Self‐regulation, goal orientation, self‐efficacy, worry, and high‐stakes math achievement for mathematically gifted high school students1,2

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Abstract
Our study used a structural equation modeling framework to investigate the effects of gender, self‐efficacy, learning goal orientation, self‐regulation, and worry on high‐stakes mathematics achievement in a sample of mathematically gifted, primarily Asian American, high school students. It is one of the few studies that investigated the joint effect of such variables in a high‐stakes environment (i.e., an Advanced Placement calculus exam). Our analyses showed that self‐efficacy is positively related to math achievement, is moderately and positively related to self‐regulation, and is highly and negatively related to worry, and that learning goal orientation (or intrinsic value) is positively related to self‐regulation and worry but is not related to self‐efficacy or high‐stakes mathematics achievement. With respect to gender, young men were less worried and had higher self‐efficacy for math than young women. Finally, self‐regulation was negatively related to worry, but surprisingly, was not related to high‐stakes mathematics achievement.