Family support and teacher support in Vietnamese math education: Gendered pathways through math anxiety to math achievement based on PISA 2022

This study investigated how gender, teacher support, family support, and mathematics anxiety jointly shape mathematics achievement among 6068 Vietnamese students using data from PISA 2022. Structural equation modeling revealed three key findings. First, teacher support played a dual role-it was directly associated with lower achievement, likely reflecting controlling instructional styles, yet it was indirectly linked to higher performance via its association with lower mathematics anxiety. Second, family support showed no significant direct association with achievement, but a significant indirect association was observed through its negative relationship with mathematics anxiety. Third, boys reported slightly higher teacher support and lower mathematics anxiety, alongside a modest advantage in mathematics achievement. These findings indicate that social support in the Vietnamese context, with its hierarchical classroom dynamics, can function both as pressure and protection. Theoretically, the study extends the Control-Value and Social Support theories by revealing dual mechanisms of support that align with the Vietnamese cultural context. Practically, it recommends promoting autonomy-supportive teaching and balanced family involvement to alleviate anxiety and reduce gender disparities in STEM learning.