Science Self-efficacy Research Articles

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES AND ACHIEVEMENT EMOTIONS AS PREDICTORS OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC SELF EFFICACY IN LEARNING SCIENCE

The study examined the impact of metacognitive strategies and achievement emotions on students academic self-efficacy in learning science. It involved 344 respondents from three public secondary schools in the Division of Tagum City, selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using three questionnaires: the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), Achievement Emotions Scale (AES), and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES). The results showed that metacognitive strategies were frequently observed, achievement emotions were somewhat manifested, and students academic self-efficacy in learning science was moderate. Moreover, the results indicate that both metacognitive strategies and achievement emotions significantly correlated with and predicted students academic self-efficacy in learning science. The study suggests that teachers should promote metacognitive strategies and foster positive achievement emotions to enhance students academic self-efficacy. KEYWORDS: science education, metacognitive strategies, achievement emotions, academic self-efficacy, descriptive and correlational design, regression analysis, Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines

The Curriculum and Community Environmental Restoration Science (STEM + Computer Science) Project – Attaining a STEM Mindset Through Improved Technological Ability

Increasing students’ confidence in their technological ability has been found to have a broader impact on their content knowledge in several subject areas, but most strikingly, in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). A sample of 513 students in grades 6 through 12 in the New York City public school system were questioned on their perceived technological ability after participating in The Curriculum and Community Environmental Restoration Science (STEM + Computer Science) Project, hereafter referred to as the CCERS STEM + C Project. Also explored was the students’ access to technology to determine if this would be a factor in student self-efficacy in technology ability. Analysis revealed that science self-efficacy and technology ability were both strengthened through participation in the project. Additionally, the study found that working alongside STEM professionals and exposure to STEM careers were also contributing factors. The study aims to determine if increased access to technology would, in turn, increase students’ self-efficacy in their technology knowledge and skills and have a positive effect on their self-confidence in STEM content. The results of the study contribute to the body of research that suggests greater access to technology may be an important factor in students’ self-agency and academic achievement.

Effects of Parental Science Expectations on the Science Interests of Yi Junior High School Students in China: The Chain Mediating Role of Science Experience and Science Self-Efficacy

Effects of Parental Science Expectations on the Science Interests of Yi Junior High School Students in China: The Chain Mediating Role of Science Experience and Science Self-Efficacy

School Connectedness and Academic Self-Efficacy During Pandemic Learning: A Mixed-Methods Study of Middle School Students’ Science Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in dramatic changes to the experiences of school for young people around the world as youth and adults navigated changes to instructional format and means of engaging in teaching and learning. School connectedness during the pandemic served a potentially protective role for adolescents during this uncertain time. In this study, we investigate students’ ( n = 64) experiences of connectedness with their teachers and peers and examine how students’ perceptions of belonging relate to their science self-efficacy. We draw on mixed-methods with students at two middle schools using dramatically different instructional approaches. These multiple data sources provide insight into the importance of building and sustaining relationships and connectedness for students’ self-efficacy, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Connectedness to one’s science teacher was the strongest predictor of science self-efficacy, and qualitative data describe how connectedness was fostered even when typical approaches were unavailable.

CREATE'ing improvements in first-year students' science efficacy via an online introductory course experience.

With a primary objective to engage students in the process of science online, we transformed a long-standing laboratory course for first-year science students into a more accessible, immersive experience of current biological research using a narrow and focused set of primary literature and the Consider, Read, Elucidate a hypothesis, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment (CREATE) pedagogy. The efficacy of the CREATE approach has been demonstrated in a diversity of higher education settings and courses. It is, however, not yet known if CREATE can be successfully implemented online with a large, diverse team of faculty untrained in the CREATE pedagogy. Here, we present the transformation of a large-enrollment, multi-section, multi-instructor course for first-year students in which the instructors follow different biological research questions but work together to reach shared goals and outcomes. We assessed students' (i) science self-efficacy and (ii) epistemological beliefs about science throughout an academic year of instruction fully administered online as a result of ongoing threats posed by COVID-19. Our findings demonstrate that novice CREATE instructors with varying levels of teaching experience and ranks can achieve comparable outcomes and improvements in students' science efficacy in the virtual classroom as a teaching team. This study extends the use of the CREATE pedagogy to large, team-taught, multi-section courses and shows its utility in the online teaching and learning environment.

