Predictors of academic engagement of high school students: academic socialization and motivational beliefs

The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectations in the Relationship Between Peer Context and Academic Engagement: A Social Cognitive Theory Perspective

Student engagement in learning has well-recognized positive effects on both academic and non-academic aspects of development. However, there has been limited research on the factors that shape it. This study examined the influence of peers' academic norms, educational aspirations, and effort socialization on students' academic engagement, placing self-efficacy and outcome expectations as mediators. Grounded in Bandura's social cognitive theory, data were collected cross-sectionally from 596 high school students (male = 315) in Ethiopia. The results of the path analysis demonstrated a good model-data fit. Peers' academic norms, educational aspirations, and effort socialization positively predicted academic engagement. Bootstrap analysis with 5000 samples revealed that academic self-efficacy (β = 0.022, BC 95% CI = [0.008, 0.041], p < 0.01) and outcome expectations (β = 0.053, BC 95% CI = [0.028, 0.086], p < 0.001) partially mediated the relationship between peer educational aspirations and students' academic engagement. The partial mediated effects of peers' academic norms on academic engagement via self-efficacy (β = 0.030, BC 95% CI = [0.014, 0.054], p < 0.001) and outcome expectations (β = 0.037, BC 95% CI = [0.014, 0.062], p < 0.01) were also significant. Additionally, peer effort socialization showed significant positive indirect effects on academic engagement, mediated by academic self-efficacy (β = 0.024, BC 95% CI = [0.009, 0.044], p < 0.01) and outcome expectations (β = 0.078, BC 95% CI = [0.050, 0.112], p < 0.001). Overall, the mediation analysis revealed that outcome expectations and self-efficacy partially mediated the link between academic engagement and the peer context, highlighting the importance of these mediators in enhancing student engagement.

Do scientific attitude and intelligence affect motivation towards STEM? Structural equation modelling

Introduction

The aim of this study is to reveal the effect of scientific attitude and intelligence on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) motivation using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). It is possible to say that there is a reciprocal relationship between attitudes towards science, intelligence and motivation towards STEM. Motivation is closely and positively related to STEM, scientific attitude, intelligence and organizational development. When female students are supported and motivated positively, it is possible for them to be successful in STEM. It is possible to say that female students are the female leadership candidates of the future. Female leader candidates can play a role in future organizational development. Female leader candidates who are supported and motivated by their environment can take their place in organizational development. There is a gap in the research literature on this subject in Türkiye. This study fills an important gap in terms of sampling, research method and data analysis.

Method

In the study, personal information form, Attitude Towards Scientific Research Scale, Multiple Intelligences Self-Perception Scale and STEM Value-Expectation Rating Scale were applied to 159 female undergraduate students who are disadvantaged in STEM field and studying at Ege University Ödemiş Faculty of Health Sciences.

Results

It is possible to say that most female students have positive attitudes towards scientific research. According to the research results, as the reluctance to help researchers and negative attitudes towards research increase, motivation towards STEM decreases. As positive attitudes towards research and researchers increase, motivation towards STEM increases. In addition, increases in verbal-linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence and natural intelligence lead to an increase in positive attitudes towards research and thus STEM motivation.

Conclusion

When the value expectations of future female leadership candidates for the STEM field were evaluated, it was found that 81.13% of the students had a medium level of value expectation evaluation level for the STEM field. This situation suggests that female students are not positively motivated for STEM in the family, school and peer environment.