The mediating role of metacognitive awareness in the relationship between mathematics teaching self-efficacy and mathematics teaching anxiety of pre-service teachers

This study examines the affective–cognitive mechanisms underlying mathematics teaching anxiety among pre-service teachers by focusing on the mediating role of metacognitive awareness. Specifically, it aims to clarify how mathematics teaching self-efficacy is associated with lower levels of teaching anxiety through cognitive regulation processes. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from 456 pre-service mathematics teachers enrolled in teacher education programs. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized mediation model, and gender and grade level were included as covariates to control for demographic differences. The results indicated that mathematics teaching self-efficacy positively predicted metacognitive awareness, which in turn negatively predicted mathematics teaching anxiety. Metacognitive awareness partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and teaching anxiety, suggesting that a non-negligible portion of this association operates through cognitive regulation processes. Gender demonstrated a significant association with metacognitive awareness; however, its effects on mathematics teaching self-efficacy and teaching anxiety—as well as all effects of grade level—were non-significant. Overall, the findings contribute to the teacher education literature by integrating affective and cognitive perspectives and by highlighting metacognitive awareness as a central psychological mechanism linking self-efficacy beliefs to mathematics teaching anxiety.