Individual differences in school mathematics performance and feelings of difficulty: The effects of cognitive ability, affect, age, and gender

The aim of the study was to identify possible individual differences effect s on school mathematics performance and feelings of difficulty (FOD). Cogni tive ability (general and domain-specific), affect (anxiety and achievement need), age, and gender were considered the main sources of individual diff erences. The effect of the testing experience (i.e., the repeated exposure to the testing situation) was also taken into account. Two hundred forty th ree subjects, of both genders, from 13 to 15 years of age were tested with three task batteries: the cognitive ability, the affective battery and the school mathematics battery. Ratings of the difficulty of each of the mathem atics items were also collected. A second testing of the affective battery, mathematical tasks and FOD was effected one year after the first. A series of path analyses and ANOVAs were performed oil the data. It was found that ability directly influenced performance whereas both ability and affect in fluenced FOD. Feelings of difficulty were also influenced by performance. A ge differentiated FOD only at the 2nd testing Gender interacted with both p erson and task characteristics and had an effect on FOD but not on performa nce.