ERIC Number: EJ735721
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Jul
Pages: 18
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1093-023X
EISSN: N/A
Middle School Students' Self-Efficacy, Attitudes, and Achievement in a Computer-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning Environment
Liu, Min; Hsieh, Peggy (Pei-Hsuan); Cho, Yoonjung; Schallert, Diane
Journal of Interactive Learning Research, v17 n3 p 225-242 Jul 2006
This study examined the effect of a computer-enhanced problem-based learning (PBL) environment on middle school students' learning, investigating the relationship among students' self-efficacy, attitude toward science, and achievement. As Bandura defined it (1986), self-efficacy refers to the beliefs people have about whether or not they can successfully complete a task. From analyses of quantitative and qualitative data, findings indicated an increase in students' science achievement and self-efficacy for learning science after their engagement in a computer-enhanced PBL environment; however, no significant changes were seen in their attitude toward science. Students' attitude toward science and self-efficacy beliefs were positively related to each other. Self-efficacy was shown to be a statistically significant predictor of science achievement scores but attitude was not. In addition, when groups were formed based on a median split of attitude and self-efficacy scores, a significant interaction was found. Among students with low attitude, science achievement scores were significantly higher for the high self-efficacy than for the low self-efficacy group, while students in the high attitude group showed no difference in the achievement scores regardless of their self-efficacy grouping. Results suggested that students' self-efficacy towards science learning could be used to predict achievement. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Middle School Students, Self Efficacy, Academic Achievement, Computer Assisted Instruction, Problem Based Learning, Educational Environment, Science Achievement, Student Attitudes, Problem Solving, Hispanic American Students, African American Students, White Students, Ethnic Groups, Grade 10, Grade 6
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, P.O. Box 1545, Chesapeake, VA 23327-1545. Tel: 757-366-5606.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 10; Grade 6
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A