Assessing Academic Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Undergraduate Physiology Students

Andrew D. Woolcock^1, , Kate E. Creevy², Amanda E. Coleman², James N. Moore³ and Scott A. Brown⁴

¹Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

²Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

³Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

⁴Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Cite this paper:
Andrew D. Woolcock, Kate E. Creevy, Amanda E. Coleman, James N. Moore and Scott A. Brown. Assessing Academic Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Undergraduate Physiology Students. American Journal of Educational Research. 2016; 4(9):652-657. doi: 10.12691/education-4-9-1

Abstract

Academic self-efficacy affects the success of students in the sciences. Our goals were to develop an instrument to assess the self-efficacy and attitudes toward science of students in an undergraduate physiology course. We hypothesized 1) that our instrument would demonstrate that students taking this course would exhibit greater self-efficacy and more positive attitudes toward science than students in a non-science undergraduate course, and 2) that the physiology students' self-efficacy and attitudes would improve after completing the course. A 25-question survey instrument was developed with items investigating demographic information, self-efficacy, content knowledge, confidence, and attitudes regarding science. Students in either an undergraduate physiology course (Group P) or a history course (Group H) completed the survey. Forty-eight students in Group P completed both PRE- and POST-class surveys, while 50 students in Group H completed the pre-class survey. The academic self-efficacy of Group P as assessed by the PRE-survey was significantly higher than Group H (p=0.0003). Interestingly, there was no significant difference between groups in content knowledge in the PRE-survey. The self-efficacy of Group P was significantly higher as assessed by the POST-survey, when compared to the PRE-survey (p<0.0001) coincident with an improvement (p<0.001) in content knowledge for Group P in the POST-survey. This study established a survey instrument with utility in assessing self-efficacy, attitudes, and content knowledge. Our approach has applicability to studies designed to determine the impact of instructional variables on academic self-efficacy, attitudes, and confidence of students in the sciences.

Keywords:
self-efficacy physiology cardiovascular

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
[2]	Zimmerman, B.J. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 82-91.
[3]	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.
[4]	Zimmerman, B.J., Bandura, A., & Martinez-Pons, M. (1992). Self-motivation for academic achievement: The role of self-efficacy beliefs and personal goal setting. American Educational Research Journal, 29(663-676).
[5]	Grauer, G. F., Forrester, S. D., Shuman, C., & Sanderson, M. W. (2008). Comparison of student performance after lecture-based and case-based/problem-based teaching in a large group. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 35(2), 310-317.
[6]	Owston, R.D. (1997). The World Wide Web: A technology to enhance teaching and learning? Educational Researcher, 26(2), 27-33.
[7]	Kaveevivitchai, C., Chuengkriankrai, B., Luecha, Y., Thanooruk, R., Panijpan, B., & Ruenwongsa, P. (2009). Enhancing nursing students' skills in vital signs assessment by using multimedia computer-assisted learning with integrated content of anatomy and physiology. Nurse Education Today, 29(1), 65-72.
[8]	Lewis, M. J. (2003). Computer-assisted learning for teaching anatomy and physiology in subjects allied to medicine. Medical Teacher, 25(2), 204-206.
[9]	Richardson, D. (1997). Student perceptions and learning outcomes of computer-assisted versus traditional instruction in physiology. American Journal of Physiology, 273(6 Pt 3), S55-58.
[10]	Taradi, S. K., Taradi, M., Radic, K., & Pokrajac, N. (2005). Blending problem-based learning with Web technology positively impacts student learning outcomes in acid-base physiology. Adv Physiol Educ, 29(1), 35-39.
[11]	Bong, M., & Clark, R.E. (1999). Comparison between self-concept and self-efficacy in academic motivation research. Educational Psychologist, 34(3), 139-153.
[12]	Chemers, M.M., Hu, L., & Garcia, B.F. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first year college student performance and adjustment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 55-64.
[13]	Diseth, Å. (2011). Self-efficacy, goal orientations and learning strategies as mediators between preceding and subsequent academic achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 21(2), 191-195.
[14]	Komarraju, M., & Dial, C. (2014). Academic identity, self-efficacy, and self-esteem predict self-determined motivation and goals. Learning and Individual Differences, 32, 1-8.
[15]	Pintrich, P.R., & DeGroot, E.V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 33-40.
[16]	Liang, C., & Chang, C. (2014). Predicting scientific imagination from the joint influences of intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, agreeableness, and extraversion. Learning and Individual Differences, 31, 36-42.
[17]	Vollmer, F. (1984). Expectancy and academic achievement. Motivation and Emotion, 8, 67-76.
[18]	Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press.
[19]	Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67.
[20]	Caprara, G.V., Fida, R., Vecchione, M., Del Bove, G., Vecchio, G.M., Barbaranelli, C., & Bandura, A. (2008). Longitudinal analysis of the role of perceived self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in academic continuance and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(3), 525-534.
[21]	Di Giunta, L., Alessandri, G., Gerbino, M., Luengo Kanacri, P., Zuffiano, A., & Caprara, G.V.. (2013). The determinants of scholastic achievement: The contribution of personality traits, self-esteem, and academic self-efficacy. Learning and Individual Differences, 27, 102-108.
[22]	Zhu, Y., Chen, L., Chen, H., & Chern, C. (2011). How does Internet information seeking help academic performance? – The moderating and mediating roles of academic self-efficacy. Computers & Education, 57(4), 2476-2484.
[23]	Pintrich, P.R. (2004). A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and selfregulated learning in college students. Educational Psychology Review, 16, 385-407.