Confidence in Science and Achievement Outcomes of Fourth-Grade Students in Korea: Results from the TIMSS 2011 Assessment.

摘要

Findings from recent assessments of the achievement of fourth-grade students in science indicated that students in Korea scored significantly higher than international averages (Provasnik, et al., 2012). Consequently, research has examined teaching methods used for science instruction in Korea and a number of effective practices have been identified. For instance, fourth-grade students in Korea who used soil seed banks in their science classes showed significantly higher knowledge and more positive attitudes about plants and their environment (Ju & Kim, 2011). Similarly, the use of case-based instruction for teaching climate change was found to be effective for Korean high school students (Jeong, Kim, Chae, & Kim, 2014). Recent findings indicated that the use of robotics-based learning resulted in higher motivation for learning science and improved science achievement for elementary-school students in Korea (Park, 2015). Further, the use of classroom applications for understanding concepts of evaporation and boiling were effective for improving understanding of elementary-school students in Korea (Paik, 2015). These studies suggest that several instructional methods and learning technologies are used in Korean classrooms to foster student learning in science. Research findings have indicated that student self-confidence is a significant predictor of academic achievement (Stankov, Morony, & Lee, 2014). In addition, several studies have examined relationships between student self-beliefs and achievement outcomes using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments. Recent findings indicated that eighth-grade students who expressed high levels of self-confidence for learning science also tended to earn higher test scores (Mohammadpour, Shekarchizadeh, & Kalantarrashidi, 2015). Similarly, an analysis from the TIMSS 2003 assessment showed that student self-confidence in science was significantly related to test scores for elementary--school students in Japan (Kaya & Rice, 2010). Results from the TIMSS 2007 study noted that student beliefs about their ability to succeed in science courses were significantly associated with test scores for eighth-graders in Korea (House, 2011). Further, research findings have indicated that the use of specific instructional strategies can positively impact motivation for learning science for students in Korea (House, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between confidence in science and achievement test scores for a national sample of fourth-grade students from Korea who participated in the TIMSS 2011 assessment. Methods Students included in this study were from the TIMSS 2011 fourth-grade (Population 1) sample from Korea. There were 4,202 students who completed all survey items regarding confidence in science. The TIMSS 2011 assessment included a scale to assess student confidence in science. Six items that measured student confidence in science were included on this scale: (1) I usually do well in science, (2) Science is harder for me than for many of my classmates, (3) I am just not good at science, (4) I learn things quickly in science, (5) My teacher tells me I am good at science, and (6) Science is harder for me than any other subject. For each statement on this scale, students indicated their level of agreement as: (1) Disagree a lot, (2) Disagree a little, (3) Agree a little, or (4) Agree a lot. The dependent measure examined in this study was the fourth-grade test score on the TIMSS 2011 International Science Test. On this science assessment, student achievement was measured for three areas: life science, physical science, and earth science. For the data analysis from this study, standard errors for each variable were computed using jackknife variance estimation procedures using replicate weights in order to provide unbiased variance estimates for each variable. …