Science Self-efficacy Research Articles

STEM ATTITUDE DISPARITY: THE IMPACT OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN VOCATIONALLY-ORIENTED POLYTECHNIC AND UNIVERSITY ON STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY, EXPECTANCY-VALUE, AND CAREER INTEREST

Learning experiences are widely recognized as crucial in developing students’ attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Vocationally-oriented polytechnics and universities provide distinct learning experiences that may significantly influence students’ STEM self-efficacy, expectancy-value and career interest. The study explores how the unique learning experiences shape students' STEM attitudes among 487 students during their fourth semester at vocationally-oriented polytechnic and university. The S-STEM survey was adopted as the measurement instrument. The result showed that university students displayed a more favorable overall STEM attitude compared to students enrolled in vocational-oriented polytechnic. University students demonstrated greater STEM self-efficacy than polytechnic students, but no significant difference in STEM expectancy-value was detected between the two groups. From the perspective of inter-group comparison, university education consistently fostered students a heightened sense of STEM self-efficacy, expectancy-value and career interest in science, whereas vocationally-oriented polytechnic education boasted its unique strengths in cultivating robust attitudes and career interests towards science and engineering/technology. However, students in both institutions exhibited a relatively less positive attitude towards learning mathematics. The findings highlight the importance of learning experiences in shaping students' STEM attitudes and career interests. Keywords: career interest, expectancy-value, learning experiences, self-efficacy, STEM attitude

Exploring career interest and STEM self-efficacy: implications for promoting gender equity.

This study explores the relationship between career interests and self-efficacy in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) among young girls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Employing a quantitative research design with a correlational approach, we utilize the S-STEM survey to measure changes in students' STEM subject efficacy and their interest in STEM careers. Our sample comprises 671 middle and high school female students from 49 schools, representing a diverse cross-section of the population. The findings indicate that female students exhibit high levels of STEM self-efficacy and have a strong preference for medicine as a career choice. While the overall interest in STEM careers among students is moderate, there are notable variations in interest across different STEM fields. Importantly, a positive and significant correlation was observed between female students' interest in STEM careers and their self-efficacy in STEM. This research holds important implications for the promotion of STEM education and careers among female students. By recognizing the unique context of Saudi Arabia and the perspectives of young girls in Riyadh, this study offers a fresh perspective on the factors influencing STEM career aspirations and highlights the importance of fostering self-efficacy beliefs among female students.

Exploring Influencing Factors at Student and Teacher/School levels on Science Self-efficacy Using Machine Learning and Multilevel Latent Profile Analysis

The main purpose of this study was to explore major factors at student and teacher/school levels affecting middle-school students’ science self-efficacy among countries with high science academic performance levels in PISA 2015 data by using various regression algorithms of machine learning and multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA). Out of total of 195 (110 at the student-level and 75 at the teacher/school-level), 88 at the student-level and 38 at the teacher/school-level explanatory variables were finally selected after data pre-processing. Through over 20 regression analysis algorithms of machine learning, 10 variables at the student-level and five variables at the teacher/school-level were found to be significant predictors, consistent with previous studies. Next, MLPA was applied to classify underlying science self-efficacy sub-groups at each level and verify the statistical significance of variables affecting science self-efficacy, chosen from the machine learning. Three classes at the student-level (low, moderate, high) and two at the teacher/school-level (mid-low, mid-high) were selected as the optimal number of latent profiles. At the student-level, students with higher environmental awareness, science activities, interest in broad science topics, instrumental motivation, test anxiety, and achieving motivation were more likely to belong to the moderate or high groups than the low group. At the teacher/school-level, the mid-high group had more considerable science-specific resources, higher instructional leadership, a larger student-teacher ratio, and more science teachers than mid-low group. Finally, the significance of the study was presented, and implications for increasing science self-efficacy in middle school students were suggested.

