Zakariya Yusuf F
Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
Front Psychol. 2021 Jan 18;11:556607. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.556607. eCollection 2020.
Self-efficacy has been argued theoretically and shown empirically to be an essential construct for students' improved learning outcomes. However, there is a dearth of studies on its causal effects on performance in mathematics among university students. Meanwhile, it will be erroneous to assume that results from other fields of studies generalize to mathematics learning due to the task-specificity of the construct. As such, attempts are made in the present study to provide evidence for a causal relationship between self-efficacy and performance with a focus on engineering students following a mathematics course at a Norwegian university.
The adopted research design in the present study is a survey type in which collected data from first-year university students are analyzed using structural equation modeling with weighted least square mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) estimator. Data were generated using mainly questionnaires, a test of prior mathematics knowledge, and the students' final examination scores in the course. The causal effect of self-efficacy was discerned from disturbance effects on performance by using an innovative instrumental variable approach to structural equation modeling.
The findings confirmed a significant direct effect of the prior mathematics knowledge test (β = 0.52, SE = 0.01, < 0.001) on self-efficacy, a significant direct effect (β = 0.43, SE = 0.19, = 0.02) of self-efficacy on performance, and a substantial mediating effect (β = 0.22, SE = 0.10, = 0.03) of self-efficacy between a prior mathematics knowledge test and performance. Prior mathematics knowledge and self-efficacy explained 30% variance of the performance. These findings are interpreted to be substantial evidence for the causal effect of self-efficacy on students' performance in an introductory mathematics course.
The findings of the present study provide empirically supports for designing self-efficacy interventions as proxies to improve students' performance in university mathematics. Further, the findings of the present study confirm some postulates of Bandura's agentic social cognitive theory.
自我效能在理论上被认为是提高学生学习成绩的重要因素，并且已有实证研究表明这一点。然而，关于其对大学生数学成绩的因果效应的研究却很少。同时，由于该概念具有任务特异性，假设其他研究领域的结果可以推广到数学学习上是错误的。因此，本研究试图为自我效能与成绩之间的因果关系提供证据，重点关注挪威一所大学修读数学课程的工科学生。
本研究采用的研究设计是一种调查类型，通过使用加权最小二乘均值和方差调整（WLSMV）估计器的结构方程模型对从一年级大学生收集的数据进行分析。数据主要通过问卷、先前数学知识测试以及学生在该课程中的期末考试成绩生成。通过使用一种创新的结构方程模型工具变量方法，从对成绩的干扰效应中辨别出自我效能的因果效应。
研究结果证实先前数学知识测试对自我效能有显著的直接影响（β = 0.52，标准误 = 0.01，p < 0.001），自我效能对成绩有显著的直接影响（β = 0.43，标准误 = 0.19，p = 0.02），并且自我效能在先前数学知识测试和成绩之间有显著的中介效应（β = 0.22，标准误 = 0.10，p = 0.03）。先前数学知识和自我效能解释了成绩30%的方差。这些结果被解释为自我效能对学生在基础数学课程中成绩的因果效应的有力证据。
本研究结果为设计自我效能干预措施以提高大学生数学成绩提供了实证支持。此外，本研究结果证实了班杜拉的能动社会认知理论的一些假设。
