Influence of individual factors on student science performance in primary education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v28i2.24444Keywords:
academic achievement, student attitude, teacher attitude, anxiety, self-efficacyAbstract
The present paper aims to analyse the effects of individual factors on student science performance in primary education. This is an ex post facto study using the TIMSS 2019 database. The sample comprised 9512 Spanish students undertaking 4th grade primary education (51.6% boys; 48.4% girls) at 535 schools. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the 20 items comprising the student questionnaire on the science teaching and learning process (KMO =.93) were performed. Four factors were identified: student attitude, anxiety and self-efficacy towards the sciences and teacher attitude. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict the influence of student factors on science performance. Outcomes show that student attitudes determine their self-efficacy and that anxiety has a negative impact on performance. Teacher attitude is the most predictive factor regarding performance. The number of books at home which, in itself, is an indicator of socioeconomic status, has a substantial effect on performance. Findings suggest the need to enhance student motivation towards science during the first years of primary education, promote the application of knowledge to solve scientific problems and conduct experiments in Science classes.
Downloads
References
Aguilera, D., & Perales-Palacios, F.J. (2020). What effects do didactic interventions have on students’ attitudes towards science? A meta-analysis. Research in Science Education, 50(4), 573-597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9702-2
Alcántara-Manzanares, J., & López-Fernández, J.A. (2021). Introducción y complementos a la formación en didáctica del medioambiente en educación primaria. En Didáctica del medioambiente en educación primaria (pp. 15-40). Síntesis.
Ardasheva, Y., Carbonneau, K. J., Roo, A. K., & Wang, Z. (2018). Relationships among prior learning, anxiety, self-efficacy, and science vocabulary learning of middle school students with varied English language proficiency. Learning and Individual Differences, 61, 21-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.11.008
Ayuso, N., Fillola, E., Masiá, B., Murillo, A.C., Trillo-Lado, R., Baldassarri, S., Cerezo, E., Ruberte, L., Mariscal, M.D., & Villarroya-Gaudó, M. (2021). Gender gap in STEM: A cross-sectional study of primary school students’ self-perception and test anxiety in mathematics. IEEE Transactions on Education, 64(1), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2020.3004075
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy in changing societies. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910967107
Basto, M., & Pereira, J. M. (2012). An SPSS R-menu for ordinal factor analysis. Journal of Statistical Software, 46(4), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v046.i04
Bidegain, G., & Lukas, J.F. (2020). Exploración de la relación entre actitudes ante las ciencias y el rendimiento en el Programa Internacional para la evaluación de estudiantes (PISA). Revista de Psicodidáctica, 25(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psicod.2019.08.003
Burns, E.C., Martin, A.J., Kennett, R.K., Pearson, J., & Munro-Smith, V. (2021). Optimizing science self-efficacy: A multilevel examination of the moderating effects of anxiety on the relationship between self-efficacy and achievement in science. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 64(2), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101937
Centro Europeo para el Desarrollo de la Formación Profesional (CEDEFOP). (2016). Skill shortage and surplus occupations in Europe. European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. https://doi.org/10.2801/05116
Chmielewski, A.K. (2019). The global increase in the socioeconomic achievement gap, 1964 to 2015. American Sociological Review, 84(3), 517-544. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419847165
Claro, S., Paunesku, D., & Dweck, C.S. (2016). Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(31), 8664-8668. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1608207113
Coleman, J. S., Campbell, E. Q., Hobson, C. J., McPartland, J., Mood, A. M., Weinfeld, F. D., & York, R. L. (1966). Equality of Educational Opportunity. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office.
Croak, M. (2018). The effects of STEM education on economic growth. Union College.
