching math in Spain: A psychometric study of MAST15 and MTAS19 instruments

Teacher math anxiety is a significant factor influencing instructional quality and student achievement. Yet, few studies have explored which variables play a role in the levels of anxiety about teaching math, in part due to the lack of proper screening tools. In this study, we adapted two specialized instruments, the Math Anxiety Scale for Teachers (MAST15) and the Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale (MTAS19), to the European Spanish, and we examined their structural, convergent, and external validity within a sample of Spanish primary and secondary school teachers. Furthermore, we explored gender differences, school settings, teachers' self-efficacy and generalized anxiety symptoms to understand how those variables interact with the anxiety about teaching math. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests to evaluate the internal structure of both scales. MAST15 confirmed a two-factor model (general math anxiety and anxiety about teaching math), while MTAS19 demonstrated moderate fit across two dimensions (student-directed and self-directed teaching anxiety). Both scales showed high internal consistency, indicating robust reliability. The results revealed that math anxiety is closely linked to generalized anxiety and inversely related to math self-efficacy. Teaching experience was associated with lower self-directed anxiety, suggesting that professional practice helps mitigate anxiety over time. Gender differences emerged for generalized anxiety but not for math-specific anxiety. Institutional and contextual factors, such as location in disadvantaged areas, showed no significant impact on math anxiety levels. These findings support using MAST15 and MTAS19 in cross-cultural research and provide insights into targeted interventions to reduce anxiety about teaching math.