ABSTRACT:
We investigated (a) the associations of implicit theories and epistemological beliefs and their effects on the academic motivation and achievement of students in Grade 6 science and (b) the mean differences of implicit theories, epistemological beliefs, and academic motivation and achievement as a function of gender and race/ethnicity (N = 508).
Path analysis revealed that an incremental view of ability had direct and indirect effects on adaptive motivational factors, whereas fixed entity views had direct and indirect effects on maladaptive factors. Epistemological beliefs mediated the influence of implicit theories of ability on achievement goal orientations, self-efficacy, and science achievement. Results are discussed in relation to Dweck and Leggett‟s (1988) social-cognitive theory with a focus on middle school science.
IMPLICIT THEORIES OF ABILITY OF GRADE 6 SCIENCE STUDENTS
Relation to Epistemological Beliefs and Academic Motivation and Achievement in Science A long line of research has consistently shown that students beliefs are as powerful predictors of achievement as factors such as previous achievement or standardized test scores (Bandura, 1997; Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Hong, Chiu, Dweck, Lin, & Wan, 1999; Pajares & Kranzler, 1995; Robins & Pals, 2002; Stipek & Gralinsky, 1996). What beliefs facilitate academic success? One that has received much attention in the past two decades is students implicit theories of ability.
According to Dweck and Leggett (1988), students adopt one of two different personal “theories” about the nature of ability. Some students adopt what is called the entity view of ability whereas others espouse an incremental view.
Compared to students with an incremental view, students with an entity view are more inclined to believe that abilities are characteristics or traits that a person possesses to varying degrees and that these abilities are a relatively static entity. In contrast, students who hold an incremental view of ability are more likely than their entity theory peers to believe that abilities are an increasable and controllable quality.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Dweck (2002a) argued that “much of society is stubbornly wedded to the idea that accomplishment, especially outstanding accomplishment, is about endowment. We ignore the fact that Mozart, Darwin, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods practiced feverishly and single-mindedly for years, and instead believe that they were simply born with one-in-a-million ability” (p.39).
Students who adopt an entity theory of ability are more likely than are their incremental peers to believe that great accomplishments are the products of inherited endowments, therefore possibly weighting natural talent and ability over other important motivational constructs.
Although there is ample research concerning implicit theories and their relationship with both achievement goal orientations and academic achievement (Aronson, Fried, & Good, 2002; Blackwellet al., 2007; Dweck & Leggett, 1988), few researchers have examined the relationship between implicit theories and other self-beliefs that have also been prominent in the area of academic motivation, such as epistemological beliefs and self-efficacy.
SIGNIFICANCE
By now, much empirical evidence has amassed showing the importance of implicit theories of ability and epistemological beliefs to academic motivation and achievement. Despite Hofer and Pintrich‟s (1997) suggestion that implicit theories of ability may serve as precursors to the four core dimensions of epistemological beliefs, no research has been conducted to support this hypothesis.
Therefore, the present study has theoretical significance in that we sought to refine and extend the theoretical tenets of implicit theories of ability and epistemological beliefs by testing hypothesized relationships that have yet to be empirically supported.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following two research questions guided the present study:
- What are the associations of implicit theories of ability and epistemological beliefs and their effects on the academic motivation and achievement of Grade 6 science students? The motivation constructs include science self-efficacy, self-efficacy for self-regulation, and achievement goal orientations. We hypothesized that incremental views of science ability would be directly positively related to epistemological beliefs about the development and justification of scientific knowledge as well as to task goal orientations and scienceand self-regulatory self-efficacy.We also hypothesized that fixed views of science ability would be directly positively related to epistemological beliefs about the source and certainty of scientific knowledge as well as to performance goal orientations and directly negatively related to science and self-regulatory self-efficacy.
- How do implicit theories of science ability, epistemological beliefs about the nature of science, and other variables noted differ as a function of gender and race/ethnicity? We hypothesized that boys would report more incremental views of science ability than would girls and that there would be no gender differences as regards epistemological beliefs. We did not advance any directional hypotheses with regard to race/ethnicity differences in epistemological beliefs.
METHODOLOGY
Participants were 508 Grade 6 science students attending a large, suburban, public middle school in the Southeast. The middle school enrolls over 1,850 students and begins in Grade 6 and ends with Grade 8. Therefore, this was the first year outside of elementary school for the participants in my study.
In the county where this particular school was located, all Grade 6 students in the public school system study Earth Science, which introduces students to topics such as astronomy, meteorology, and geology. Grade 6 represents an important period of time for these adolescents since this is the first time these students have experienced a science curriculum that is taught every day.
VARIABLES IN THE STUDY
All motivation variables in the present study were assessed using a 6-point Likert scale. For science self-efficacy, a rating of represented a response of “not at all confident” and a rating of represented a response of “completely confident. ” For self-efficacy for self-regulation, a rating of represented a response of “Not well at all” and a rating of represented a response of “Very well.” For all other variables, a rating of represented a response of “complete disagreement” and a represented a response of “complete agreement.”
Scores for each variable were calculated by obtaining a mean value. For academic achievement, midterm (previous achievement) and end-of-term (achievement)grades were collected in numerical form as the teachers marked them in their grade books. Grades ranged from 0-100. Finally, race/ethnicity and gender were self-reported.
Source: College of William & Mary
Authors: Jason Chen | Frank Pajares