Academic Self-Efficacy, Study Skills and Academic Achievement: A Serial Mediation Model

Abstract

Educational achievement is crucial determinant of one’s future career opportunities and plays a critical role in the psycho-social development. Identifying the factors that influence academic achievement is essential for developing effective interventions and strategies to enhance students' learning outcomes. This study aims to investigate the serial mediation role of study skills (systematic and organized study, and effective homework and exam preparation) in the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement. A group of 92 secondary school students completed the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale as well as two sub-scales from the Study Skills Scale: systematic and organized study, and effective homework completion and exam preparation. The findings of the study revealed positive correlations among all variables. Furthermore, the serial mediation analysis demonstrated that the skills of systematic and organized study, and effective homework and exam preparation serially mediated the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement. These results suggest that interventions, implementations, and policies that aim to strengthen students’ perception of academic self-efficacy and improve their study skills can contribute to the academic achievement and other student outcomes.

Keywords

• Academic self-efficacy
• Study skilss
• Academic achievement

References

1. Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44(9), 1175-1184. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.9.1175
2. Bandura, A. (1990). Perceived self-efficacy in the exercise of personal agency. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2(2), 128-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413209008406426
3. Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). Academic Press.
4. Bandura, A. (1995). Exercise of personal and collective efficacy in changing societies. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing societies (pp. 1-45). Cambridge University Press.
5. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman and Company.
6. Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Taylor-Ferreira, J. C. (1999). Teaching study skills and test-taking strategies to elementary school students: The testbusters program. Behavior Modification, 23(4), 630-646. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445599234007
7. Bücker, S., Nuraydin, S., Simonsmeier, B. A., Schneider, M., & Luhmann, M. (2018). Subjective well-being and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 74, 83-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2018.02.007
8. Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2005). Sosyal bilimler için veri analizi el kitabı [Data analysis handbook for social sciences]. PegemA.

