Students' self-concept and self-efficacy in the sciences: Differential relations to antecedents and educational outcomes

Read at home to do well at school: informal reading predicts achievement and motivation in English as a foreign language

Introduction

Learning English as a foreign language is necessary for many students to actively participate in an increasingly globalized world. This study explores the role of informal English language engagement for students' reading and listening skills, as well as motivation to learn English. In an era of global interconnectedness, informal learning gains importance as a supplement to formal education.

Methods

This study extends the evidence base by analyzing extramural reading and listening activities in a large-scale longitudinal investigation involving secondary school learners (N = 1,994) in Germany.

Results

Our results show that frequent informal reading significantly relates to increases in students' English comprehension skills and their motivation for language learning, reaffirming previous cross-sectional findings.

Discussion

The results highlight the relevance of informal language activities for effective language learning and students' English as a foreign language motivation. Additionally, discrepancies between reading and listening outcomes are discussed.

Sources of mathematics self-efficacy: The interactive role of parental education and perceptions of teachers

Using US National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) data, we explore how parental education and primary students' perceptions of their teachers interact to impact students' self-efficacy in mathematics. Our results demonstrate that students tend to have higher self-efficacy if they perceive that their teacher promotes the importance of mathematics. This relationship holds regardless of parental education, though it is strongest for children of parents without a university education. Children of less educated parents also tend to have lower self-efficacy if they attend private schools, which typically have high average parental socio-economic status (SES). School type has no discernable impact on children of university-educated parents. These findings are highly relevant to the Canadian context, which is characterized by schools being stratified by SES and the high importance of STEM education for occupational outcomes.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Neuroscience and Education—Do Freshmen and Advanced Students Differ in Their Ability to Identify Myths?

Addressing and creating awareness on the topic of neuromyths in educational sciences has increased in recent years. We know very little about how widespread the belief in neuromyths is among pre-service teacher students and whether this belief affects their subsequent approach to teaching and consequently possibly also the performance of their students. The aim of the study was to analyze students’ belief in neuromyths, focusing on differences between freshmen ( N  = 82) and advanced students ( N  = 74) studying in pre-service teacher education. Using a questionnaire approach, students had to judge whether given statements were objectively wrong (i.e., “Neuromyths”) or objectively correct (i.e., “Neurofacts”). They could also choose the option “I don’t know”. For each statement, we asked students to indicate how self-confident they were about their answer. Furthermore, students’ self-assessment of their need for cognition and ability-related academic self-concept was measured. Results reveal no significant difference between freshmen and advanced students for identifying the myths correctly, but a significant difference for identifying the facts correctly, showing that freshmen identified slightly more facts correctly than advanced students. Self-confidence plays an important role here, as we see that within the master students, students with high self-confidence values identified more facts correctly.

Disentangling the Association Between the Big Five Personality Traits and Student Achievement: Meta-Analytic Evidence on the Role of Domain Specificity and Achievement Measures

Students’ academic achievement is a central predictor of a long list of important educational outcomes, such as access to higher education and socioeconomic success. Prior studies have extensively focused on identifying variables that are related to academic achievement and an important variable in this context appears to be students’ personality. Notably, although findings from more recent studies suggested that the association between student achievement and personality varies by the subject domain (language vs. STEM) and the type of achievement measure (grades vs. test scores), systematic meta-analytical evidence is still lacking. To address this gap in the educational research literature, we conducted a meta-analysis based on 78 studies, with 1491 effect sizes representing data from 500,218 students and 110 samples from elementary to high school. We used a random-effects model with robust variance estimation to calculate mean effect sizes and standard deviations. We found moderating effects of measure or domain for all five personality traits, with differences in the direction of the effects. Our results highlight the importance of the domain and measure when examining how personality traits relate to academic achievement in school. The combination of subject domain and achievement was also found to be relevant for some of the traits. These findings emphasize that subject domains and types of achievement measures should be explicitly considered when investigating the personality saturation of student achievement. We discuss implications for future research, highlighting that there is no “best” or “more objective” achievement measure but, instead, that achievement measures should be chosen based on the research question of interest.