Academic self-efficacy and engagement in learning science of Junior High School students: the mediating role of peer relationship

Academic self-efficacy, peer relationships, and student engagement are interrelated constructs that play important roles in shaping students’ academic experiences and outcomes in science learning. In view of this concept, this study aimed to determine the significant mediating effect of peer relationship on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and engagement in learning science. This study was quantitative, non-experimental research design utilizing descriptive-correlational, and path analysis techniques. Employing cluster sampling technique, a total of 150 junior high school students from selected private schools in Davao City – third district were selected to participate in this study and answered the adapted survey questionnaire. The study revealed high levels of self-efficacy, peer relationship, and engagement in learning science, with a strong positive correlation between academic self-efficacy and engagement, and moderate positive correlations between academic self-efficacy and peer relationship, as well as the correlation between peer relationship and engagement. Overall, peer relationships do not significantly influence academic self-efficacy and engagement in learning science among junior high school students. The impact of peer interactions on these relationships is small, suggesting that their significance may be less pronounced than in older students. Future researches may be undertaken to examine the potential mediating influence of peer relationships on the association between academic self-efficacy and engagement in subjects beyond science.

Student experiences with a molecular biotechnology course containing an interactive 3D immersive simulation and its impact on motivational beliefs.

The development and use of virtual laboratories to augment traditional in-person skills training continues to grow. Virtual labs have been implemented in a number of diverse educational settings, which have many purported benefits including their adaptability, accessibility, and repeatability. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of virtual laboratories outside of academic achievement and skills competencies, especially in biotechnology. In this study, an interdisciplinary team of content experts, video game researchers, instructional designers, and assessment experts developed a 3D immersive simulation designed to teach novice scientists the technical skills necessary to perform sterile mammalian cell culture technique. Unique to the simulation development process is the recreation of an immersive experience through the capture of details in the real-world lab where participants have the freedom of choice in their actions, while receiving immediate feedback on their technical skills as well as procedural execution. However, unlike an in-person laboratory course, students are able to iterate and practice their skills outside of class time and learn from their mistakes. Over the course of two semesters, we used a mixed-methods study design to evaluate student attitudes towards the simulation and their science motivational beliefs. Students' self-efficacy and science identity were assessed after engaging with the simulation prior to the physical laboratory. Our results show that students' science identity remained unchanged while their science self-efficacy increased. Furthermore, students had positive perceptions of the benefits of the virtual simulation. These data suggest that the virtual cell culture simulation can be a useful pedagogical training tool to support students' motivational beliefs that is both accessible and easy to implement.

공공 과학기술분야 연구자의 자기효능감과 직무자율성이 지식공유와 혁신업무행동에 미치는 영향 : 업무몰입의 매개효과를 중심으로

공공 과학기술분야 연구자의 자기효능감과 직무자율성이 지식공유와 혁신업무행동에 미치는 영향 : 업무몰입의 매개효과를 중심으로

생성형 인공지능을 활용한 과학 동화책 만들기가 초등과학 영재 학생의 자기효능감과 창의적 문제해결력에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a science storybook creation program using generative artificial intelligence on the self-efficacy and creative problem-solving skills of the science gifted students in elementaryschool. For this purpose, the program developed in this study was administered to 60 5th grade students in an elementary school science gifted class, and analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 statistical program to determine whether theprogram was effective in improving students' self-efficacy and creative problem-solving skills. The results of this study are as follows. The science storybook making class using generative artificial intelligence was found to have a positiveeffect on improving the self-efficacy and creative problem-solving skills of science gifted students in elementary school. Additionally, these classes were found to improve their scientific attitudes.

Upper-level inter-disciplinary microbiology CUREs increase student's scientific self-efficacy, scientific identity, and self-assessed skills.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in authentic research and generally increase the participation rate of students in research. Students' participation in research has a positive impact on their science identity and self-efficacy, both of which can predict integration of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), especially for underrepresented students. The main goal of this study was to investigate instructor-initiated CUREs implemented as upper-level elective courses in the Biomedical Sciences major. We hypothesized that these CUREs would (i) have a positive impact on students' scientific identity and self-efficacy and (ii) result in gains in students' self-assessed skills in laboratory science, research, and science communication. We used Likert-type surveys developed by Estrada et al. (14) under the Tripartite Integration Model of Social Influence to measure scientific identity, self-efficacy, and scientific value orientation. When data from all CUREs were combined, our results indicate that students' self-efficacy and science identity significantly increased after completion. Students' self-assessment of research and lab-related skills was significantly higher after completion of the CUREs. We also observed that prior to participation in the CUREs, students' self-assessment of molecular and bioinformatic skills was low, when compared with microbiological skills. This may indicate strengths and gaps in our curriculum that could be explored further.

Gendered Performance Gaps in an Upper-Division Biology Course: Academic, Demographic, Environmental, and Affective Factors.

