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Abstract
Background:
Self-efficacy toward science learning has been shown to play a crucial role in determining students’ motivation and achievements. Social cognitive theory proposes that positive and negative task outcomes affect mastery experiences from which self-efficacy develops. The current research examined whether prior level of self-efficacy would serve as a moderator of the effect of experiential valence on self-efficacy in science learning.
Materials and methods:
One hundred and thirty engineering undergraduates with varying levels of prior self-efficacy (high, medium, and low) were randomly assigned to receive either a positive or a negative task experience regarding circuit design.
Results:
The findings of our experment showed that students with lower levels of self-efficacy appeared to be more affected by positive versus negative task experiences, and those with higher levels of self-efficacy tended to be more affected by negative versus positive task experiences.
Conclusions:
The present findings indicate that both valence of task experience and students’ prior self-efficacy affect their changes in self-efficacy with regard to STEM learning. The present findings have far-reaching implications for enhancing self-efficacy on learning of science.
License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Research Article
EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2017, Volume 13, Issue 3, 589-600
https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00634a
Publication date: 06 Dec 2016
Article Views: 1992
Article Downloads: 1323
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