I am done with this! Women dropping out of engineering majors

Women are still underrepresented in STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). One of the possible drivers behind this gender gap in the labour market is the female dropout from STEM education. The causes of the gender differences in the persistence of pursuing STEM studies have been explained by multiple factors related to interest and resolution in this type of career. The goal of the present research is to study the Engineering persistence gender gap in higher education by exploring the main factors underlying the leakage in the pipeline of Engineering fields. Our study reports the results of 34 qualitative in-depth interviews where internal barriers, stereotypes and external obstacles are assessed by women who have left their university degrees, compared with men who have withdrawn and women who have persisted. Results from the content analysis suggest that the undermining of persistence in Engineering fields is related to factors such as the chilly and hostile environment in classes or the workload from an excessively demanding curriculum. Other factors affecting women’s withdrawal are the lack of role models and the perceived incongruity between the female gender role and STEM roles in society, leading to a weakening of female students’ self-efficacy and eroding their sense of belongingness, even making them consider dropping out of their Engineering degree. These findings provide information for the design of future STEM interventions aimed to enhance women’s persistence in STEM university studies.

Validity and Reliability of Adapted Self-Efficacy Scales in Malaysian Context Using PLS-SEM Approach

Self-efficacy scales have been used widely across curriculum and demographic structures, while retaining their objectivity in a specific domain. This pilot study aimed to test the validity and reliability of adapted scales that incorporated four sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and emotional and physiological states), as well as science self-efficacy in the Malaysian context. A total of 109 students participated in this study. Data were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), by using the partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The reliability criteria were determined through outer loading and composite reliability (CR). The assessment of convergent validity was performed using the average variance extracted (AVE), while the discriminant validity of this instrument was confirmed using the heterotrait–monotrait criterion (HTMT), along with the bootstrapping procedure. The CR values were at a satisfactory level, and two indicators were eliminated (PM3 and PMPR6) to improve the AVE values of the construct. All the values were assessed in the HTMT criterion, along with the confidence intervals in the range recommended to prove discriminant validity. The assessment of validity and reliability, through PLS-SEM, indicated that the scales used in this study are valid and statistically reliable.

Cross-cultural differences in academic self-efficacy and its sources across socialization contexts

This study investigated how as reported by Bandura (Self-efficacy: The exercise of control Freeman, 1997) sources of self-efficacy differ across socialization contexts for German students with diverse immigrant backgrounds. We measured all four sources of academic self-efficacy in three socialization contexts for students of former Soviet Union and Turkish descent as well as without an immigrant background, assuming that we would find differences between these groups. Participants were 1217 seventh-grade students in Germany. Multigroup structural equation analyses with latent variables revealed the differential importance of socialization contexts for the relation between academic self-efficacy and its sources across groups. For students of former Soviet Union and Turkish descent, verbal or social persuasion is the strongest contributing factor for academic self-efficacy, whereas for students without an immigrant background, it is mastery experience. In the school context, significant relationships between sources of self-efficacy and academic self-efficacy could only be observed for students without an immigrant background. The results both support and refine Bandura’s social cognitive theory by showing that self-related constructs function differently in students with culturally diverse immigrant backgrounds.

Absolute and comparative risk assessments: evidence for the utility of incorporating internal comparisons into models of risk perception

Numerous health behavior models have emphasized absolute risk perceptions as prominent predictors of future behavior and intentions, but more recent research has shown that people also attend to comparative risk information. While most research highlights external (social) comparisons as the primary way people contextualize risk, it is also possible that people use internal comparisons, such as comparing their current risk to their past risk (temporal comparisons) or comparing their risk for one health threat to their risk for another health threat (dimensional comparisons).Objective: The current research sought to examine differences in absolute, external, and internal comparative risk perceptions across a variety of health threats.Design: This study utilized a cross-sectional design wherein participants completed all study materials online. Main outcome measures: MTurk workers (N = 654) responded to questions about absolute and comparative risk perceptions, concern, and precautionary intentions.Results: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that although absolute risk perceptions were positively associated with concern and precautionary intentions for all health threats, comparative risk perceptions also accounted for unique variance in all models. Internal comparisons were uniquely associated with concern and intentions even when accounting for absolute and external comparative risk perceptions in nearly all models.Conclusion: These findings provide the first systematic evidence for the utility of incorporating internal comparisons into models of risk perception.

