The relationships between instructional clarity, classroom management and mathematics achievement: Mediator role of attitudes towards mathematics

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between teachers\u27 classroom management and instructional clarity skills, and students\u27 mathematics achievement as well as the mediator role of students\u27 attitudes towards mathematics in these relationships. The sample consisted of 3536 fourth grade and 3678 eighth grade students who participated in TIMSS 2019 from Turkey. Based on theory, a saturated model was created, and it was focused on estimates and R squares. According to the results, for both fourth and eighth grades, all paths were statistically significant. That means direct effects of attitude, instructional clarity, and classroom management, along with indirect effects of instructional clarity and classroom management on math achievement are statistically significant at .01 significance level. Attitude partially and significantly mediates instructional clarity and classroom management. As teachers’ instructional clarity and classroom management skills and students\u27 attitudes towards mathematics increase, mathematics achievement also increases. For fourth grades, the model explains 27% of the variance in attitude (R square = .271), and 9% of the variance in mathematics achievement (R square = .094). For eighth grades, the model explains 20% of the variance in attitude (R square = .202), and approximately 8% of the variance in mathematics achievement (R square = .078)