Academic Self Efficacy as a Predictor of Chemistry Achievement among Senior Secondary School Students in Anambra State

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)
Volume 6 Issue 4, May-June 2022 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 — 6470

Academic Self-Efficacy as a Predictor of Chemistry Achievement
among Senior Secondary School Students in Anambra State

Enekwechi, Emelda Ego

Department of Natural Science, School of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The study focused on academic self-efficacy as a predictor of
chemistry achievement among senior secondary school students. The
design adopted for the study was correlational survey. The population
of the study was 8, 901 senior secondary school year two (SS2)
students offering chemistry in Anambra state. The sample for the
study was 400 students obtained using random sampling. The
instruments for data collection were Chemistry Self-efficacy Scale
(CSES) adopted from Nwanze (2021). The instruments were
administered via google forum with the aid of four research
assistants. Data obtained from the study was analyzed using simple
and multiple linear regressions. The findings of the study showed that
academic self-efficacy is significant predictor of achievement in
chemistry, accounting for 12% and 12% of variance in achievement
respectively. Self-efficacy dimensions also significantly co-predicted
achievement in chemistry. It was therefore recommended that
chemistry teachers along with the school counselors should embed in
their instructional process, examples and encouraging stories of men
and women who thrive in the area of chemistry.

KEYWORDS: self-efficacy, chemistry, secondary, regressions

How to cite this paper: Enekwechi,
Emelda Ego "Academic Self-Efficacy as
a Predictor of Chemistry Achievement
among Senior Secondary School
Students in Anambra State" Published in
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of Trend in
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and Development —
(ajtsrd), ISSN: 2456-
6470, Volume-6 |
Issue-4, June 2022,
pp. 1385-1390, URL:
www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50325.pdf

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Scientific Research and Development

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INTRODUCTION

Chemistry is one of the science subjects offered at
secondary school level in Nigeria. Education in
chemistry is crucial to improving the standard of
learning, research, and development, as well as
ensuring that students have the information necessary
to generate goods and services that meet human
requirements for food, medical care, and other items
that enhance quality of life. Despite the importance of
chemistry, senior secondary school students in
Nigeria including especially Anambra state, have not
significantly improved in their performance in
chemistry in external examinations like West African
Secondary School Certificate | Examination
(WASSCE). The Chief Examiner's Reports over the
years have revealed that students consistently display
a variety of shortcomings in the exams, including a
lack of conceptual understanding of chemistry. The
percentage of students who earned a credit pass in
chemistry ranged from 44.16 percent to 46.16
percent, according to a study of student performance
from 2007 to 2009. Except for 2010, this saw a 50.7
percent pass rate, the percentage of students who
earned a credit pass ranged from 2010 to 2012. The

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percentage of students who passed at credit
consistently decreased from 2013 to 2016: from 72.34
percent in 2013, to 62.49 percent in 2014, to 60.6
percent in 2015, and to 57.74 percent in 2016.
Reports on students’ lowest chemistry performance
from 2017 to 2019 were gathered. This is due to the
highest point in student drop in 2018. The abysmal
achievement of students in chemistry has been
attributed to a number of factors among which the
teacher methods adopted by chemistry teachers is
most prominent.

Researchers have focused on developing innovative
instructional strategies that can help students
overcome the challenges of learning chemistry. Thus,
Research recommendations in the area of
instructional or pedagogical approaches have
continued to clamour for adoption of innovative
strategies of instruction. These innovations in
instruction come either as a shift from the traditional
mode of instruction, integration of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) adaptable in the
classroom and use of students-centred strategies

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known to bear beneficial boost for students’
achievement and other academic achievement
determinant. The fundamental questions become:
What are some of these innovative instructional
strategies? Can the innovative instructional strategies
be implemented in the Nigerian secondary school
classroom setting especially in Anambra state?, and
What are the challenges to be overcomed in order to
ensure effective implementation of these innovative
instructional strategies?. These questions have been
adequately addressed given the depth of research on
innovative instructional strategies to improve
chemistry achievement. There is a need therefore, to
shift the focus of research on instructional strategies
to the factors relating to the students to themselves
such as their academic self-efficacy.