Development of self-efficacy in high school students through soil analysis in the protected natural area "Estero El Soldado"

Teaching various scientific disciplines involves both hands-on and theoretical methods aimed at sparking students' curiosity in learning concepts. Students enhance their comprehension by actively engaging in direct activities rather than solely relying on explanations provided by teachers. The development of a research project carried out by 12th grade students during the semester allowed them to develop scientific or technological research to understand nature and act on it. The research project involved taking soil samples of natural protected area “Estero El Soldado” and analyzing it using a microscope, increasing student’s self-efficacy using the microscope. Self-efficacy was measured before and after the proposed research project using the General Self-Efficacy Scale instrument (Baessler and Schwarzer, 1996), which consists of 10 items and measures a person's perception when facing a variety of stressful situations. The participation of 43 12th grade students was analyzed. After the completion of the research project students, the results from the pre-test (M = 66.89, SD = 19.52) and post-test (M = 80.34, SD = 19.84) self-efficacy evaluation indicate that carrying out the research project resulted in an improvement in self-efficacy, t(84) = 2.01, p = 0.0008. We can conclude that integrating hands-on research projects like soil analysis using different laboratory equipment boosts 12th-grade students' scientific self-efficacy, as evidenced by improved scores on the General Self-Efficacy Scale. These findings underscore the value of experiential learning in nurturing both scientific skills and confidence in students.

The mediating effects of basic psychological needs on the associations between teacher support and Chinese adolescents’ science and math self-efficacy

ABSTRACT Background Science and math self-efficacy in high school can encourage students to choose science and math-related majors and thus cultivate relevant talent. The importance of science and math self-efficacy in academic performance and science and math-related career choices is well-documented. Despite numerous studies on various factors related to adolescents’ science and math self-efficacy, little empirical research has examined the effects of perceived teacher support on science and math self-efficacy among adolescents. Purpose Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to examine the parallel mediation effect of relatedness, autonomy, and competence between perceived teacher support and Chinese adolescents’ science and math self-efficacy. Sample: We carried out a cross-sectional study that collected data from 443 Chinese tenth-grade adolescents (209 males, 47.20%). The students completed measures of perceived support from teachers, basic psychological needs, and science and math self-efficacy through an online survey. Methods The model was performed with AMOS 23 using a structural equation modeling approach with bootstrapping techniques (bootstrap replications:5,000). Results The results indicate that the association between teacher support and science and math self-efficacy was fully mediated by autonomy. The indirect effects of teacher support and science and math self-efficacy on relatedness or competence were insignificant. Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of teacher support in adolescents’ science and math self-efficacy and provide a foundation for a novel approach to stimulate and motivate adolescents’ science and math self-efficacy.

U.S. parents’ scientific literacy and efficacy: Associations with children’s STEM media engagement

ABSTRACT Promoting science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) skills for young children provides foundation for and interest in later STEM learning, making early childhood an important time to develop these competencies. Young children also spend increasing amounts of time with media, and thus it is important to understand if children are accessing STEM content and what factors may determine this access. The current survey study of parents of three- to seven-year olds assesses how parents’ science self-efficacy and parents’ scientific literacy relate to children’s STEM media use. Results demonstrate positive relations between parent self-efficacy and child STEM media use (aligned with self-efficacy theory), but results also demonstrate no significant relation between parent scientific literacy and child STEM media use. We conclude that parent self-efficacy is an important social susceptibility for young children’s STEM media use and that future research should continue exploring potential interventions for promoting parents’ self-efficacy related to teaching their children science.

Enhancing high-school dropout identification: a collaborative approach integrating human and machine insights

Despite its proven success in various fields such as engineering, business, and healthcare, human–machine collaboration in education remains relatively unexplored. This study aims to highlight the advantages of human–machine collaboration for improving the efficiency and accuracy of decision-making processes in educational settings. High school dropout prediction serves as a case study for examining human–machine collaboration’s efficacy. Unlike previous research prioritizing high accuracy with immutable predictors, this study seeks to bridge gaps by identifying actionable factors for dropout prediction through a framework of human–machine collaboration. Utilizing a large dataset from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), two machine learning models were developed to predict 9th-grade students’ high school dropout history. Results indicated that the Random Forest algorithm outperformed the deep learning algorithm. Model explainability revealed the significance of actionable variables such as students’ GPA in the 9th grade, sense of school belonging, self-efficacy in mathematics and science, and immutable variables like socioeconomic status in predicting high school dropout history. The study concludes with discussions on the practical implications of human–machine partnerships for enhancing student success.

