Adaptação transcultural da escala Mast para um contexto brasileiro e fatores associados à ansiedade matemática entre professores dos anos iniciais da rede pública de Pelotas/RS.

• Ano de defesa: 2024
• Autor(a) principal: Pinho, Rose Lemos de
• Orientador(a): Figueiredo, Vera Lúcia Marques de
• Banca de defesa: Rato, Joana Maria Rodrigues, Carvalho, Hudson, Quevedo, Luciana
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Catolica de Pelotas
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Comportamento
• Departamento: Centro de Ciencias da Saude
• País: Brasil
• Palavras-chave em Português: adaptação transcultural; ansiedade; matemática; professores
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: cross-cultural adaptation; anxiety; mathematics; teachers
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CIENCIAS HUMANAS::PSICOLOGIA
• Link de acesso: http://tede.ucpel.edu.br:8080/jspui/handle/jspui/1023

Introduction: Mathematical anxiety (MA) is characterized by a set of unpleasant reactions - whether physiological, cognitive, or behavioral - in situations requiring the use and application of mathematical knowledge. This issue affects both students and teachers. In Brazil, there are few studies on MA among teachers, and no adapted measurement instruments for this context exist. Objective: To cross-culturally adapt the American instrument "Math Anxiety Scale for Teachers - MAST" to the Brazilian context and analyze factors associated with MA among teachers working in the Early Years of Elementary Education in the Public School System of Pelotas/RS.Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Method: The procedures for adapting the scale and verifying associated factors followed steps recommended in the literature for adapting instruments in mental health. Based on suggestions from the theoretical analysis of the items, an experimental version of the MAST-BR scale was obtained. Teachers from the Early Years of Public Schools in Pelotas/RS were invited to respond to an online self administered questionnaire on Google Forms, which included an Informed Consent Form, sociodemographic variables, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and MAST-BR scales. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) versions 20 and 25. For validity evidence, Factor 10.9.02 was initially used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), followed by JASP 0.16.1.0 for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Univariate analyses were conducted using absolute and relative frequencies, mean, and standard deviation; bivariate analyses used the Chi-square test (X2 ), Spearman's correlation (r) (due to the non-normal distribution of the sample), and linear regression to investigate predictors of MAST-BR scores. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare mean differences between groups on total MAST-BR scores.Results: 254 teachers were evaluated for scale adaptation studies, and 285 for verification of associated factors and development of score interpretation norms. Theoretical analysis of items showed a satisfactory Content Validity Coefficient (CVC total = 0.94). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that MAST-BR can be used in both unidimensional and bifactorial models, with better results in the latter. Internal consistency indicated good homogeneity. MAST-BR scores showed significant differences (p <0.001), with higher MA averages found among teachers in the municipal network who reported professional dissatisfaction, lacked specific training in mathematics teaching, indicated a poor/average relationship with mathematics and its teaching, and exhibited anxious symptoms in GAD-7. The variable "Relationship with Mathematics and its Teaching" most influenced MAST-BR scores (β = 0.334; p = 0.000). MAST-BR showed a moderate correlation with GAD-7 (r = 0.40).Conclusion: MA is a complex phenomenon that requires further research among the teacher population. MAST-BR exhibited adequate psychometric properties, it is robust for assessing MA among teachers, and could, in addition to research use, facilitate the identification of associated factors and the development of intervention strategies in the field of MA.