Academic self-efficacy refers to the students’ beliefs
and attitudes toward their capabilities to achieve
academic success, as well as belief in their ability to
fulfill academic tasks and the successful learning of
the materials (Senol, Isiksal & Yusuf, 2018).
Acccording to Sadia and Uyar (2013), it refers to a
person's conviction that they can successfully achieve
at a designated level in a specific academic subject
area. Self-efficacy is the degree of assurance people
have in their capacity to carry out plans of action or
achieve particular performance goals. Self-efficacy is
an importance factor learning especially for science
subjects like chemistry (Nwanze and Okoli, 2021).
This is because, the learners with high levels of self-
efficacy attribute their failures to lower attempts
rather than lower ability, while those with low self-
efficacy attribute their failure to their low abilities
(Brown and green, 2015). Therefore, self-efficacy can
influence the choice of tasks and perseverance while
doing them.

Students’ self-efficacy beliefs have a big impact on
whether they will put in the effort necessary to
complete a task and keep up with academic
challenges. When academic tasks and chemistry
learning are challenging, people with a high level of
self-efficacy attempt them and remain trying, whereas
people with a low level of self-efficacy frequently
give up easily (WittORose, 2003; Cascio, Botta and
Anzaldi, 2013). According to Romppel, Herrmann-
Lingen, Wachter, Edelmann, Dungen, Pieske &
grande, 2013), self-efficacy affects how a task is
chosen and committed to, how much energy is
expended on it, and how well it is performed.
Students' belief in their apparent potential to succeed
in any academic task is, thus, a measure of their self-
efficacy.

Studies on academic self-efficacy and academic
achievement have shown that there exist significant

relationships between the two variables (Lane &
Lane, 2001; Yazachew, 2013; Rudina, 2013; Maria,
2014). These studies established that students’
academic self-efficacy significantly influence their
academic achievement. However, no of such studies
have examined how academic self-efficacy may
predict senior secondary’ school chemistry
achievement in Anambra state and how the individual
dimensions of academic self-efficacy co-predict
achievement. This study was therefore necessitated
by these research gaps.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to investigate academic

self-efficacy and attitude towards chemistry as

predictors of chemistry achievement among senior

secondary school students. Specifically, the study

sought to determine the:

> Predictive power of academic self-efficacy on
senior secondary school students’ achievement in
chemistry.

> Predictive power of the individual dimensions of
academic self-efficacy on senior secondary school
students’ achievement in chemistry.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study.

> What is the predictive power of academic self-
efficacy on senior secondary school students’
achievement in chemistry?

>» What is the predictive power of the individual
dimensions of academic self-efficacy on senior
secondary school students’ achievement in
chemistry?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of

significance.

> Students’ emotional intelligence scores do not
significantly predict their academic achievement
in mathematics.

> Students emotional intelligence dimensions
(perceiving emotions, facilitating thoughts,
understanding emotions and managing emotions)
do not significantly predict their academic
achievement in mathematics.

Methods

The study adopted the correlational survey design.
The study was conducted in Anambra State, Nigeria.
The study population comprised all 8,901 senior
secondary school year two students offering
chemistry in Anambra state. Four hundred students
were involved in the study. The sample was obtained
through random sampling. Four education zone out of
the six education zones in Anambra state was first
selected. In each of the selected education zones, 10
secondary schools were selected at random. In each

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school, 10 chemistry students were selected at
random for the study.

The instruments for data collection are Chemistry
Self-efficacy Scale (CSES) adopted from Nwanze
(2021). CSES was a 32 item scale designed to
measure students’ self-efficacy for general Chemistry
(Items 1-5), domain-specific self-efficacy for
Chemistry (Items 6-13), task-specific self-efficacy for
Chemistry enquiry (Items 14-21) and self-efficacy for
Chemistry self-regulated learning (Items 22-32).. The
instrument required the students to rate their belief or
perception that they are capable of performing
specific Chemistry task on a scale of one (not at all)
through five (very well). The validity of the
instrument was as established by Nwanze (2021) and
the reliability of the CSES was determined using
Cronbach’s Alpha to be 0.81.

The instrument was administered to the students
through the help of the four research assistants via
google survey. The research assistants obtained
permission form the school authority and copied the
hyperlink into two palm-tops. The palm tops were
given to the regular chemistry teacher in the school

Results

who selected 10 students at random for the study. The
students were invited to the chemistry laboratory and
the instrument was opened for two students to
respond to at a time while the teacher compiled the
chemistry achievement for two terms. The research
assistants determined the average of the chemistry
scores. The whole data was collated by the researcher
for data analysis. Data generated from the study were
analyzed using simple linear and multiple regressions.
The interpretation of the correlation coefficient was
according Nworgu (2015) who provided a three-way
guide for interpreting correlation coefficient values
when a large number of pairs of scores have been
correlated. They are as follows: r = +.30 and below,
low relationship; r = +.30te below +0.80, moderate
relationship and r=¥,99 and above, high
relationship. The null hypotheses were tested at 0.05
level of significance and the following decision rule:
reject the null hypothesis whenever Pvalue is less
than or equal 0.05 (P<0.05), do not reject null
hypothesis whenever Pvalue is greater than 0.05
(P>0.05).