Exploring Nature of Science Understanding, Science Self-efficacy and Their Relationships Among Secondary School Pre-service Science Teachers in Ethiopia

Exploring Nature of Science Understanding, Science Self-efficacy and Their Relationships Among Secondary School Pre-service Science Teachers in Ethiopia

Reliability Analysis of Psychological Measures Related to STEM Persistence in Undergraduate Students at a Hispanic Serving Institution

ABSTRACT Research suggests that psychological factors are related to persistence in science, especially for underrepresented students; however, most psychological instruments have been validated through studies conducted at predominately White institutions. In the current study, we report reliability estimates for measures of science identity, science motivation, and science self-efficacy with a sample of undergraduate college students from a Hispanic Serving Institution (N = 309). Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were estimated with Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation coefficients, respectively. We report Cronbach's alpha values separately for male (N = 152), female (N = 152), Hispanic (N = 111), and White (N = 115) students. We also examined whether there were statistically significant differences in the Cronbach’s alpha values between these groups. The results demonstrated good to excellent reliability estimates for internal consistency (α ranged from .89 to .96) and test-retest reliability (ICC ranged from .76 to .80) for all groups. There were no significant differences in Cronbach’s alpha values between students identifying as male versus female or between Hispanic and White identifying students. We conclude by urging science education researchers to examine, report, and interpret reliability estimates for their measures for each dataset.

Pre-service teachers’ and primary students’ motivations and beliefs towards science

In a fast-paced evolved modern world, scientific literacy (SL) is essential for an individual to interact and make decisions about science-related issues. A scientifically literate person should have not only scientific knowledge, but also motivations and beliefs toward science. The purpose of current research is the examination and comparison of pre-service teachers’ and primary school students’ motivations and beliefs towards science. There were 787 participants comprising the research sample. A three-factor structure was verified through statistical techniques such as exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Moreover, the reliability coefficient is considered acceptable. According to descriptive analyses and statistical significance tests, both groups show medium to quite positive perceptions toward the value of science and science self-efficacy. Additionally, there is no statistically significant difference in both groups’ performances regarding these categories. Regarding personal epistemology, students achieve a statistically significantly better performance than the teachers. However, both groups’ scores were assessed as moderate to low. Suggestions for further research about primary school students’ and teachers’ SL motivations and beliefs are presented.

Enhancing rural students’ computer science self-efficacy in a robotics-based language arts course

Enhancing rural students’ computer science self-efficacy in a robotics-based language arts course

The Value of Support: STEM Intervention Programs Impact Student Persistence and Belonging.

In response to unwaveringly high attrition from STEM pathways, STEM Intervention Programs (SIPs) support STEM students in effort to increase retention. Using mixed methods (survey and focus groups), we studied students at one university who were either supported or unsupported by SIPs to understand how students may differ in experiences believed to contribute to STEM persistence. We evaluated: sense of belonging, scientific self-efficacy, scientific community values, scientific identity, and STEM involvement. The enrollment status of students two and a half years postsurvey was also tracked. SIP students reported significantly higher science identity and sense of belonging and were more involved in STEM-related activities than counterparts unsupported by SIPs. Differences in these measures were correlated with race/ethnicity, college generation status, and age. Notably, SIP students had higher odds of persisting in STEM than students not supported by SIPs. Focus group data provide additional meaning to the measured survey constructs and revealed nuanced qualitative differences between SIP and non-SIP student experiences. Overall, being involved in a SIP at our institution trends positively with theoretical models that explain STEM student persistence. SIPs have the potential to provide and/or facilitate meaningful and critical support, and students without those intentional supports may be left behind.

