The development and validation of a survey for evaluating primary students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities

Tian LUO, Wing Mui Winnie SO, Wai Chin LI, Jianxin YAO

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

STEM integration has become a popular concept not only in the context of education practices but also as a way of learning. The integration of the STEM domains is evident in students’ learning experiences when engaging in STEM activities. However, there is a lack of instruments for evaluating students’ levels of self-efficacy in these activities. Therefore, the aims of this study were to develop a survey for evaluating upper primary students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities and to explore whether a student’s gender, grade, and participation in STEM activities predict his or her self-efficacy in STEM activities. A total of 844 fourth- to sixth-grade primary students participated in this study. After pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted, the survey was found to have a single-factor structure with high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .90). Linear regression analysis showed that school and out-of-school participation in STEM activities significantly predicted the students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities, while grade and gender did not. The survey developed in this study provides a reliable and valid way to measure students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities. These findings also highlight the importance of encouraging students’ participation in both formal and informal STEM activities. Copyright © 2020 Springer Nature B.V.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)408-419
JournalJournal of Science Education and Technology
Volume30
Issue number3
Early online date17 Nov 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2021

Citation

Luo, T., So, W. W. M., Li, W. C., & Yao, J. (2021). The development and validation of a survey for evaluating primary students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 30(3), 408-419. doi: 10.1007/s10956-020-09882-0

Keywords

  • Participation
  • Primary students
  • Self-effcacy
  • STEM activities
  • Survey development

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The development and validation of a survey for evaluating primary students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.