Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools

Patrice Potvin; Abdelkrim Hasni; Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet; Ousmane Sy

doi:10.29333/ejmste/8938

Full Text (PDF)

Patrice Potvin ¹ ^* , Abdelkrim Hasni ² , Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet ² , Ousmane Sy ³

More Detail

¹ University of Quebec in Montreal, CANADA² University of Sherbrooke, CANADA³ University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, CANADA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This cross-lagged longitudinal study was conducted with 862 seventh and eighth graders (secondary school) in the province of Québec (Canada) to study the effects of two important perceptual variables (self-concept and individual interest) on achievement, as well as reciprocal relations between all these constructs. Considering the results obtained previously in mathematics education, it was designed to test if the same inter-variable dynamics could be recorded in science and technology. The data was gathered at 10 time points (four perceptual; six report cards [school reports]) and analyzed using Mplus. Most fit indexes were acceptable and revealed a predictive solution that supports the hypothesis that interest does not appear to play any direct role in achievement, but that self-concept does. Recommendations for research that tests individual interest are formulated as well as suggestions for educational practice.

Keywords

achievement
interest
longitudinal
science and technology
self-concept

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 16, Issue 12, December 2020, Article No: em1904

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938

Publication date: 21 Oct 2020

Article Views: 2967

Article Downloads: 2706

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Astolfi, J.-P. (1998). L’école pour apprendre [Learning happens in school]. Paris: ESF Éditeur.
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238-246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238
Bentler, P. M. (1995). Eqs structural equations program manual. Encion, CA: Multivariate Software.
Brookover, W. B., Thomas, S., & Paterson, A. (1964). Self-concept of ability and school achievement. Sociology of Education, 37(3), 271-278. https://doi.org/10.2307/2111958
Cavas, P. (2011). Factors affecting the motivation of turkish primary students for science learning. Science Education International, 22(1), 31-42.
Denissen, J. J. A., Zarrett, N. R., & Eccles, J. S. (2007). I like to do it, I’m able, and I know I am: longitudinal couplings between domain-specific achievement, self-concept, and interest. Child development, 78(2), 430-447. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01007.x
Dewey, J. (1913). Interest and effort in education. Boston, MA, US: Houghton, Mifflin and Company.
Gagné, F., & St Père, F. (2001). When IQ is controlled, does motivation still predict achievement? Intelligence, 30(1), 71-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-2896(01)00068-X
Ganley, C., M., & Lubienski, S. T. (2016). Mathematics confidence, interest, and performance: Examining gender patterns and reciprocal relations. Learning and Individual Differences, 47(April), 182-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.01.002
George, R. (2006). A cross-domain analysis of change in students’ attitudes toward science and attitudes about the utility of science. International Journal of Science Education, 28(6), 571-589.
Grigg, S., Perera, H. N., McIlveen, P., & Svetleff, Z. (2018). Relations among math self efficacy, interest, intentions, and achievement: A social cognitive perspective. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 53, 73-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.01.007
Gungor, A., Eryılmaz, A., & Fakıoglu, T. (2007). The relationship of freshmen’s physics achievement and their related affective characteristics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1036-1056. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20200
Harackiewicz, J. M., Smith, J. L., & Priniski, S. J. (2016). Interest matters: The importance of promoting interest in education. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 220-227. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732216655542
Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 111-127.
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
Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th edition). New-York, London: Guilford publications.
Kpolovie, P. J., Joe, A. I., & Tracy, O. (2014). Academic achievement prediction: role of interest in learning and attitude towards school. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education, 1(11), 73-100.
Krapp, A., & Prenzel, M. (2011). Research on interest in science: Theories, methods, and findings. International Journal of Science Education, 33(1), 27-50.
Larson, L. M., Stephen, A., Bonitz, V. S., & Wu, T.-F. (2014). Predicting science achievement in india: Role of gender, self-efficacy, interests, and effort. Journal of Career Assessment, 22(1), 89-101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072713487975
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
Leflot, G., Onghena, P., & Colpin, H. (2010). Teacher–child interactions: Relations with children’s self-concept in second grade. Infant and Child Development, 19(4), 385-405. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.672
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79-122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
Lent, R. W., Larkin, K. C., & Brown, S. D. (1989). Relation of self-efficacy to inventoried vocational interests. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 34(3), 279-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(89)90020-1
