– Elementary students tend to perceive science classes as important, useful, and interesting.
– Students are likely to use various cognitive strategies in science classes.
– The mean science achievement score of 7.36 out of 14 revealed that students have a moderate level of science achievement.
– Self-efficacy and task-value significantly predicted students’ science achievement; cognitive engagement did not.
– Self-efficacy provided the strongest contribution to explaining science achievement. Task value makes the second strongest contribution.
– All independent variables were positively correlated with each other – higher levels of self-efficacy and task value were associated with higher levels of cognitive engagement.
– Student motivation (i.e., self-efficacy and task value) significantly contributed to the prediction of students’ science achievement.
– Positive and significant correlations were found among self-efficacy, task-value and cognitive engagement.
– Cognitive engagement failed to significantly predict students’ science achievement.
2016 - The Role of Motivation and Cognitive Engagement in Science Achievement
Expectancy-Value Theory claims that individuals’ expectations for success and subjective task values are the main mediators for their subsequent behaviors such as performance, persistence, and task choice. The authors also reference Bandura’s self-efficacy construct.
Participants of this study were 861 seventh grade Turkish students from 5 elementary public schools. Of 861 students, 398 (46.2 %) were girls and 456 (53.0 %) were boys.
IV: Motivation and Cognitive Engagement Scale (MCES)
The MCES was constructed to measure students’ motivational beliefs and cognitive engagement in three dimensions, namely self-efficacy, task value, and cognitive engagement. Items targeting students’ self-efficacy, task value and cognitive engagement were selected from other instruments (MSLQ and the SLI).
DV: Science Achievement Test (SAT)
The Science Achievement Test (SAT) for 7th grade was used to evaluate seventh-grade elementary students’ science achievement.