Despite the existent gender parity in undergraduate biology degree attainment, gendered differences in outcomes are prevalent in introductory biology courses. Less is known about whether these disparities persist at the upper-division level, after most attrition is assumed to have occurred. Here, we report the consistent presence of gender equity gaps across 35 offerings (10 years) ofalarge-enrollment upper-division biology course at a research-intensive public university.Multilevel modeling showed that women's grades were lower than men's, regardless of prior GPA. These gender gaps were present even when controlling for students' race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, first-generation college-going status, international status, and transfer status. Class size, gender representation in the classroom, and instructor gender did not significantly relate to course grades. Student questionnaires in a subset of offerings indicated gendered differences in course anxiety, science identity, and science self-efficacy, which correlated with grade outcomes. These results suggest that women experience differential outcomes in upper-division biology, which may negatively influence their persistence in STEM fields postgraduation. Our findings suggest that gender disparities are a systemic problem throughout the undergraduate biology degree and underscore the need for further examination and transformation of upper-division courses to support all students, even at late stages of their degrees.

Impact of transition to a hybrid model of biochemistry course-based undergraduate research experience during the COVID-19 pandemic on student science self-efficacy and conceptual knowledge

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on higher education worldwide. In-person courses had to be quickly transited to online, including lab courses embedded with Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). In response to this challenge, we successfully converted a fully in-person biochemistry lab that integrated with a 6-week modular CURE (mCURE) into a hybrid CURE (hCURE) in Fall 2020, with support from the Malate dehydrogenase CUREs Community. The hCURE was structured to have in-person labs and online activities arranged on an alternating weekly basis, so that only half of the regular class size of students attended the hands-on labs at any given time to maintain proper social distancing. To evaluate the efficacy of the hCURE, student science self-efficacy and conceptual understanding of protein structure–function relationships were measured using pre-course and post-course surveys and tests, respectively. Our data showed a significant increase in student science self-efficacy and conceptual knowledge test scores. Furthermore, we compared the pre-lab quiz scores that assessed various biochemical concepts and skills across three different semesters, Fall 2019 with a fully in-person mCURE before the pandemic, Fall 2020 with the hCURE implemented during the pandemic, and Fall 2021 when the lab returned to the fully in-person mCURE following the pandemic. A significant decline in quiz scores from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020, and an even further decline from Fall 2019 to Fall 2021 were observed, suggesting that apart from the impact of course modality, the pandemic may have exerted a lasting adverse effect on student learning.

An Online CURE Taught at a Community College During the Pandemic Shows Mixed Results for Development of Research Self-Efficacy and In-class Relationships

The Bee the CURE is a novel course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that engages introductory biology students in DNA barcoding (DNA extraction, amplification, and bioinformatics) in partnership with the Tucson Bee Collaborative and the University of Arizona. The first iteration of this CURE taught at Pima Community College (PCC) occurred during the Fall 2020 semester in which the course was taught online and students focused on bioinformatics. Due to the online format, students were unable to participate directly in the wet-lab components (extraction and amplification) of the course. These were approximated with videos of the instructor performing the tasks. A qualitative case study of this semester built from student interviews found that students were able to form positive relationships with instructors and peer mentors but that the online format of the class posed some challenges to relationship formation. Students reported developing self-efficacy in bioinformatics skills while online lab participation disrupted student’s gaining “hands-on experiences” and seldom led to development of science self-efficacy in wet lab skills. Our findings from a study of a synchronous online CURE allowed us to characterize a context in which online learning posed a challenge and perhaps even a threat to research self-efficacy, especially regarding skill development and self-efficacy in “hands-on” areas, such as wet-bench research skills. Yet optimistically, our study highlights the potential of online community college learning environments to provide mastery experiences in online science contexts (e.g., bioinformatics) and opportunities for relationship building.

Interrelationships among Parental Career Support, Students Science Self-Efficacy, and Career Decision Making in Muranga County Kenya

Parents play a significant role in shaping their children’s career choices. However, in Murang’a County, Kenya, there is a lack of research focusing on the specific aspects of parental support, and science self-efficacy, interacting with students’ career decisions. Furthermore, there is a limited understanding of how parental factors, in conjunction with students’ self-efficacy in science subjects, influence the career choices students ultimately make. This research aims to fill this gap by examining how parental career support and students’ self-efficacy in science interact to influence career decision-making among students attending public secondary schools. The study was grounded in the Social Cognitive Career Theory, which prompted the following research inquiries; are there interrelationships between parents’ support, students’ self-efficacy for science, and students’ career decision making. The study involved a sample of 482 students in the third year of public secondary schools. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula. The selection of 11 schools, including both single-gender and mixed schools, was based on purposive sampling and proportionate stratified random sampling methods. Participants within these schools were chosen through random sampling. The data were gathered and analyzed using SPSS software. To test the hypotheses, statistical techniques such as Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, analysis of variance, and multiple regression were employed. The study observed parents’ support, self-efficacy in science, and career decision making were interrelated. Recommendations on the inclusion of specific parental attributes in enhancing science self-efficacy to improve students’ choices in sciences were made.