9. Carns, A. W., & Carns, M. R. (1991). Teaching study skills, cognitive strategies, and metacognitive skills through self-diagnosed learning styles. The School Counselor, 38(5), 341-346. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23900724
10. Carroll, A., Houghton, S., Wood, R., Unsworth, K., Hattie, J., Gordon, L., & Bower, J. (2009). Self-efficacy and academic achievement in Australian high school students: The mediating effects of academic aspirations and delinquency. Journal of Adolescence, 32(4), 797-817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.10.009
11. Cheng, E. C. K. (2011). The role of self-regulated learning in enhancing learning performance. The International Journal of Research and Review, 6(1), 1-16.
12. Cleary, T. J. & Zimmerman, B. J. (2012). A cyclical self-regulatory account of student engagement: Theoretical foundations and applicatins. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 237-259). Pearson.
13. Credé, M., & Kuncel, N. R. (2008). Study habits, skills, and attitudes: The third pillar supporting collegiate academic performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(6), 425-453. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00089.x
14. Crum, R. M., Ensminger, M. E., Ro, M. J., & McCord, J. (1998). The association of educational achievement and school dropout with risk of alcoholism: A twenty-five-year prospective study of inner-city children. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 59(3), 318-326. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsa.1998.59.318
15. Demirezen, S., & Akhan, N. E. (2013). İlköğretim öğrencilerinin ders çalışma üzerine algıları [The perceptions of primary school students on studying lesson]. Karadeniz Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi [The Black Sea Journal of Social Sciences], 5(8), 169-183.
16. Fazal, S., Hussain, S., & Majoka, M. I. (2012). The role of study skills in academic achievement. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 27(1), 37-51.
17. George, D. & Mallery, M. (2016). SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference, 17.0 update (15th ed.). Routledge.
18. Gettinger, M., & Seibert, J. K. (2002). Contributions of study skills to academic competence. School Psychology Review, 31(3), 350-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2002.12086160
19. Gölpek, F., & Uğurlugelen, K. (2013). Avrupa ülkelerinde ve Türkiye’de yükseköğretime giriş sistemleri [Entry systems of higher education in European countrys and Turkey]. Dicle Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi [Dicle University Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences], 2(5), 64-77.
20. Haddad, S. I., & Taleb, R. A. (2016). The impact of self-efficacy on performance (An empirical study on business faculty members in Jordanian universities). Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 877-887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.10.032
21. Hattie, J. A. (2009). Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.
22. Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: Guilford.
23. Honicke, T., & Broadbent, J. (2016). The influence of academic self-efficacy on academic performance: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 17, 63-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.11.002
24. Huang, C. (2015). Academic achievement and subsequent depression: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 434-442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9855-6
25. Jansen, E. P., & Suhre, C. J. (2010). The effect of secondary school study skills preparation on first‐year university achievement. Educational Studies, 36(5), 569-580. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055691003729070
26. Jinks, J., & Morgan, V. (1999). Children's perceived academic self-efficacy: An inventory scale. The Clearing House, 72(4), 224-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098659909599398
27. Kaner, S., & Kesiktaş, A. D. (2008). Ders çalışma becerileri ölçeği ana-baba, öğretmen ve öğrenci formlarının psikometrik özellikleri [The psychometric properties of the parent, teacher and student versions of the study skills scale]. Ankara Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi [Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences], 41 (2), 293-321.
28. Kern, M. L., & Friedman, H. S. (2009). Early educational milestones as predictors of lifelong academic achievement, midlife adjustment, and longevity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(4), 419-430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.025
29. Kim, M. (2014). Family background, students’ academic self-efficacy, and students’ career and life success expectations. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(4), 395-407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9216-1
30. Koca, F., & Dadandı, İ. (2019). Akademik öz-yeterlik ile akademik başarı arasındaki ilişkide sınav kaygısı ve akademik motivasyonun aracı rolü [The mediation roles of test anxiety and academic motivation in the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement]. Ilkogretim Online [Elementary Education Online], 18(1), 241-252.
31. Lee, W., Lee, M. J., & Bong, M. (2014). Testing interest and self-efficacy as predictors of academic self-regulation and achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(2), 86-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.02.002
32. Li, Y., & Wang, C. (2010). An empirical study of reading self-efficacy and the use of reading strategies in the Chinese EFL context. Asian EFL Journal, 12(2), 144-162.
33. Möller, J., Zitzmann, S., Helm, F., Machts, N., & Wolff, F. (2020). A meta-analysis of relations between achievement and self-concept. Review of Educational Research, 90(3), 376-419. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320919354
34. Multon, K. D., Brown, S. D. & Lent, R. W. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 30-38. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.38.1.30
35. Öncü, H. (2012). Akademik Özyeterlik Ölçeğinin Türkçe’ye uyarlanması [Adaptation of academic self-efficacy scale into Turkish]. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi [Journal of Kırşehir Education Faculty], 13(1), 183-206.
36. Pajares, F. (2002). Gender and perceived self-efficacy in self-regulated learning. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 116-125. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_8
37. Pajares, F. & Schunk, D. H. (2002). Self and self-belief in psychology and education: An historical perspective. In J. Aronson (Ed.), Improving academic achievement (pp. 5-22). Academic Press.
38. Pérez, P. M., Costa, J. L. C., & Corbí, R. G. (2012). An explanatory model of academic achievement based on aptitudes, goal orientations, self-concept and learning strategies. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 15(1), 48-60. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_SJOP.2012.v15.n1.37283
39. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
40. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879-891. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879
41. Purdie, N., & Hattie, J. (1999). The relationship between study skills and learning outcomes: A meta-analysis. Australian Journal of Education, 43(1), 72-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/000494419904300106
42. Ramli, R., & Nurahimah, M. Y. (2020). Self-efficacy and differentiated instruction: A study among Malaysian school teachers. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(4), 1252-1260. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080416
43. Roediger III, H. L., & Pyc, M. A. (2012). Inexpensive techniques to improve education: Applying cognitive psychology to enhance educational practice. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 1(4), 242-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.09.002
44. Schunk, D. H. (1991). Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26(3-4), 207-231. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.1991.9653133
45. Schunk, D. H. (2003). Self-efficacy for reading and writing: Influence of modeling, goal setting, and self-evaluation. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 19(2), 159-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573560308219
46. Schunk, D. H. & Mullen, C. A. (2012). Self-efficacy as an engaged learner. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 219-237). Springer.
47. Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2016). Self-efficacy theory in education. In K. R. Wentzel & D. B. Miele (Eds.), Handbook of mativation at school (2nd ed., pp. 34-54). Routledge.
48. Seifert, K. & Sutton, R. (2009). Educational psychology (2nd ed.). Jacobs Foundation.
49. Skaalvik, E. M., Federici, R. A., & Klassen, R. M. (2015). Mathematics achievement and self-efficacy: Relations with motivation for mathematics. International Journal of Educational Research, 72, 129-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2015.06.008
50. Spinath, B. (2012). Academic achievement. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behaviour (pp. 1-9). Academic Press.
51. Usher, E. L., & Pajares, F. (2008). Self-efficacy for self-regulated learning: A validation study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 68(3), 443-463. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164407308475
52. Veas, A., Castejón, J. L., Gilar, R., & Miñano, P. (2015). Academic achievement in early adolescence: The influence of cognitive and non-cognitive variables. The Journal of General Psychology, 142(4), 273-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2015.1092940
53. Wong, L. (2015). Essential study skilss (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
54. Yusuf, M. (2011). The impact of self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and self-regulated learning strategies on students’ academic achievement. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2623-2626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.158
55. Zimmerman, B. J. (1995). Self-efficacy and educational development. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing societies (pp. 232-259). Cambridge University Press.
56. Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 82-91. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1016
57. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2
58. Zimmerman, B. J. (2015). Self-regulated learning: Theories, measures, and outcomes. In J. D. Wright (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 541-546). Elsevier.
59. Zimmerman, B. J., Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2017). The role of self-efficacy and related beliefs in self-regulation of learning and performance. In A. J. Elliot, C. S. Dweck, & D. S. Yeager (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation: Theory and application (pp. 313–333). The Guilford Press.
60. Zuffianò, A., Alessandri, G., Gerbino, M., Kanacri, B. P. L., Di Giunta, L., Milioni, M., & Caprara, G. V. (2013). Academic achievement: The unique contribution of self-efficacy beliefs in self-regulated learning beyond intelligence, personality traits, and self-esteem. Learning and Individual Differences, 23, 158-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.07.010
61. Zysberg, L., & Schwabsky, N. (2021). School climate, academic self-efficacy and student achievement. Educational Psychology, 41(4), 467-482. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2020.1813690