Research Questions 1: What is the predictive power of academic self-efficacy on senior secondary school

students’ achievement in chemistry?

Table 1 PREDICTIVE POWER OF ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY ON STUDENTS’
ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY

Model = R__R’ | Adjusted R?_ Unstandardized coefficients (b) Std. Error Decision
Constant 4 52.854 Low positive
Self-efficacy seul tind es 144 aia relationship

Predictors: (Constant), Entrepreneurial Aspiration

Table 1 shows that a low positive relationship (R = 0.138) exists between students’ self-efficacy and their
achievement in chemistry. The R-Square value of 0.011 indicates that 1.9% of the variance in chemistry scores
is explained by students’ academic self-efficacy.

Hypothesis 1: Achievement scores in chemistry are not significantly predicted by senior secondary school
students’ academic self-efficacy.

TABLE 2 TEST OF SIGNIFICANCE OF PREDICTION OF ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY BY
ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY

Model | Sum of Squares df Mean Square | F Sig.
Regression 583.754 1 583.754 5.785 | .017"
1 | Residual 30069.482 298 100.904
Total 30653.237 299

a. Dependent Variable: Achievement
b. Predictors: (Constant), Self-efficacy

Table 2 shows academic self-efficacy is a significant predictor of achievement in chemistry, F (1, 298) =5.785,
P < 0.05. Therefore the null hypothesis was rejected. The conclusion was that achievement scores in chemistry
are significantly predicted by senior secondary school students’ academic self-efficacy.

Research Question 2: What is the predictive power of the individual dimensions of academic self-efficacy on
senior secondary school students’ achievement in chemistry?

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Hypothesis 1: Students’ emotional intelligence scores do not significantly predict their academic achievement in
mathematics.

TABLE 3 RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL DIMENSIONS OF ACADEMIC
SELF-EFFICACY TO SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN

CHEMISTRY
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
B __ Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 15.280 | 2.186 6.990 | .000
I Self-efficacy for general chemistry 905 aba: 192 5.840 | .000
Domain-specific self-efficacy for chemistry | 1.248 .160 283 7.822 | .000
Self-efficacy for self-regulated learning 1.888 112 ot 16.927 | .000

a. Dependent Variable: Achievement in Chemistry

Table 3 shows the standardized beta coefficient which indicates correlation between variables. The
unstandardized beta coefficient shows the predictive powers of each academic self-efficacy dimensions which
indicates their relative contribution to achievement in chemistry. Table 3 shows that academic self-efficacy for
general chemistry has a low positive relationship (R = 0.192) with students’ achievement in chemistry, domain-
specific self-efficacy has a low positive relationship (R = 0.283) with achievement in chemistry while self-
efficacy for self-regulated learning has a moderate positive relationship (R = 0.597) with achievement in
chemistry. Table 3 also reveals that with a unit increase in the self-efficacy for general chemistry, achievement
in chemistry increases by 0.905; with a unit increase in domain-specific self-efficacy for chemistry, achievement
in chemistry increases by 1.248; and with a unit increase in self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, achievement
in chemistry increases by 1.888. The order of relative contribution to increment in chemistry achievement from
the highest to lowest by students’ self-efficacy therefore is; self-efficacy for self-regulated learning (1.888),
followed by domain-specific self-efficacy for chemistry (1.248) and self-efficacy for general chemistry (0.905).

Hypothesis 2: Achievement scores in chemistry are not significantly co-predicted by the individual dimensions
of senior secondary school students’ academic self-efficacy.