Gender Differences and Roles of Two Science Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Predicting Post-College Outcomes

The end of college is a key transition point when students prepare for the workforce or graduate school, and when competence beliefs that have been shaped throughout college play a particularly important role in decision-making processes. This study examined the roles of two competence beliefs, self-efficacy for scientific tasks and science academic self-efficacy, during the final year of college. A structural equation model was used to examine science research self-efficacy and science academic self-efficacy as predictors of post-graduation science career intentions and life satisfaction; prior achievement was also included as a predictor of competence beliefs and post-graduation outcomes. Findings indicated that both types of self-efficacy predicted career intentions and life satisfaction. To better understand the processes that contribute to gender gaps in certain science careers, gender differences in mean levels of self-efficacy and in the structural relations among the variables of interest were examined using multi-group analyses. Females reported lower academic self-efficacy, despite having similar levels of prior achievement and outcomes; structural relations also appeared to vary by gender. Results extend theoretical understanding of the roles of two distinct forms of self-efficacy and the potential mechanisms explaining gender gaps in science fields.

Development and Predictive Validity of the Computational Thinking Disposition Questionnaire

Providing humans with quality education is regarded as one of the core pillars supporting the sustainable development of the world. The idea of computational thinking (CT) brings an innovative inspiration for people to adapt to our intelligent, changing society. It has been globally viewed as crucial that 21st-century learners should acquire the necessary skills to solve real-world problems effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have revealed that the nurture of CT should not only focus on thinking skills, but also on dispositions. Fostering students’ CT dispositions requires the cultivation of their confidence and persistence in dealing with complex problems. However, most of the existing measurement methods related to CT pivot on gauging thinking skills rather than dispositions. The framework of the CT disposition measurement model proposed in this paper was developed based on three theoretical features of thinking dispositions: Inclination, capability, and sensitivity. A two-phase analysis was conducted in this study. With the participation of 640 Grade 5 students in Hong Kong, a three-dimensional construct of the measurement model was extracted via exploratory factor analysis (16 items). The measurement model was further validated with another group of 904 Grade 5 students by confirmative factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results align with the theoretical foundation of thinking dispositions. In addition, a CT knowledge test was introduced to explore the influences between students’ CT dispositions and their CT knowledge understanding.

Academic Achievement, Self-Concept, Personality and Emotional Intelligence in Primary Education. Analysis by Gender and Cultural Group

A review of the scientific literature shows that many studies have analyzed the relationship between academic achievement and different psychological constructs, such as self-concept, personality, and emotional intelligence. The present work has two main objectives. First, to analyze the academic achievement, as well as the self-concept, personality and emotional intelligence, according to gender and cultural origin of the participants (European vs. Amazigh). Secondly, to identify what dimensions of self-concept, personality and emotional intelligence predict academic achievement. For this, a final sample consisting of 407 students enrolled in the last 2 years of Primary Education were utilized for the study. By gender, 192 were boys (47.2%) and 215 girls (52.8%), with an average age of 10.74 years old. By cultural group, 142 were of European origin (34.9%) and 265 of Amazigh origin (65.1%). The academic achievements were evaluated from the grades obtained in three school subjects: Natural Sciences, Spanish Language and Literature, and Mathematics, and the instruments used for data collection of the psychological constructs analyzed were the Self-Concept Test-Form 5, the Short-Form Big Five Questionnaire for Children, and the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version-Short. Based on the objectives set, first, the grades in the subject of Spanish Language and Literature varied depending on the gender of the students. Likewise, differences were found in self-concept, personality, and emotional intelligence according to gender. Also, the physical self-concept varied according to the cultural group. Regarding the second objective, in the predictive analysis for each of the subjects of the curriculum of Primary Education, the academic self-concept showed a greater predictive value. However, so did other dimensions of self-concept, personality and emotional intelligence. The need to carry out a comprehensive education in schools that addresses the promotion of not only academic but also personal and social competences is discussed. Also, that the study of the variables that affect gender differences must be deepened.

Assessing Self-Efficacy in Presentation and Moderation Skills

Abstract. By means of two studies, a self-report measure to assess self-efficacy in presentation and moderation skills, the SEPM scales, was validated. In study 1, factorial and construct validity were examined. A sample of 744 university students (41% females; more than 50% between 20 and 25 years) completed newly constructed self-efficacy items. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) substantiated two positively correlated factors, presentation (SEPM-P) and moderation self-efficacy (SEPM-M). Each factor consists of eight items. The correlation patterns between the two SEPM subscales and related constructs such as extraversion, the preference for cooperative learning, and conflict management indicated adequate construct validity. In study 2, criterion validity was determined by means of latent change modeling. One hundred sixty students ( Mage = 24.40, SD = 4.04; 61% females) took part in a university course to foster key competences and completed the SEPM scales at the beginning and the end of the semester. Presentation and moderation self-efficacy increased significantly over time of which the latter was positively associated with the performance in a practical moderation exam. Across both studies, reliability of the scales was high, ranging from McDonald’s ω .80 to .88.

