Research on the affective dimensions of mathematics
learning and achievement has tended to focus on
negative emotions and on mathematics anxiety in particular,
with much less work on positive emotions. Drawing from a
positive education perspective, we aim to contribute to the
growing literature on positive emotions and learning. We
hypothesize that positive emotions are associated with
learning and achievement in mathematics, even when mathematics
anxiety is considered. Filipino students enrolled in a
college trigonometry course completed the Academic Emotions
Questionnaire-Mathematics and scales assessing their
self-efficacy and self-regulation in trigonometry. Students’
final grades for the course were recorded with their informed
consent. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that enjoyment
and pride explained a significant amount of variance
in the final grades, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, even
after accounting for the variance explained by gender and
anxiety. Although the results cannot be interpreted as indicating
a causal relationship between positive emotions and
achievement, the results indicate how positive emotions in
mathematics learning can contribute to a more balanced
picture of the role of affective states in mathematics learning

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• Beyond Math Anxiety: Positive Emotions Predict Mathematics Achievement, Self-Regulation, and Self-Efficacy