Factor structure and measurement invariance of the TIMSS 2015 mathematics attitude questionnaire: Exploratory structural equation modelling approach

Abstract

In the current study, the appropriateness of the Mathematics Attitude Questionnaire administered to middle school 8th grade students in the TIMSS 2015 application to the exploratory structural equation and confirmatory factor analysis models was examined. The study was conducted on 6079 students making up the sample of Turkey. In the TIMSS 2015 application, the attitude items are presented under four headings called students’ interest in mathematics, students’ views on engaging teaching in mathematics lessons, students’ self-confidence in mathematics, and students’ value mathematics. As a result of the investigation of the factor structure of these items, the attitude questionnaire with its 5 factors and 35 items was accepted to be suitable for the Exploratory Structural Equation Model (ESEM). Moreover, invariance of the TIMSS 8th grade mathematics attitude questionnaire depending on gender was investigated at six stages as configural, weak (metric), strong (scalar), strict, variance-covariance, and latent mean invariance through ESEM. It was concluded that the questionnaire satisfied all the invariance conditions.