An analysis of the relationships between Taiwanese eighth and fourth graders’ motivational beliefs and science achievement in TIMSS 2011

• Published in: Asia Pacific education review Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 433 - 445
• Main Authors: Liou, Pey-Yan, Liu, Eric Zhi-Feng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2015; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; 교육연구소
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Age Differences; Beliefs; Correlation; Education; Elementary school students; Foreign Countries; Grade 4; Grade 8; Learning Processes; Lifelong Learning; Middle school students; Motivation; Predictor Variables; Science Achievement; Science education; Science Instruction; Scores; Secondary School Students; Self Concept; Statistical Analysis; Student Interests; Student Motivation; Taiwan; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study; 교육학; Taiwan; Self-concept; Cognitive domains; TIMSS; Intrinsic interest; Science achievement
• ISSN: 1598-1037; 1876-407X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12564-015-9381-x

The purpose of this study is to examine the issues of students’ motivational beliefs in science learning and their relations with science achievement. Data of Taiwanese fourth and eighth graders from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2011 were examined. Students’ self-concept and intrinsic interest as motivational beliefs, and science scores in general and in different cognitive domains were used as measures in this study. A series of quantitative analyses along with statistical techniques accounting for the properties of international large-scale assessment data were utilized to investigate these issues. The results indicate that students’ motivational beliefs decrease over grades. The relations between the eighth graders’ motivational beliefs and science scores are positively stronger than those of the fourth graders. Meanwhile, students’ self-concept has a greater predictive power than intrinsic interest for science scores in both grades. Beyond documenting students’ motivational beliefs over grades, the conclusion also sheds light on the role of motivational beliefs, self-concept in particular, in explaining students’ science achievement.