It is a fact that students become unsuccessful in mathematics if they are passive listeners and learners and memorize the information in the mathematics lessons. It is also known that teachers are crucial part of the success of implementation of the curriculum in mathematics education (Battista, 1994). Therefore, it is important to determine the problems related to the teachers’ mathematics teaching in especially preservice years since they are educated to obtain necessary information and skills in order to future teachers in these years. Then, when preservice teachers are educated taking consideration into these problems, they are solved spontaneously. Furthermore, teachers’ performance in their occupation is related to their education in preservice years, their beliefs and anxiety connected to their profession (Yılmaz et al., 2004). Moreover, although there are many studies related to anxiety of mathematics, there have been a few studies done on the mathematics teaching anxiety with preservice teachers (Levine, 1993; Peker, 2006). Also, there has been a growing interest in discovering the impact of efficacy belief in mathematics education (Bauer & Toms, 1990; Sherwood & Westerback, 1983). Furthermore, elementary school teachers are very important for student since students attain basic information about mathematics actively in primary school years. Therefore, preservice elementary school teachers’ efficacy belief and anxiety toward mathematics teaching are investigated.

It can be claimed that preservice elementary school teachers’ negative experience and anxiety concerning mathematics are based on their teachers rather than other factors, such as mathematical concepts, mathematical tools and social factors and start in the early and middle school years (Uusimaki & Nason, 2004).  Mathematics teaching anxiety can be defined as teachers’ feelings of tension and anxiety occurring in the period of teaching mathematical concepts, theories and formulas and problem solving (Levine, 1993; Peker, 2006).

Teaching efficacy is important belief for teachers since it has impact on the behaviors of teachers. In terms of teachers, teaching efficacy belief is defined as a teacher’s belief in his or her own ability about teaching and having students learned. In this respect, mathematics teaching efficacy can be defined as the extent that teachers believe they have the capacity about affecting students’ mathematics teaching in the positive direction. In light of the explanations above, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the level of preservice elementary teachers’ anxiety and efficacy beliefs towards mathematics teaching and the relationship between them. Also, the answer of the question of “What is the relationship between preserves elementary teachers efficacy beliefs and anxiety towards mathematics teaching?” was examined.

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