De-Juanas, A., Martín, R., & González, M. (2016). Competencias docentes para desarrollar la competencia científica en Educación Primaria. Bordón. Revista de Pedagogía, 68(2), 103-120. https://doi.org/10.13042/Bordon.2016.68207
Denessen, E., Vos, N., Hasselman, F., & Louws, M. (2015). The relationship between primary school teacher and student attitudes towards science and technology. Education Research International, (534690), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/534690
Dietrichson, J., Bøg, M., Filges, T., & Klint, A.M. (2017). Academic interventions for elementary and middle school students with low socioeconomic status: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 87(2), 243-282. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0034654316687036
Engzell, P. (2021). What do books in the home proxy for? A cautionary tale. Sociological Methods & Research, 50(4), 1487-1514. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0049124119826143
Fauth, B., Decristan, J., Decker, A., Büttner, G., Hardy, I., Klieme, E., & Kunter, M. (2019). The effects of teacher competence on student outcomes in elementary science education: The mediating role of teaching quality. Teaching and Teacher Education, 86(102882), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102882
Gibbons, R. E., Xu, X., Villafañe, S. M., & Raker, J. R. (2018). Testing a reciprocal causation model between anxiety, enjoyment and academic performance in postsecondary organic chemistry. Educational Psychology, 38(6), 838-856. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1447649
Gil-Flores, J. (2014). Metodologías didácticas empleadas en las clases de ciencias y su contribución a la explicación del rendimiento. Revista de Educación, (366), 180- 214. https://doi.org/10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2014-366-271
Gil-Madrona, P., Martínez-López, M., & Sáez-Sánchez, M.B. (2019). Factores objetivos y subjetivos asociados al rendimiento del alumnado español en ciencias en PISA 2015. Cultura y Educación, 31(4), 671-715. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2019.1656485
González, A., Fernández, M.V., & Paoloni, P.V. (2017). Hope and anxiety in physics class: Exploring their motivational antecedents and influence on metacognition and performance. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(5), 558-585. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21377
Grabau, L.G., & Ma, X. (2017). Science engagement and science achievement in the context of science instruction: a multilevel analysis of U.S. students and schools. International Journal of Science Education, 39(8), 1045-1068. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2017.1313468
Guo, J., Marsh, H.W., Parker, P.D., & Dicker, T. (2018). Cross-cultural generalizability of social and dimensional comparison effects on reading, math, and science self-concepts for primary school students using the combined PIRLS and TIMSS data. Learning and Instruction, 58, 210-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2018.07.007
Henschel, S. (2021). Antecedents of science anxiety in elementary school. The Journal of Educational Research, 114(3), 263-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2021.1922989
Jansen, M., Scherer, R., & Schroeders, U. (2015). Students' self-concept and self-efficacy in the sciences: Differential relations to antecedents and educational outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41, 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.11.002
López Rupérez, F. (2001). Preparar el futuro. La educación ante los desafíos de la globalización. La Muralla.
López Rupérez, F., García, I., & Expósito, E. (2019). Rendimiento en ciencias, concepciones epistémicas y vocaciones STEM en las comunidades autónomas españolas. Evidencias desde PISA 2015, políticas y prácticas de mejora. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 77(272), 5-27. https://doi.org/10.22550/REP77-1-2019-09
López Rupérez, F., Expósito-Casas, E., & García García, I. (2021). Educación científica y brecha de género en España en alumnos de 15 años. Análisis secundarios de PISA 2015. Revista Complutense de Educación, 32(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.5209/rced.66090
Mallow, J., Kastrup, H., Bryant, F. B., Hislop, N., Shefner, R., & Udo, M. (2010). Science anxiety, science attitudes, and gender: Interviews from a binational study. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 19(4), 356-369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956- 010-9205-z
Mateos-Núñez, M., Martínez-Borreguero, G., & Naranjo-Correa, F.L. (2020). Comparación de las emociones, actitudes y niveles de autoeficacia ante áreas STEM entre diferentes etapas educativas. European Journal of Education and Psychology, 13(1), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.30552/ejep.v13i1.292
Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. (2022a). Sistema estatal de indicadores de la educación 2021. https://bit.ly/3LC86Kw
Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. (2022b). TIMSS 2019. Estudio Internacional de Tendencias en Matemáticas y Ciencias. Informe Español. https://bit.ly/3lXECvt
Murillo, F. J., & Martínez-Garrido, C. (2020). Correlaciones y análisis de regresión. En F. J. Murillo y C. Martínez-Garrido, Análisis de datos cuantitativos con SPSS en investigación socioeducativa (pp. 83-98). UAM Ediciones.