Effect of synchronous web-based teaching combined with visually creative teaching under the background of information science

Purpose

The paper aims to study the effects of the combination of synchronous Web-based teaching with visually creative teaching on art students’ creativity. The twenty-first century is the society of information technology and knowledge-based economy. To cope with the information society, teaching methods would be changed. Traditional chalk and talk can no longer adapt to the changing society. In addition to passing down the tradition, new ideas should also be introduced. In the informational age, the internet becomes an essential living element and synchronous Web-based teaching breaks through the obstacle of space, provides instant and multiple communication channels and creates alternative creativity learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

With experimental design, totally, 208 students in Fujian University of Technology, as the research objects, were led to a 15-week (3 hours per week for total 45 hours) experimental teaching. The study uses analysis of variance for discussing the effect of synchronous Web-based teaching on art students’ creativity and further understanding the effect of the combination of synchronous Web-based teaching with visually creative teaching on art students’ creativity.

Findings

The research results show significant effects of synchronous Web-based teaching on creativity, visually creative teaching on creativity and the combination of synchronous Web-based teaching with visually creative teaching on the promotion of creativity.

Research limitations/implications

First, the sample size taken in this study was not large enough to fully reflect the results of the study. The survey sample didn’t cover all the major cities in China, which had a small coverage and couldn’t reflect the research situation of the whole country. Second, the evaluation criteria for artistic students’ creativity were too broad. More specific evaluation rules should be set and the creativity standards should be graded to better guide the implementation of art courses and the cultivation of students’ creativity.

Practical implications

The synchronous Web-based learning environment provides favorable individual thinking space to effectively reduce disturbance among classmates. Synchronous Web-based teaching shares sound, pictures and even films with each other to enrich the learning media. What is more, teachers would be more convenient and fast to deal with materials or handouts or rapidly updating materials and avoiding the loss of handouts.

Originality/value

This paper studied the effects of the combination of synchronous Web-based teaching with visually creative teaching on art students’ creativity, which was a meaningful and innovative topic. And this study can provide more enlightenment and reference for future education.

Student Learning Dispositions: Multidimensional Profiles Highlight Important Differences among Undergraduate STEM Honors Thesis Writers

Various personal dimensions of students-particularly motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and epistemic beliefs-can change in response to teaching, affect student learning, and be conceptualized as learning dispositions. We propose that these learning dispositions serve as learning outcomes in their own right; that patterns of interrelationships among these specific learning dispositions are likely; and that differing constellations (or learning disposition profiles) may have meaningful implications for instructional practices. In this observational study, we examine changes in these learning dispositions in the context of six courses at four institutions designed to scaffold undergraduate thesis writing and promote students' scientific reasoning in writing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We explore the utility of cluster analysis for generating meaningful learning disposition profiles and building a more sophisticated understanding of students as complex, multidimensional learners. For example, while students' self-efficacy beliefs about writing and science increased across capstone writing courses on average, there was considerable variability at the level of individual students. When responses on all of the personal dimensions were analyzed jointly using cluster analysis, several distinct and meaningful learning disposition profiles emerged. We explore these profiles in this work and discuss the implications of this framework for describing developmental trajectories of students' scientific identities.

Modeling competence development in the presence of selection bias

A major challenge for representative longitudinal studies is panel attrition, because some respondents refuse to continue participating across all measurement waves. Depending on the nature of this selection process, statistical inferences based on the observed sample can be biased. Therefore, statistical analyses need to consider a missing-data mechanism. Because each missing-data model hinges on frequently untestable assumptions, sensitivity analyses are indispensable to gauging the robustness of statistical inferences. This article highlights contemporary approaches for applied researchers to acknowledge missing data in longitudinal, multilevel modeling and shows how sensitivity analyses can guide their interpretation. Using a representative sample of N = 13,417 German students, the development of mathematical competence across three years was examined by contrasting seven missing-data models, including listwise deletion, full-information maximum likelihood estimation, inverse probability weighting, multiple imputation, selection models, and pattern mixture models. These analyses identified strong selection effects related to various individual and context factors. Comparative analyses revealed that inverse probability weighting performed rather poorly in growth curve modeling. Moreover, school-specific effects should be acknowledged in missing-data models for educational data. Finally, we demonstrated how sensitivity analyses can be used to gauge the robustness of the identified effects.