TABLE 4: TEST OF SIGNIFICANCE OF PREDICTION OF ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY
BY ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY

Model §-Sumof Squares df MeanSquare F ig.
Regression 21849.403 3 7283.134 244.871 | .000°
1 | Residual 8803.834 296 29.743
Total 30653.237 299

a. Dependent Variable: Achievement
b. Predictors: (Constant), Self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, Self-efficacy for general chemistry, Domain-
specific self-efficacy for chemistry

Table 4 shows that the individual dimensions of
academic self-efficacy significantly co-predict
achievement in chemistry, F (1, 296) = 244.871, P <
0.00. Therefore the null hypothesis was rejected. The
conclusion was that achievement scores in chemistry
are significantly co-predicted by the individual
dimensions of self-efficacy of senior secondary
school students.

Since the joint and individual association between the
different domains of academic self-efficacy and
achievement in chemistry is significant, the
regression model (Y= a + bX; +cX2 + dX3) for the
prediction of achievement score in chemistry as can
be derived from Table 3, where Y = Achievement in
chemistry, a (constant) = 15.280 and b value = 0.905,
c value = 1.248, d value = 1.888 is:

AC = 15.280 + (0.905) SFGC + (0.905) DSSC +
(1.248) SFSL

Where, AC = Achievement in Chemistry and SFGC =
Self-efficacy for general chemistry, DSSC = Domain-
specific self-efficacy for chemistry, SFSL = self-
efficacy for self-regulated learning.

Discussion
The findings of the study showed that academic self-
efficacy significantly predicting _ students’

achievement in chemistry, predicting 1.9% of the
variance in chemistry scores. The fact that academic
self-efficacy can encourage high motivation to
achieve goals during the learning process helps to
explain the observed finding. High self-efficacy
people will inspire motivation. An individual's skills,

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efforts, and abilities are used as the drive for
achievement, and before the individual can attain
these goals, he or she must have faith in their
potential. The influence that can be given can be in
the form of direct or indirect effects, in this case, a
person who has high self-confidence in his abilities
himself (self-efficacy) will try to master and conquer
any given exam questions, further supporting
Bandura's claim that self-efficacy is a significant
factor in determining learning achievement. Having a
learning strategy and a pattern of learning
arrangements are two efforts that are unquestionably
based on or followed by this belief. However, if self-
confidence is not accompanied by actual action, it
will not have an impact on learning performance.
Learning efforts build the confidence that is owned,
which will subsequently boost learning achievement
(Santrock, 2013).

The finding of the study is in line with the findings of
Lane and Lane (2001) that ‘self-efficacy to cope with
the intellectual demands of the program’ predicted
11.5% of performance variance. Given that there was
a 13-week time gap between self-efficacy and
performance and the complexity of the task was high,
findings from the study further showed that self-
efficacy has some utility in an academic setting and is
correlated significantly with academic achievement.
Again, the findings of the study lend credence to the
findings of Yazachew (2013) who revealed that a
significant relationship exists between students’ self-
efficacy and achievement.

The findings of the study showed that the self-
efficacy dimension for self-regulated learning proved
to be the highest significant contributor to students’
achievement in chemistry. Researchers in the field of
education have discovered a strong correlation
between self-regulated learning and
conscientiousness, learning motivation, and
performance self-efficacy (Pintrich, 2004; Fernandez-
Rio et al., 2017). Excellence can only be attained with
practice. Planning, effort, and patience are required
for this over time. This process is aided by self-
regulated learning. It enables them to develop into
independent learners who can follow their own
interests. In a cycle of self-regulated learning, a
student organizes a task, executes it, assesses how
they did, and then comments on the results. The cycle
then resumes as the student makes adjustments and is
ready for the subsequent challenge using the
reflection. Academic self-efficacious students have
the capacity for self-regulatory learning. The study's
findings are consistent with those of Rudina (2013),
who found a substantial link between self-efficacy
and academic achievement.

Conclusion

The conclusion drawn from the study is that academic
self-efficacy of senior secondary school students is a
significant factor in their achievement in chemistry.
To attain a good achievement in chemistry, senior
secondary school students must develop high self-
efficacy for general chemistry, for academic self-
regulated learning and a domain-specific self-efficacy
for different chemistry contents.

Recommendation

In the light of the findings and conclusion, the

following recommendations are made:

> Diagnostic analysis of students’ performance in
chemistry and investigations into senior
secondary schools academic self-efficacy should
be conducted regularly to ensure that they
maintain high self-efficacy need for greater
achievement in chemistry.

> Senior secondary school chemistry teachers
should model for students appropriate ways to
remain highly self-efficacious in academic
matters.

> Chemistry teachers should embed in the lessons,
examples, encouraging stories of chemistry icons
and men and women of all ages who succeed in
chemistry.

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