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO). (2019). Descifrar el código: La educación de las niñas y las mujeres en ciencias, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas (STEM). https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366649
Osborne, J., Simon, S., & Collins, S. (2003). Attitudes towards science: A review of the literature and its implications. International Journal of Science Education, 25(9), 1059-1079. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000032199
Porlán, R. (2018). Didáctica de las ciencias con conciencia. Enseñanza de las ciencias: Revista de Investigación y experiencias didácticas, 36(3), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/ensciencias.2795
Potvin, P., & Hasni, A. (2014). Interest, motivation and attitude towards science and technology at K-12 levels: a systematic review of 12 years of educational research. Studies in Science Education, 50(1), 85-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2014.881626
Ros, G., & Rodríguez, M. T. (2021). Influencia del aula invertida en la formación científica inicial de maestros/as: beneficios en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, actitudes y expectativas hacia las ciencias. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 39(2), 463-482. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.434131
Savelsbergh, E.R., Prins, G, T., Rietbergen, C., Fechner, S., Vaessen, B.E., Draijer, J.M., & Bakker, A. (2016). Effects of innovative science and mathematics teaching on student attitudes and achievement: A meta-analytic study. Educational Research Review, (19), 158-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.07.003
Senler, B. (2016). Pre-service science teachers' self-efficacy: The role of attitude, anxiety and locus of control. Australian Journal of Education, 60(1), 26-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944116629807
Thibaut, L., Knipprath, H., Dehaene, W., & Depaepe, F. (2018). The influence of teachers’ attitudes and school context on instructional practices in integrated STEM education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 71, 190-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.12.014
Toma, R.B., & Meneses, J.A. (2019). Validation of the single-items Spanish-School Science Attitude Survey (S-SSAS) for elementary education. Plos One, 14(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209027
Udo, M., Ramsey, G.P., & Mallow, J.V. (2004). Science anxiety and gender in students taking general education science courses. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 13(4), 435-446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-004-1465-z
Uitto, A. (2014). Interest, attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs explaining upper-secondary school students´ orientation towards biology-related careers. Interest Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 12(6), 1425-1444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-014-9516-2
Unfried, A., Faber, M., Stanhope, D.S., & Wiebe, E. (2015). The development and validation of a measure of student attitudes toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S-STEM). Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33(5), 622-639. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0734282915571160
Van Aalderen-Smeets, S I., & Van der Molen, J. H. (2015). Improving primary teachers’ attitudes toward science by attitude-focused professional development. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(5), 710–734. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21218
Vázquez, A., & Manassero, M.A. (2008). El declive de las actitudes hacia la ciencia de los estudiantes: un indicador inquietante para la educación científica. Revista Eureka sobre Enseñanza y Divulgación de las Ciencias, 5(3), 274-292. http://doi.org/10.25267/Rev_Eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc.2008.v5.i3.03
Wan, Z.H. (2021). Exploring the effects of intrinsic motive, utilitarian motive, and self-efficacy on students’ science learning in the classroom using the expectancy-value theory. Research in Science Education, 51(3), 647-659. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9811-y
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 RELIEVE-Revista Electr´ónica de Investigación y Evaluación Educativa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors grant non-exclusive rights of exploitation of works published to RELIEVE and consent to be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial Use 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC 4.0), which allows third parties to use the published material whenever the authorship of the work and the source of publication is mentioned, and it is used for non-commercial purposes.
The authors can reach other additional and independent contractual agreements, for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (for example, by including it in an institutional repository or publishing it in a book), as long as it is clearly stated that the Original source of publication is this magazine.
Authors are encouraged to disseminate their work after it has been published, through the internet (for example, in institutional archives online or on its website) which can generate interesting exchanges and increase work appointments.
The fact of sending your paper to RELIEVE implies that you accept these conditions.