Observing the World Through Your Own Lenses - The Role of Perceived Adaptability for Epistemological Beliefs About the Development of Scientific Knowledge

Students are exposed to vast amounts of information and knowledge that is rapidly changing. This exposure requires them to be adaptive, that is, to constantly adjust their thinking, behavior, and even their affect to successfully solve information-rich and knowledge-lean problems. Considering these developments, the purpose of the present study is twofold: First, it is aimed at exploring the link between students’ beliefs about their adaptability in an ever-changing world and their beliefs about the changing nature of scientific knowledge, thus linking two educationally relevant belief systems. Second, this study further explores validity issues related to the well-established and commonly used “Epistemological Beliefs about the Development of Scientific Knowledge (EBDE)” scale. Performing structural equation modeling on a large-scale data set of 1,662 Norwegian tenth-grade students, we estimated the correlations among different aspects of adaptability (i.e., cognitive-behavioral and affective-emotional adaptability) and EBDE. Moving beyond these correlations, we tested whether students’ perceived adaptability had an impact on the functioning of EBDE items by means of moderated factor analysis. Our analyses revealed that adaptability was associated with sophisticated EBDE in science, and the EB scale functioned differently with respect to different adaptability scores. The results of this study indicate that students perceive the development of scientific knowledge through the lenses of their own adaptability. Furthermore, the differential functioning of the EBDE scale challenges its validity.

Validating Common Measures of Self-Efficacy and Career Attitudes within Informal Health Education for Middle and High School Students

A common challenge in the evaluation of K-12 science education is identifying valid scales that are an appropriate fit for both a student's age and the educational outcomes of interest. Though many new scales have been validated in recent years, there is much to learn about the appropriate educational contexts and audiences for these measures. This study investigated two such scales, the DEVISE Self-Efficacy for Science scale and the Career Interest Questionnaire (CIQ), within the context of two related health sciences projects. Consistent patterns were found in the reliability of each scale across three age groups (middle school, high school, early college) and within the context of each project. As expected, self-efficacy and career interest, as measured through these scales, were found to be correlated. The pattern of results for CIQ scores was also similar to that reported in other literature. This study provides examples of how practitioners can validate established measures for new and specific contexts and provides some evidence to support the use of the scales studied in health science education contexts.

Akademische Selbstkonzepte und akademische Selbstwirksamkeiten: Interdependenzen und Beziehungen zu schulischen Leistungen

Zusammenfassung. Selbstkonzept und Selbstwirksamkeit sind zwei wichtige pädagogisch-psychologische Konstrukte. Über ihre gegenseitige Beziehung und diskriminanten und inkrementellen Vorhersagevaliditäten für schulische Leistungen ist nur wenig bekannt, weil sie zumeist separat analysiert wurden (entweder Selbstkonzept oder Selbstwirksamkeit). Untersucht wurden die Interdependenzen von drei schulfachspezifischen akademischen Selbstkonzeptskalen und drei schulfachspezifischen akademischen Selbstwirksamkeitsskalen sowie deren statistische Vorhersagekraft für Schulleistungen (Zensuren). Die Fächer waren Englisch, Geschichte und Mathematik. Untersucht wurden N = 825 Jugendliche, die chinesische Mittelschulen besuchten (Alter: M = 14.46 Jahre, SD = 0.79). Konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen (CFA) belegten einerseits in jedem Schulfach zwei separate akademische „Selbst“-Faktoren (Selbstkonzept und Selbstwirksamkeit) und andererseits innerhalb eines jeden „Selbst“-Konstrukts drei Schulfachfaktoren (Englisch, Geschichte und Mathematik). Eine gemeinsame CFA über alle „Selbst“-Items führte zu sechs prägnanten Dimensionen: drei fachspezifische Selbstkonzeptfaktoren und drei fachspezifische Selbstwirksamkeitsfaktoren. Sparsamere Alternativmodelle waren weniger gut mit den Daten vereinbar. Entsprechend zusammengestellte Skalen hatten gute psychometrische Kennwerte. Multiple Regressionsanalysen und Kommunalitätenanalysen zeigten, dass die akademischen Selbstkonzeptskalen die erfassten Schulzensuren wesentlich besser statistisch vorhersagten als akademischen Selbstwirksamkeitsskalen. Die von beiden „Selbst“-Skalen gemeinsam aufgeklärten (d. h. nicht weiter aufteilbaren) Schulleistungsvarianzen betrugen 29.9 % (Englisch), 17.0 % (Geschichte) und 31.5 % (Mathematik). Die spezifischen (d. h. nicht mit der jeweiligen anderen „Selbst“-Skala konfundierten) Varianzaufklärungen lagen für die akademischen Selbstkonzepte bzw. akademischen Selbstwirksamkeiten bei 5.3 % bzw. 3.4 % (Englisch), bei 8.0 % bzw. 0.4 % (Geschichte) und bei 8.1 %. bzw. 1.8 % (Mathematik). Die Diskussion betont die große Relevanz der Schulfächer für die konzeptuelle und empirische Differenzierbarkeit sowie die Validität der beiden „Selbst“-Konstrukte.