STEMing together: a comparison of co-ed and all-female informal learning environments

STEMing together: a comparison of co-ed and all-female informal learning environments

Adolescents’ Intentions to Study Science: the Role of Classroom-based Social Support, Task Values, and Self-efficacy

AbstractDeclining enrolments in senior secondary science have heightened concerns for meeting the demands for more STEM-qualified workers and a scientifically literate society. Students' attitudes to science are formed during schooling, particularly in adolescence when they are exposed to a variety of science topics. Students’ perceptions of their ability in science and their subjective task values are well established as predictors of their likelihood of engaging with and continuing their study of science. However, the role of classroom-based social support in supporting ability perceptions and task values is less well understood. In this study, we examined relationships between adolescents’ perceived classroom-based social support, task values, and self-efficacy, and how these perceptions and attitudes predicted adolescents’ intentions to study the three major science subjects (biology, chemistry, and physics) in senior high school. Participants were 475 adolescents in Grades 8 to 10 recruited from six schools in Sydney, Australia. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypothesised model in which social support from science teachers and peers predicted intended science subject selections through science self-efficacy, intrinsic valuing of science, and utility value of science. Results indicate that science teacher and peer support were not directly related to adolescents’ intentions to study senior science subjects. Instead, they were indirectly related via their positive relationship with science self-efficacy and task values. Utility value was the strongest predictor of adolescents’ intentions to study biology, chemistry, and physics, while self-efficacy and intrinsic value also predicted adolescents’ intentions to study chemistry. These results suggest that classroom-based social supports are important for supporting adolescents’ attitudes towards science, and that science utility value interventions may be useful in efforts to improve enrolments in senior science subjects.

How Southeast Asian Students Develop Their Science Self-Efficacy During the First Year of College

ABSTRACT To contribute to the scant yet growing literature on Southeast Asian students within college STEM, this quantitative study investigated factors that were most salient in science self-efficacy development of these students, which prior scholarship suggests is significant for various STEM success outcomes. Using descriptive and predictive statistical approaches on a multi-institution and nationwide longitudinal sample of first-year STEM students, results suggest that a unique set of predictors are associated with Southeast Asian students’ science self-efficacy development when compared to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students in the aggregate. Further, results point to the importance of disaggregating AAPI racial/ethnic data in research to reveal factors that are distinct to each AAPI ethnic subgroup and to dismantle the narrative that AAPI students are a monolithic group. Findings suggest that pedagogical approaches that employ community building among faculty and students within the classroom are associated with Southeast Asian students’ science self-efficacy. Guided by these findings, implications for theory, practice, and policy that center Southeast Asian students and their development within STEM are offered to inform relevant future research, program plans, and policy recommendations.

Exploring Features That Play a Role in Adolescents’ Science Identity Development

Many studies done in the last three decades show that, beginning with adolescence and sometimes even earlier, many adolescents undergo a process of distancing themselves from science as they age. This longitudinal study attempts to deepen our knowledge and understanding of factors that play a role in early adolescents’ science identity development. For 3 years, we followed nine early adolescents at school, at home, and at their after-school activities, interviewing them 162 times. A thematic analysis of the interviews led to the identification of 32 themes. When comparing these themes across different participants, we identified three motifs that distinguished between the participants. Our findings suggest that (A) having a clear area of interest, not necessarily in science, positively affected the participants’ self-efficacy in science and self-assessment of their ability in science studies; (B) being or not being the eldest child in a family with multiple siblings played a role in the participants’ identity development in relation to science; and (C) the participants who were wholly dependent on their grades as an indication of their ability in science rejected the possibility of a future in science and studied science out of compliance rather than out of any internal motive. The implications of our findings are discussed and offer insights into ways that may nurture the positive science identity development of early adolescents.

Unveiling the Pedagogical Partnership: Exploring Co-Teaching and Self-Efficacy in Science and Arts Educators

Unveiling the Pedagogical Partnership: Exploring Co-Teaching and Self-Efficacy in Science and Arts Educators

Examining the mediating effect of nature of science perceptions on the relationship between metacognition and science self-efficacy

