An Investigation into Factors of Turkish Secondary School Students’ Learning Engagement in Science Courses

Öz

This study examines secondary school students' learning engagement in science course concerning gender, grades, parents' educational level, tutor support, experimentation and study frequency. The research method was a cross-sectional survey. The research was conducted among 820 secondary school students from seven public schools in the southern region of Turkey during the 2019-2020 academic year. The data collection tool was the Turkish version of the Students' Adaptive Learning Engagement in Science (SALES) Scale. Independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and two-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. Consequently, female students were found to be more engaged in science courses than male, students who conducted experiments were more engaged than those who did not, and those who studied more frequently were significantly more engaged in science courses. Furthermore, a noteworthy discrepancy was identified in the Learning Goal Orientation scale among the grade levels. However, it has been determined that whether students receive tutor support or their parents' education levels have no statistical effect on their engagement in science courses.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Learning engagement
• motivation
• science course
• secondary school
• self-regulation

Kaynakça

1. Ames, C. A. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 261–271.
2. Bedford, S. (2017). Growth mindset and motivation: a study into secondary school science learning. Research Papers in Education, 32(4), 424-443. doi:10.1080/02671522.2017.1318809
3. Boekaerts, M., & Cascallar, E. (2006). How far have we moved toward the integration of theory and practice in self-regulation? Educational psychology review, 18, 199-210. doi:10.1007/s10648-006-9013-4
4. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). Routledge.
5. Cook, D. A., &Artino Jr, A. R. (2016). Motivation to learn: an overview of contemporary theories. Medical Education, 50(10), 997-1014. 997–1014. doi:10.1111/medu.13074
6. Corno, L. (1986). The metacognitive control components of self-regulated learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 11(4), 333-346. doi:10.1016/0361-476X(86)90029-9
7. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th Ed.). Pearson Education.
8. Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256-273.