Going to College? Latina/Latino High School Students’ College-Going Self-Efficacy and Educational Goals

This study investigated the contributions of academic performance and college-going support and barriers in predicting college-going self-efficacy and educational goals among Latina/Latino high school students. Concerns regarding assessment and measurement issues in prior research were addressed. Findings suggested that grade point average was the most important contributor of both college-going self-efficacy and educational goals. In addition, college-going support from family moderated the relationship between grade point average and college-going self-efficacy, such that for students with a high grade point average, high levels of support were related to higher self-efficacy, while students with a high grade point average but lower support had lower self-efficacy. Levels of family support were less important with regard to efficacy and goals for students with a lower grade point average, who tended to have low college-going self-efficacy. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for future research and practice are provided.

Self-Perceived Competence and Test Anxiety

Abstract. Extrapolating from social-cognitive theory, this research examined whether academic self-efficacy mediates the association between academic self-concept and the four facets of test anxiety (worry, interference, lack of confidence, emotionality) in a large sample of adolescent students (N = 845; Mage = 15.32; SD = 0.49) from Brandenburg, Germany. Quantitative data structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze these associations. Results showed that there are negative relations between academic self-concept and three facets of test anxiety (namely interference, lack of confidence, emotionality), which are mitigated through academic self-efficacy. All three identified indirect effects revealed full mediation. Overall, the current study extends the literature on test anxiety in education settings by highlighting the importance of academic self-efficacy for prevention and intervention strategies that aim to reduce adolescents’ feelings of test anxiety, as academic self-efficacy fully mediates the association between academic self-concept and three facets of test anxiety, except for worry.

The Quest for Comparability: Studying the Invariance of the Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES) Measure across Countries

Teachers’ self-efficacy is an important motivational construct that is positively related to a variety of outcomes for both the teachers and their students. This study addresses challenges associated with the commonly used ‘Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES)’ measure across countries and provides a synergism between substantive research on teachers’ self-efficacy and the novel methodological approach of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). These challenges include adequately representing the conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy in a measurement model (cross-loadings) and comparing means and factor structures across countries (measurement invariance). On the basis of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 data set comprising 32 countries (N = 164,687), we investigate the effects of cross-loadings in the TSES measurement model on the results of measurement invariance testing and the estimation of relations to external constructs (i.e., working experience, job satisfaction). To further test the robustness of our results, we replicate the 32-countries analyses for three selected sub-groups of countries (i.e., Nordic, East and South-East Asian, and Anglo-Saxon country clusters). For each of the TALIS 2013 participating countries, we found that the factor structure of the self-efficacy measure is better represented by ESEM than by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models that do not allow for cross-loadings. For both ESEM and CFA, only metric invariance could be achieved. Nevertheless, invariance levels beyond metric invariance are better achieved with ESEM within selected country clusters. Moreover, the existence of cross-loadings did not affect the relations between the dimensions of teachers’ self-efficacy and external constructs. Overall, this study shows that a conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy exists and can be well-represented by ESEM. We further argue for the cross-cultural generalizability of the corresponding measurement model.

The Impact of Personality Factors and Preceding User Comments on the Processing of Research Findings on Deep Brain Stimulation: A Randomized Controlled Experiment in a Simulated Online Forum

Background

Laypeople frequently discuss medical research findings on Web-based platforms, but little is known about whether they grasp the tentativeness that is inherent in these findings. Potential influential factors involved in understanding medical tentativeness have hardly been assessed to date.