ABSTRACT Background The nature of science (NOS) and science self-efficacy have an important place in the development of scientific literacy, which is the ultimate goal of science education. However, the relationship between them and metacognition, which can have a significant impact on these variables, is an under-researched area and worthy of study. Purpose To fill this gap in the literature, this study examines the relationship between metacognition, NOS perceptions, and science self-efficacy using structural equation modeling. Sample A total of 448 secondary school students (grades 5–8) participated in the study. Design and Method Students’ Ideas about the Nature of Science, Science Learning Self-Efficacy Belief Scale, and Metacognitive Awareness Scales were utilized to collect the data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to reveal the mediating role of the NOS perceptions in the relationship between science self-efficacy and metacognition of secondary school students. Results and Conclusion The results showed that NOS perceptions partially mediate the relationship between metacognition and science self-efficacy. Furthermore, metacognition highly predicted NOS perceptions and science self-efficacy, providing clues to the formation or prevention of misconceptions about the nature of science. From this perspective, it is suggested that developing students’ metacognition should be another important goal of science education to increase their scientific literacy.

Filling a gap: initial evidence for reliable and valid measures of students’ self-concept, self-efficacy, and interest in science with elementary students traditionally underrepresented in STEM

American students continue to perform poorly on national and international assessments of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) competencies, and achievement gaps spanning racial/ethnic and socioeconomic lines emerge early and widen over time. Scholars and practitioners agree that expanding access to high-quality STEM education has the potential to improve students’ performance and reduce inequalities. Research has elucidated the critical role that students’ self-perceptions play in driving academic achievement, which has spurred the development of many educational programs and initiatives aimed at increasing students’ confidence, self-efficacy, and interest. However, our capacity to determine what programs and initiatives are effective and for whom is limited by our lack of psychometrically sound measures that assess science-related self-perceptions and interests of elementary students from diverse populations. To address this gap, we developed and tested measures of Science Self-Efficacy, Science Self-Concept, Interest in Science Activities, and Attitudes toward STEM careers in a sample of third-grade students (8–9 years) traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers (94% of our sample identified as either African American or Hispanic). We present initial evidence, from a preliminary pilot study, for the reliability and validity of these measures and reveal the multi-dimensional nature of students’ self-perceptions and interests in science. We discuss how such measurement tools will inform our understanding of the nature of young students’ science self-perceptions, how the utilization of such tools can inform educational practice, and highlight the critical importance of conducting measurement development research with diverse populations.

Evaluating the effectiveness of spatial training for introductory geology students

Abstract Spatial skills, which represent the ability to visualize and imagine manipulating objects in one’s mind, are necessary for success in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and are particularly relied upon by geoscientists. Although scholars recognize the importance of these skills, explicit training is inconsistently offered throughout courses. Furthermore, the relationship between spatial training and students’ perspectives on STEM fields is underexplored. To address this, we developed a case study that included over 700 students enrolled in introductory geology classes over three semesters. These students were randomly divided into control and experimental groups; the experimental group completed 10 spatial training assignments, and the control group completed the course as usual. We relied on situated expectancy-value theory to interpret changes in students’ perceptions of both the course and science overall, and asked the following research questions: (1) Do students who complete the spatial training assignments (i.e., the experimental group) have a statistically significant improvement in their final course grade, self-efficacy, and/or value when compared to the control group? (2) If so, what are the effect sizes of these changes? (3) Is there a minimum number of trainings that need to be completed to achieve this effect? (4) Is there a maximum number of spatial training assignments where we stop seeing improvement (ceiling effect)? We surveyed all students enrolled using 38-question pre- and post-assessments of their self-efficacy, defined as a belief in their ability to succeed, and value. We found that between the control and experimental groups, there were significant differences in students’ pre- to post-changes in perception of science self-efficacy, class self-efficacy, and class value. We found non-significant between-group differences in final grade and science value. We interpret this to mean that using weekly spatial training assignments could increase students’ perceived self-efficacy in their introductory geology course as well as in science more broadly, potentially having ripple effects that support students’ long-term engagement with the sciences. Findings suggest that practitioners should include explicit spatial training in their courses to improve students’ perceptions of the course and science overall. Building on this work may include describing to students the purpose of spatial training (which was deliberately avoided in this study) and outlining the research that supports the relationship between spatial skills and success in STEM fields. Future directions may also include longitudinal tracking of spatial and related skill development throughout students’ college careers.