9. Eccles, J. S., &Wigfield, A. (1995). In the mind of the actor: The structure of adolescents’ achievement task values and expectancy-related beliefs. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 215-225.
10. Elliot, A. J., McGregor, H. A., & Gable, S. (1999). Achievement goals, study strategies and exam performance: A mediational analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 549-563.
11. Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E. & Hyun, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
12. Gilbert, J. K. (2006). On the nature of “context” in chemical education. International journal of science education, 28(9), 957-976.
13. Hanrahan, M. (2002, July). Learning science: Revisiting humanist scales of intellectual engagement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Australasian Science Education Research Association, Townsville, Queensland.
14. Kaplan, A., Lichtinger, E., & Gorodetsky, M. (2009). Achievement goal orientations and selfregulation in writing: An integrative perspective. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 51–69.
15. İrven, Ö., & Şenler, B. (2017). Ilkokul 4. Sınıföğrencilerinin fen bilimleri dersine yönelik motivasyonel inançları ve öz-düzenleme becerileri [Motivational beliefs and self-regulation skills of 4th grade students in science]. Trakya Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 19(2), 367-379.
16. Lai, E. R. (2011). Motivation: A literature review. Person Research’s Report. Pearson.
17. Meece, J. L., Glienke, B. B. & Burg, S. (2006). Gender and motivation. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 351–373. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2006.04.004
18. MoNE (Ministry of National Education) (2004). Secondary education institutions class passing and examination regulations. Journal of Notifications. December 2004/2567.
19. Neber, H., He, J., Liu, B. X., & Schofield, N. (2008). Chinese high-school students in physics classroom as active, self-regulated learners: Cognitive, motivational and environmental aspects. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 6, 769-788.
20. Neuville, S., Frenay, M., & Bourgeois, E. (2007). Task value, self-efficacy and goal orientations: Impact on self-regulated learning, choice and performance among university students. Psychologica Belgica, 47(1), 95-117. doi:10.5334/pb-47-1-95
21. Ongowo, R. O., &Hungi, S. K. (2014). Motivational beliefs and self-regulation in biology learning: Influence of ethnicity, gender and grade level in Kenya. Creative Education, 5, 218-227. doi:10.4236/ce.2014.54031
22. Örücü, F. N. (2019). Fen bilgisi eğitimi öğretmen adaylarının fen bilgisine yönelik motivasyonlarının, öz-düzenlemelerinin, tutumlarının ve teknolojiye yönelik tutumlarının bazı demografik değişkenler açısından incelenmesi [A Study of Certain Demographic Variables in terms of the Motivation Towards Sciences', Self-regulations', Attitudes' and Attitudes Towards Sciences' of Science Education Teacher Candidates][Unpublished Master Thesis]. Necmettin Erbakan University.
23. Pajares, F. (2002). Gender and perceived self-efficacy in self-regulated learning. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 116-125. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4102_8
24. Pajares, F., & Valiante, G. (2001). Gender differences in writing motivation and achievement of secondary school students: A function of gender orientation? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 26, 366–381. doi:10.1006/ceps.2000.1069
25. Pasha-Zaidi, N., Afari, E., Sevi, B., Urganci, B., & Durham, J. (2019). Responsibility of learning: A cross-cultural examination of the relationship of grit, motivational belief and self-regulation among college students in the US, UAE and Turkey. Learning Environments Research, 22(1), 83-100. doi:10.1007/s10984-018-9268-y
26. Pintrich, P. R. (1999). The role of motivation in promoting and sustaining self-regulated learning. International Journal of Educational Research, 31(6), 459-470. doi:10.1016/S0883-0355(99)00015-4
27. Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 33-40. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33
28. Pintrich, P. R. (2000). Multiple goals, multiple pathways: The role of goal orientation in learning and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 544-555.
29. Schunk, D. H, Meece, J. L, & Pintrich, P. R. (2014). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications (4th eds). Pearson.
30. Sığın, A., & Sarıçam, H. (2022). A sociological study on the masculinity of the quantitative graduation fıeld in Turkey. İnönü University International Journal of Social Sciences, (INIJOSS), 11(1), 18-36. doi:10.54282/inijoss.1062689
31. Stocklmayer, S. M., Rennie, L. J., & Gilbert, J. K. (2010). The roles of the formal and informal sectors in the provision of effective science education. Studies in Science Education, 46(1), 1–44. doi:10.1080/03057260903562284
32. Speering, W., & Rennie, L. (1996). Students' perceptions about science: The impact of transition from primary to secondary school. Research in Science Education, 26, 283–298. doi:10.1007/BF02356940
33. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson.
34. Tang, M., & Neber, H. (2008). Motivation and self‐regulated science learning in high‐achieving students: differences related to nation, gender, and grade‐level. High Ability Studies, 19(2), 103-116. doi:10.1080/13598130802503959
35. Tytler, R. (2007). Australian education review. Re-imagining Science Education, Engaging students in science for Australia’s future. ACER Press.
36. Velayutham, S., & Aldridge, J. M. (2013). Influence of psychosocial classroom environment on students’ perceptions of engagement in science learning: A structural equation modeling approach. Research in Science Education, 43(2), 507-527. doi:10.1007/s11165-011-9273-y
37. Velayutham, S., Aldridge, J., & Fraser, B. (2011). Development and validation of an instrument to measure students’ perceptions of engagement in science learning. International Journal of Science Education, 33(15), 2159-2179. doi:10.1080/09500693.2010.541529
38. Velayutham, S., Aldridge, J. M., & Fraser, B. (2012). Gender differences in student perceptions of engagement in science learning: A multi-group structural equation modeling analysis. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 10(6), 1347-1368. doi:10.1007/s10763-012-9339-y
39. Wigfield, A. (1994). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation: A developmental perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 6, 49–78.
40. Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (1992). The development of achievement task values: A theoretical analysis. Developmental Review, 12(3), 265-310.
41. Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 68-81. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1015
42. Wlodkowski, R. J. (1978). Motivation and teaching: A practical guide. National Education Association. Wolters, C. A., Yu, S. L., & Pintrich, P. R. (1996). The relation between goal orientation and students’ motivational beliefs and self-regulated learning. Learning and Individual Differences, 8, 211–238.
43. Yetişir, M. İ., & Ceylan, E. (2015). The adaptation of students’ adaptive learning engagement in science scale into Turkish. Elementary Education Online, 14(2), 657-670.
44. Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 82–91. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1016
45. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002a). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2
46. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002b). Developing self-regulated learners beyond achievement to self-efficacy. American Psychological Association.
47. Zimmerman, B. J., & Cleary, T. J. (2006). Adolescents’ development of personal agency: The role of self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulatory skill. In F. Pajares, T. Urdan (Ed.), Self Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents (pp.45-70). Information Age Publishing.
48. Zimmerman, B., & Pons, M. (1986). Development of a structured interview for assessing student use of self-regulated learning strategies. American Educational Research Journal, 23, 614-628. doi:10.3102/00028312023004614
49. Zimmerman, B., & Pons, M. (1988). Construct validation of a strategy model of student self-regulated learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 284-290. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.80.3.284