과학실험 수업 전 자기 점검표, 동영상 제공이 과학적 태도,과학 자기효능감, 학업 성취도에 미치는 영향

Objectives In this study, we examined whether self-checklists and videos provided in science experiment classes had an effect on science-scientific attitudes, self-efficacy, and academic achievement after class.
 Methods To this end, a test was conducted to measure science self-efficacy and scientific attitude targeting four classes of middle school in Gyeonggi-do. As a group of 4, the control class conducted general experiment classes, and as class treatment, only self-checklists were provided before the experiment classes, only videos were pro-vided, and both self-checklists and videos were provided. Before and after the class, science-related self-effi-cacy and scientific attitude questionnaires were administered to find out whether the pre-learning activities be-fore the science experiment class had an effect on scientific attitude and self-efficacy. In addition, formative evaluation was conducted to find out whether academic achievement increased after the science experiment class.
 Results In the case of scientific attitude and science self-efficacy, there was a significant difference between self-checklist only, video only, and self-checklist and video. While there was a significant difference between the general experiment class and the other three groups, the difference between the three groups excluding the gen-eral experiment class was not significant. Providing only one of the videos and self-checklists had a positive effect on scientific attitude and science self-efficacy compared to general experiment classes, but providing both did not have any more effect than providing either one. In the case of academic achievement, there was a significant difference from the general experiment class when only the self-checklist was provided.
 Conclusions The provision of self-checklists and videos before experimental classes had a positive effect on sci-entific attitudes and science self-efficacy. In terms of academic achievement, only the self-checklist group had a positive effect. This seems to have made the self-checklist a more active preparation activity than the video. I acquired knowledge by looking for textbooks and materials on my own, and this naturally led to a sense of science self-efficacy, and I believed that my grades would improve. This has had an impact on improving academic achievement.

Science self-efficacy beliefs of upper primary students in Ireland

ABSTRACT This exploratory study aimed to assess the strength of primary school students’ (aged 11–12 years old) Science Self-Efficacy (SSE) beliefs, identify emanating sources, and investigate any gender-related differences. School SSE is defined here as perceived capacity to complete learning outcomes from the upper Irish primary science curriculum. The strengths and sources of participants’ school SSE beliefs were assessed quantitatively (N = 260) using the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Children’s Questionnaire (IS-SEC-Q). Twenty-five students were interviewed to further explore the origins of their SSE, and their perception of science in the classroom. Results indicated that students’ self-efficacy to perform scientific skills was lower than their self-efficacy to answer questions. Mastery experience was found to be the strongest predictor of self-efficacy in science skills, corroborating findings from other educational contexts. However, students report that they seldom engage in hands-on science during school, suggesting that Irish classrooms still lack student-led investigations. Gender-related results are also highlighted. This work serves as the first report of students’ school SSE beliefs in Ireland, expands upon existing literature surrounding the SSE beliefs of pre-adolescent students, and discusses implications for classroom practice.

STEM Summer Camp for Girls Positively Affects Self-Efficacy

Women and racially and ethnically minoritized populations are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Out-of-school time programs like summer camps can provide positive science experiences that may increase self-efficacy and awareness of STEM opportunities. Such programs often use the same high-impact practices used in K–12 classrooms including relating concepts to real-world examples, engaging students as active participants in inquiry-driven projects, and facilitating learning in a cooperative context. They additionally provide opportunities for engaging in STEM without fear of failure, offer a community of mentors, and allow families to become more involved. We designed a summer camp for middle schoolers who identified as girls, low-income, and as a minoritized race or ethnicity. We describe the design of the camp as well as the results from a simple pre- and post-camp questionnaire that examined each camper’s relationship to science, scientific self-efficacy, and interest in having a job in STEM. We found an increase in self-efficacy in camp participants, which is important because high scientific self-efficacy predicts student performance and persistence in STEM, especially for girls. We did not detect an increase in interest in pursuing a STEM job, likely because of already high values for this question on the pre-camp survey. We add to the growing body of work recognizing the potential of out-of-school time STEM programs to increase scientific self-efficacy for girls and racially minoritized students. Tweet: Summer camp for minoritized middle-school girls increases scientific self-efficacy, a characteristic that may be important for removing barriers to participation in STEM.