Objective

The research presented here aimed to examine the effects of personality factors and of other users’ previous contributions in a Web-based forum on laypeople’s understanding of the tentativeness of medical research findings, using the example of research on deep brain stimulation.

Methods

We presented 70 university students with an online news article that reported findings on applying deep brain stimulation as a novel therapeutic method for depression, which participants were unfamiliar with. In a randomized controlled experiment, we manipulated the forum such that the article was either accompanied by user comments that addressed the issue of tentativeness, by comments that did not address this issue, or the article was accompanied by no comments at all. Participants were instructed to write their own individual user comments. Their scientific literacy, epistemological beliefs, and academic self-efficacy were measured. The outcomes measured were perceived tentativeness and tentativeness addressed in the participants’ own comments.

Results

More sophisticated epistemological beliefs enhanced the perception of tentativeness (standardized β=.26, P=.034). Greater scientific literacy (stand. β=.25, P=.025) and greater academic self-efficacy (stand. β=.31, P=.007) were both predictors of a more extensive discussion of tentativeness in participants’ comments. When forum posts presented in the experiment addressed the issue of tentativeness, participants’ subsequent behavior tended to be consistent with what they had read in the forum, F_2,63=3.66; P=.049, η_p²=.092.

Conclusions

Students’ understanding of the tentativeness of research findings on deep brain stimulation in an online forum is influenced by a number of character traits and by the previous comments that were contributed to the forum by other users. There is potential for targeted modification of traits such as scientific literacy, epistemological beliefs, and academic self-efficacy to foster critical thinking in laypeople who take part in online discussions of medical research findings.

Influence of a Dissection Video Clip on Anxiety, Affect, and Self-Efficacy in Educational Dissection: A Treatment Study

In science education, dissections of animals are an integral part of teaching, but they often evoke negative emotions. We aimed at reducing negative emotions (anxiety, negative affect [NA]) and increasing positive affect (PA) and self-efficacy by an experimental intervention using a predissection video to instruct students about fish dissection. We compared this treatment with another group that watched a life history video about the fish. The participants were 135 students studying to become biology teachers. Seventy received the treatment with the dissection video, and 65 viewed the life history video. We applied a pre/posttest treatment-comparison design and used the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory for State (STAI-S), and a self-efficacy measure three times: before the lesson (pretest), after the film treatment (posttest 1), and after the dissection (posttest 2). The dissection film group scored higher in PA, NA, and state anxiety (STAI-S) after the dissection video treatment and higher in self-efficacy after the dissection. The life history group showed no differences between the pretest and posttest 1. The dissection film has clear benefits - increasing PA and self-efficacy - that come at the cost of higher NA and higher STAI-S.

Development and evaluation of a simulation exercise to prepare midwifery students for neonatal resuscitation

BACKGROUND

Simulation provides opportunities for midwifery students to enhance their performance in emergency situations. Neonatal resuscitation is one such emergency and its management is a major concern for midwifery students.

OBJECTIVES

This project aimed to develop and evaluate a simulation exercise, for neonatal resuscitation, for 3rd year midwifery students.

DESIGN

A quantitative survey design was employed using questions from two previously validated questionnaires: (1.) Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning and (2.) the Clinical Teamwork Scale (CTS).

SETTING

Australian university.

PARTICIPANTS

40 final year midwifery students were invited to participate and 36 agreed to take part in the project.

RESULTS

In pre-simulation questionnaires, students reported low levels of confidence in initiating care of an infant requiring resuscitation. Most anticipated that the simulation exercise would be useful to better prepare them respond to a neonatal emergency. Post-simulation questionnaires reported an increase in student confidence, with 30 of 36 students agreeing/ strongly agreeing that their confidence levels had improved. Nonetheless, an unexpected number of students reported a lack of familiarity with the equipment.

CONCLUSIONS

The single simulation exercise evaluated in this project resulted in improved student confidence and greater knowledge and skills in neonatal resuscitation. However, deficits in handling emergency equipment, and in understanding the role of the student midwife/midwife in neonatal resuscitation, were also noted. For the future, the development and evaluation of a programme of simulation exercises, over a longer period, is warranted. This approach may reduce stress and better address student learning needs.