The Effects of Students’ Physics Self-efficacy and Achievement Motivation on Their Learning Approaches

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of students’ physics self-efficacy and achievement motivation on their rote learning and meaningful learning approaches. Students’ meaningful understanding is important to increase their achievement. Therefore, determination of the variables that predicts meaningful learning is an important issue. The participants were 113 10th grade students. Research data were collected through physics achievement motivation scale, physics self-efficacy scale, and learning approaches questionnaire. The learning approaches questionnaire investigates whether students are a rote learner or meaningful learner. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that physics achievement motivation and physics self-efficacy were significant predictors of 10th grade students’ meaningful learning scores and the whole model explains 20% of the variance. Moreover, for rote learning, stepwise regression analysis was also conducted. Only the physics achievement motivation was found as a significant predictor that explains 5% of the variance. It is evident that improvement of students’ physics self-efficacy will increase their tendency toward meaningful learning. Activities supporting sources of self-efficacy can be used to improve students’ physics self-efficacy.

Keywords: Learning Approaches; Physics Self-efficacy; Achievement Motivation; Meaningful Learning; Rote Learning; Physics Education

Australian Academy of Business and Economics Review, vol 2, issue 4, October 2016, pp 303-309