The role of perceived classroom goal structures, selfefficacy, and the student engagement in seventh grade students' science achievement


Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Matematik ve Fen Bilimleri Eğitimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2014

Öğrenci: FATMA MELİKE HIDIROĞLU

Danışman: SEMRA SUNGUR

Özet:

The aim of this study was to explore how students’ perceptions of classroom goal structures in terms of motivating tasks, autonomy support, and mastery evaluation; their engagement (i.e. behavioral, emotional, cognitive and agentic engagement), and self-efficacy in science are related to their science achievement. For this purpose, a path model was proposed and tested. In the model, it was hypothesized that perceptions of classroom goal structures are related to all aspect of student engagement and self-efficacy directly. It was also suggested that self-efficacy is linked to all aspects of student engagement and science achievement directly. In addition, direct links from each student engagement variable to science achievement were expected. Finally, significant associations were also expected among each aspect of the engagement. A total of 744 seventh grade students (403 girls and 337 boys) participated in the study. According to the results, self-efficacy; behavioral, emotional and cognitive engagement in the science course are significant predictors of science achievement. Additionally, students’ perceptions of classroom goal structures (i.e. motivating tasks, autonomy support, and mastery evaluation) are found to be significant predictors of their science self-efficacy. Furthermore, autonomy support appeared to be positively linked to all aspects of engagement, whereas motivating tasks were just related to cognitive engagement. In addition, mastery evaluation was found to be positively linked to engagement variables except for cognitive engagement. Finally, results revealed reciprocal relations among engagement variables except for agentic engagement.