SCIENCE TEACHERS' EFFICACY BELIEFS, MASTERY-FOCUSED INSTRUCTION, AND STUDENTS' EFFICACY BELIEFS: A MULTILEVEL STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL

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  • March 19, 2019
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  • Booker, Belle
    • Affiliation: School of Education
Abstract
  • Given the rigor of science learning continues to gain momentum with the Next Generation Science Standard reforms (National Research Council, NRC, 2013), never before has it been so essential to inspire, motivate, and properly prepare the next generation of scientifically literate, innovative thinkers. Applying a lens of Self Efficacy theory (Banura, 1977), this investigation combined science education and educational psychology literatures to examine how proximal processes (Hamre & Pianta, 2010) operate within the context of the high school science classroom. A large scale, national data set (i.e., High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, Ingles et al., 2011) and multilevel structural equation modeling (Muthen & Muthen, 2007) was used to explore (a) the degree to which science teachers' efficacy beliefs, teacher and student perceptions of the instructional environment, and students' efficacy beliefs for science learning are related and (b) whether or not student and teacher perceptions of mastery-focused instruction (Meece, Anderman, & Anderman, 2003) partially mediate the relation between science teachers' efficacy beliefs and students' efficacy beliefs for science learning. A sample of 3,557 Biology students and their teachers was used for analyses. Statistically significant results indicated teachers' efficacy beliefs predicted teachers' perceptions of their use of mastery-focused instructional practices in science; science teachers' efficacy beliefs predicted students' efficacy beliefs for science learning; and within classrooms, students' perceptions of their teacher's use of mastery-focused instruction predicted students' efficacy beliefs for science learning. However, between classrooms, students' perceptions of mastery-focused instruction did not predict students' efficacy beliefs for science learning, teachers' efficacy beliefs did not predict students' perceptions of mastery-focused instruction, and teachers' perceptions of mastery-focused instruction did not predict students' efficacy beliefs for science learning. Taken together, findings highlight the importance of individual differences in student perceptions of the classroom instructional environment and the motivational beliefs of science teachers in contributing to high school students' motivation for science learning. Contributions for science education and educational psychology and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • DiBiase, Warren
  • Ware, William
  • Hamm, Jill
  • Anderson, Janice
  • Meece, Judith L.
Degree
  • Doctor of Philosophy
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2014
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  • Chapel Hill, NC
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  • There are no restrictions to this item.
Date uploaded
  • April 22, 2015

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