A Multilevel Modelling Approach to Investigating Factors Impacting Science Achievement for Secondary School Students: PISA Hong Kong Sample

Sun, Letao; Bradley, Kelly D.; Akers, Kathryn Shirley

doi:10.1080/09500693.2012.708063

Cited by 97 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…School policies should focus on encouraging the active involvement of parents in the educational process. In line with other studies 35,36 , we found that higher levels of home SES were related to more positive attitudes about science. This result is a concern, as a large percentage of South African students come from households with low home SES.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…33,34 Students from high SES families are more likely to achieve better results in science 35,36 , and students who attend schools where their peers come from higher SES families also outperform their peers at schools with lower concentrations of wealth. 37 Students from families with higher SES have more home resources, such as computers and books, as well as 'social capital' in terms of supportive relationships among schools and individuals which highlight societal norms and values, which lead to school success.…”

Section: Volume 114 | Number 7/8mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…37 Students from families with higher SES have more home resources, such as computers and books, as well as 'social capital' in terms of supportive relationships among schools and individuals which highlight societal norms and values, which lead to school success. 34,36,38 …”

Section: Volume 114 | Number 7/8mentioning

confidence: 99%

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I believe I can do science: Self-efficacy and science achievement of Grade 9 students in South Africa

Juan¹,

Hannan²,

Namome³

2018

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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An important component of an individual’s scientific literacy is a positive attitude towards science. However, emphasis is too often placed on achievement scores rather than attitude. While individuals’ relative levels of problem-solving skills, inherent aptitudes for the subject matter and teaching practices are conveyed through achievement scores, attitudes to science convey individuals’ emotional evaluation of the subject. Attitudes have a strong impact on behaviour: through either facilitating the learning process or hindering it. Furthermore, attitudes towards science reflect the culture which exists within a school, as well as the wider social context within which learning takes place. As a result, understanding attitudes is a key component of the interpretation of achievement results. We used data from 12 514 Grade 9 students in South Africa who participated in the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to investigate students’ self-efficacy in science. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to address the following key research questions: (1) What is the relationship between self-efficacy and science achievement for Grade 9 students in South Africa? and (2) What are the contextual factors associated with the self-efficacy of Grade 9 students in South Africa? The findings reveal a positive relationship between self-efficacy and science achievement and suggest a need to also focus on noncognitive aspects in order to improve science achievement. Significance: • The study contributes to understanding the determinants of science performance at school. • The findings highlight the importance of non-cognitive dimensions in science achievement at school. • The findings have policy implications for education programmes and teachers in relation to interventions which incorporate non-cognitive dimensions.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Volume 114 | Number 7/8mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

I believe I can do science: Self-efficacy and science achievement of Grade 9 students in South Africa

Juan¹,

Hannan²,

Namome³

2018

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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“…Conclusions are drawn from group mean comparisons (intervention versus control). It is important to consider that, according to Sun, Bradley, and Akers (2012), gender, socio economic status (SES), motivation, and self-efficacy, among others, account for students' achievements. Second, even when the effect may be attributed to classroom argumentative talk, the studies do not enable conclusions to be drawn about the differential effects of discussions of contradictory ideas versus other forms of argumentation.…”

Section: Argumentation For Science Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Argumentation in Whole-Class Teaching and Science Learning

2014

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Peers' discussion of contradictory ideas has been proven to promote students' learning. Some empirical evidence suggests that whole-class argumentation has similar benefits, but there is no clarity yet on whether discussion accounts for this effect. This study aimed at testing the effects of different aspects of whole-class argumentation on science learning. A non-probabilistic sample of 220 students (aged 10 to 11 years) from 18 public schools in Santiago, Chile, participated in the study. Eleven teachers delivered lessons according to a teaching programme especially developed to foster argumentation (intervention group) and 7 teachers delivered lessons in their usual way (control group). Students were assessed individually using pre-and post-measures of learning, argumentative skills and attitudes toward science. The two formers were tests and the latter was a questionnaire. Lessons were videotaped. Factorial analysis and linear regression were conducted. Results showed that 2 factors predict a portion of the variance on learning: one factor composed of justificatory utterances and the other of students' counter-arguments. These results suggest that contradiction among peers is not the only aspect of classroom argumentation that prompts learning.Keywords: argumentation, science learning, discussion, dialogic teaching, effective teaching La discusión de ideas contrarias entre estudiantes promueve el aprendizaje en ciencias. Existe evidencia que sugiere que la argumentación en clase completa tendría el mismo efecto, pero no está claro aún que se deba a la discusión. Este estudio evaluó el efecto de distintos aspectos de la argumentación en clase completa en el aprendizaje de ciencias. En una muestra no probabilística participaron 220 estudiantes (10 y 11 años de edad) de 18 escuelas municipales de Santiago, Chile. Once profesores dieron clases diseñadas para promover argumentación (grupo intervención) y 7 profesores lo hicieron en su forma habitual (grupo control). Los estudiantes fueron evaluados individualmente antes y después con pruebas de aprendizaje y argumentación y cuestionario de actitud hacia la ciencia. Se grabaron las clases. A través de análisis factoriales y regresiones lineares, los resultados mostraron que 2 factores predicen una parte de la varianza del aprendizaje: uno compuesto por enunciados justificativos y otro, por contra-argumentos de los estudiantes. Estos resultados sugieren que la contradicción entre pares no es el único aspecto de la argumentación en clase completa que promueve el aprendizaje.

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“…achievement went up as school size increased) were conducted in secondary education (Bradley & Taylor, 1998;Foreman-Peck & Foreman-Peck, 2006;Lubienski, Lubienski & Crane, 2008;Sun, Bradley & Akers, 2012). The only study conducted in primary education that indicated a positive effect as well was the study by Borland & Howsen (2003).…”

Section: School Size Measured As a Continuous Variablementioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of school size, leadership, evaluation, and time on student outcomes

Hendriks¹

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A Multilevel Modelling Approach to Investigating Factors Impacting Science Achievement for Secondary School Students: PISA Hong Kong Sample

Cited by 97 publications

References 28 publications

I believe I can do science: Self-efficacy and science achievement of Grade 9 students in South Africa

I believe I can do science: Self-efficacy and science achievement of Grade 9 students in South Africa

Argumentation in Whole-Class Teaching and Science Learning

The influence of school size, leadership, evaluation, and time on student outcomes

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