Based on the mathematical anxiety response model proposed by Cemen (1987), this study explored the effects of dispositional antecedents on Taiwanese students’ mathematics anxiety. The study participants were 2,011 Taiwanese students who completed the student questionnaire form B in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 dataset. A higher-order model of the dispositional antecedents and a structural model of the dispositional antecedents on students’ mathematics anxiety were constructed. Utilizing the structural equation modeling, the results indicated as follows. First, the higher-order model of dispositional antecedents can be represented by the three second-order sub-factors of "mathematical confidence," "mathematical attitude," and "achievement attribution," with "mathematical attitude" composed of five first-order sub-factors. Second, the structural model of Taiwanese students´ dispositional antecedents and mathematical anxiety had a reasonable fit. Students´ dispositional antecedents had significant and negative direct effects on mathematical anxiety. Further, the implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations were made for teachers, students, and future researchers.
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