The Effects of Student’s Attitudes and Self-Efficacy on Science Achievement

Abstract

One of the critical subjects in school that needs to be assessed is a science subject. Without a science subject, students cannot observe and understand a phenomenon on earth. However, results from an international study such as Trends International in Mathematics and Science (TIMSS), students in Indonesia performed poorly compared to students from another country. Furthermore, science is one of the essential education for children as it included in the STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). From some empirical evidence, student’s attitude and self-efficacy (beliefs about their ability and skill) were found to be dominant predictors of student’s achievement, not excluded, science achievement. However, most of the research analyses the data under conventional regression analysis. Instead of under the structural modelling, and so the results can be considered carefully. This research will analyze a science achievement of Indonesian cohort, and the predictors would be self-efficacy, student’s attitudes toward science, school and teaching. Five hundred seventy-six data of students would be examined path analysis to answer the research questions. The results were found that both student’s attitude and self-efficacy had a significant direct role in determining student achievement in science. To be specific, attitude towards science had the most significant impact on science achievement, over self-efficacy. However, interestingly, the pattern of the effect from those predictors was different toward Science achievement. The practical aspects of the results of this study will be discussed in the discussion section.