Changes in Biology Self-Efficacy during a First-Year University Course

Autor/inn/en	Ainscough, Louise; Foulis, Eden; Colthorpe, Kay; Zimbardi, Kirsten; Robertson-Dean, Melanie; Chunduri, Prasad; Lluka, Lesley
Titel	Changes in Biology Self-Efficacy during a First-Year University Course
Quelle	In: CBE - Life Sciences Education, 15 (2016) 2, Artikel 19 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1931-7913
DOI	10.1187/cbe.15-04-0092
Schlagwörter	Biology; Self Efficacy; College Freshmen; Attitude Change; Self Concept Measures; Pretests Posttests; Likert Scales; Statistical Analysis; Performance Factors; Academic Achievement; Correlation; Foreign Countries; Multiple Employment; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Biologie; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Studienanfänger; Attitudinal change; Einstellungsänderung; Likert-Skala; Statistische Analyse; Leistungsindikator; Schulleistung; Korrelation; Ausland; Mehrfachbeschäftigung; Australien
Abstract	Academic self-efficacy encompasses judgments regarding one's ability to perform academic tasks and is correlated with achievement and persistence. This study describes changes in biology self-efficacy during a first-year course. Students (n = 614) were given the Biology Self-Efficacy Scale at the beginning and end of the semester. The instrument consisted of 21 questions ranking confidence in performing biology-related tasks on a scale from 1 (not at all confident) to 5 (totally confident). The results demonstrated that students increased in self-efficacy during the semester. High school biology and chemistry contributed to self-efficacy at the beginning of the semester; however, this relationship was lost by the end of the semester, when experience within the course became a significant contributing factor. A proportion of high- and low-achieving (24 and 40%, respectively) students had inaccurate self-efficacy judgments of their ability to perform well in the course. In addition, female students were significantly less confident than males overall, and high-achieving female students were more likely than males to underestimate their academic ability. These results suggest that the Biology Self-Efficacy Scale may be a valuable resource for tracking changes in self-efficacy in first-year students and for identifying students with poorly calibrated self-efficacy perceptions. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: ascbinfo@ascb.org; Website: http://www.ascb.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01