Muthén, L., & Muthén, B. (1998). Mplus user’s guide (7th edn). Los Angeles, CA, 2012: Muthén & Muthén.
Nuutila, K., Tuominen, H., Tapola, A., Vainikainen, M.-P., & Niemivirta, M. (2018). Consistency, longitudinal stability, and predictions of elementary school students’ task interest, success expectancy, and performance in mathematics. Learning and Instruction, 56, 73-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2018.04.003
Odudukudu, M. (2019). Pure and objective thinking: interest and desire. SAGE Open, 9(2), 2158244019844086. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019844086
OECD [Hemmo, V., & Love, P.] (2008). Encouraging student interest in science and technology studies. OECD Publishing.
Patall, E. A., Vasquez, A. C., Steingut, R. R., Trimble, S. S., & Pituch, K. A. (2016). Daily interest, engagement, and autonomy support in the high school science classroom. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 46, 180-194.
Perrenoud, P. (2004). Métier d’élève et sens du travail scolaire [Students’ role and sense of school work]. Paris: ESF-Éditeur.
Popper, K. R. (1995). La logique de la découverte scientifique [The logic of scientific discovery]. Paris: Éditions Payot.
Potvin, P., & Hasni, A. (2014a). Analysis of the decline in interest towards school science and technology from grades 5 through 11. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 23(6), 784-802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-014-9512-x
Potvin, P., & Hasni, A. (2014b). Interest, motivation and attitude towards science and technology at K-12 levels: a systematic review of 12 years of educational research. Studies in Science Education, 50(1), 85-129, https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2014.881626
Potvin, P., Hasni, A., Sy, O., & Riopel, M. (2020). Two Crucial Years of Science and Technology Schooling: A Longitudinal Study of the Major Influences on and Interactions Between Self-Concept, Interest, and the Intention to Pursue S&T. Research in Science Education, 50, 1739-1761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9751-6
Reid, N., & Skryabina, E. A. (2002). Attitudes towards physics. Research in Science and Technological Education, 20(1), 67-81.
Renninger, K. A., & Hidi, S. E. (2016). The Power of Interest for Motivation and Engagement. New-York: Routledge.
Rotgans, J. I., & Schmidt, H. G. (2011). The role of teachers in facilitating situational interest in an active-learning classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(1), 37-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.06.025
Rotgans, J. I., & Schmidt, H. G. (2017). The relation between individual interest and knowledge acquisition. British Educational Research Journal, 43(2), 350-371. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3268
Schiefele, U., Krapp, A., & Winteler, A. (1992). Interest as a predictor of academic achievement: A meta-analysis of research The role of interest in learning and development. (pp. 183-212). Hillsdale, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Schmidt, H. G., & Rotgans, J. I. (2017). Like it or not: Individual interest is not a cause but a consequence of learning. Rejoinder to Hidi and Renninger (2017). British Educational Research Journal, 43(6), 1266-1268. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3307
Singh, K., Granville, M., & Dika, S. (2002). Mathematics and science achievement: effects of motivation, interest, and academic engagement. Journal of Educational Research, 95(6), 323-332.
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2004). Self-concept and self-efficacy: A test of the internal/external frame of reference model and predictions of subsequent motivation and achievement. Psychological Reports, 95(3_suppl), 1187-1202. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.95.3f.1187-1202
Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25(2), 173-180. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_4
Tella, A., Tella, A., & Adeniyi, S. O. (2011). Locus of control, interest in schooling and self-efficacy as predictors of academic achievement among junior secondary school students in Osun State, Nigeria. New Horizons in Education, 59(1), 25-37.
Wang, J., & Wang, X. (2019). Structural equation modeling: Applications using Mplus. John Wiley & Sons.
Xu, J. (2018). Reciprocal effects of homework self-concept, interest, effort, and math achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 55, 42-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.09.002

How to cite this article

APA

Potvin, P., Hasni, A., Ayotte-Beaudet, J.-P., & Sy, O. (2020). Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(12), em1904. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938

Vancouver

Potvin P, Hasni A, Ayotte-Beaudet JP, Sy O. Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2020;16(12):em1904. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938

AMA

Potvin P, Hasni A, Ayotte-Beaudet JP, Sy O. Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2020;16(12), em1904. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938

Chicago

Potvin, Patrice, Abdelkrim Hasni, Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, and Ousmane Sy. "Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2020 16 no. 12 (2020): em1904. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938

Harvard

Potvin, P., Hasni, A., Ayotte-Beaudet, J.-P., and Sy, O. (2020). Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(12), em1904. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938

MLA

Potvin, Patrice et al. "Does Individual Interest Still Predict Achievement in Science and Technology When Controlling for Self-Concept? A Longitudinal Study Conducted in Canadian Schools". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 16, no. 12, 2020, em1904. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8938