Motivational Factors Influencing Perceived Difficulty in Mathematics among Lebanese Middle School Students

Abstract

Aims: This study examined the relationship between students’ motivational beliefs and their perceptions of difficulty in mathematics, with attention to differences across mathematical domains and gender during the transition from elementary to middle school in Lebanon. Study Design:  Descriptive cross-sectional survey study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in eleven private schools in Lebanon during a middle school academic year. Methodology: The sample consisted of 992 seventh-grade students (493 males and 497 females). Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire grounded in the MUSIC model of academic motivation, assessing perceived usefulness, interest, confidence in success, and teacher care, alongside perceived difficulty in mathematics overall and across Geometry, Algebra, Numbers, and Word Problems. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression analyses, and Fisher’s z-tests were used. Results: Students reported relatively high motivation and generally low overall perceived difficulty in mathematics. Geometry and Word Problems were identified as the most challenging domains, while Numbers was perceived as the least difficult. Domain-specific difficulties significantly predicted overall perceived difficulty (F = 130.53, p < .001), explaining 35% of the variance, with Geometry showing the strongest effect (β = .37). Interest (r = −.48), usefulness (r = −.47), and confidence in success (r = −.50) were significantly and negatively associated with perceived difficulty, accounting for 31% of the variance (F = 111.3, p < .001). Gender analyses showed stronger associations between Geometry-related difficulty and overall perceived difficulty among female students, as well as a stronger link between perceived usefulness and difficulty for girls. These findings suggest that instructional strategies that enhance relevance, interest, and confidence (particularly in Geometry) may help reduce students’ perceived difficulty in mathematics. Conclusion: Perceived difficulty in mathematics is more closely related to students’ motivational beliefs and domain-specific learning experiences than to ability alone. Strengthening interest, highlighting relevance, and supporting confidence, especially in Geometry, may promote more positive and equitable mathematics learning experiences during early adolescence. Given the cross-sectional design and focus on private schools, the findings should be interpreted within these contextual boundaries.