Accelerating Research Careers in Science Through Early Mentored Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Masters' Students at the University of California, San Francisco Center for AIDS Research.

Investments early in the academic pathway are essential to increasing the diversity of the HIV research workforce. Applied mentored research experiences can advance research skills, self-efficacy, and retention in science among scholars considered to be underrepresented minorities. The UCSF Center for AIDS Research Scholars Program is a 16-week program that pairs URM undergraduate and masters-level students from San Francisco State University with URM investigators from the UCSF. The program includes one-on-one mentorship on an independent research project, a core-curriculum on research methods and HIV-specific topics, and clinical shadowing. We evaluated program outcomes and areas for improvement with preprogram and postprogram survey and qualitative data from scholars and mentors from June to October 2022. Outcomes included interest in HIV research and growth on a 20-item measure of research skills, knowledge, and confidence. Six URM scholars enrolled in the inaugural cohort and were paired with 6 mentors. Preprogram and postprogram evaluations showed gains in interest in HIV research, 0% preprogram and 100% of scholars postprogram reporting much or extensive interest in HIV research, and gains across all domains from self-confidence, skills, and clarification of a research career path. Qualitative findings noted the importance of peer support and interpersonal features of mentors, including treating them like equals. Areas for improvement included more opportunities for primary data collection and specific training around mentoring undergraduates for mentors. The UCSF Center for AIDS Research Scholars Program was successful in building foundational skills, knowledge, confidence, and interest in HIV research among URM undergraduates and masters-level students.

Increasing representation and diversity in health research: A protocol of the MYHealth research training program for high school students.

Despite decades of calls for increased diversity in the health research workforce, disparities exist for many populations, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color individuals, those from low-income families, and first-generation college students. To increase representation of historically marginalized populations, there is a critical need to develop programs that strengthen their path toward health research careers. High school is a critically important time to catalyze interest and rebuild engagement among youth who may have previously felt excluded from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and health research careers. The overall objective of the MYHealth program is to engage high school students in a community-based participatory research program focused on adolescent health. Investigators will work alongside community partners to recruit 9th through 12th graders who self-identify as a member of a group underrepresented in STEM or health research careers (e.g., based on race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, first generation college student, disability, etc.). MYHealth students are trained to be co-researchers who work alongside academic researchers, which will help them to envision themselves as scientists capable of positively impacting their communities through research. Implemented in three phases, the MYHealth program aims to foster a continuing interest in health research careers by developing: 1) researcher identities, 2) scientific literacy, 3) scientific self-efficacy, and 4) teamwork and leadership self-efficacy. In each phase, students will build knowledge and skills in research, ethics, data collection, data analysis, and dissemination. Students will directly collaborate with and be mentored by a team that includes investigators, community advisors, scientific advisors, and youth peers. Each year, a new cohort of up to 70 high school students will be enrolled in MYHealth. We anticipate the MYHealth program will increase interest and persistence in STEM and health research among groups that have been historically excluded in health research careers.

Diversity of undergraduates in STEM courses: individual and demographic differences in changes in self-efficacy, epistemic beliefs, and intrapersonal attribute profiles

ABSTRACT Across undergraduate STEM learning contexts in several countries, students’ intrapersonal attributes of epistemic beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, intrinsic motivation, and sense of identity have been found to influence learning and to change in response to educational practices. However, research can mask individual and demographic differences in student's attributes that may moderate or mediate the relationship between educational practices and learning outcomes. We employed variable-centered and person-centered methods to examine individual and demographic differences in changes in students’ intrapersonal attributes and patterns of interrelationship among attributes with a study sample of students (N = 4,500) in 14 STEM undergraduate courses (8 biology, 4 chemistry, and 2 statistics) at three research universities in the United States. Variable-centered analyses revealed overall increases in students’ science self-efficacy beliefs and epistemic beliefs even though these outcomes were not intentionally targeted as learning objectives. However, person-centered analyses indicated that not all students experienced these gains. For example, self-identified Asian/Pacific Islander and Black students were more likely to be members of groups demonstrating a decrease in science self-efficacy, whereas Asian/Pacific Islander students and men were less likely to be members of the subgroup with consistently evaluativist epistemic beliefs and higher GPAs. Using latent profile analysis (LPA), we identified five distinct student profiles that reflected different patterns of interrelationship of epistemic beliefs, science and writing self-efficacy beliefs, and science identity. We discuss the implications of these findings for educational practices, particularly with regard to intentionally fostering diverse students’ self-efficacy, sense of identity, and adaptive epistemic beliefs.