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Investigating the Interrelationships among Science and Mathematics Achievement, Attitudes towards STEM, and Gender

Year 2021, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 342 - 357, 05.06.2021
https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.778281

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships among high school students’ science and mathematics achievement, attitudes towards STEM and gender. The participants of the study were 446 public high school students (240 females, 206 males) from two cities in Turkey. They were 10th, 11th, and 12th grade level students selected from two different kinds of schools which are Anatolian Religious High School and Anatolian High School. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to determine the relationships among the variables of the study. It was found that mathematics achievement and science achievement are significantly and positively associated with students’ mathematics attitudes, and science attitudes, but negatively related to students’ attitudes towards engineering and technology. On the other hand, 21st-century skills were not found to be significantly associated with both mathematics achievement and science achievement. The results also indicated that female students had higher mathematics and science achievement scores than male students. However, male students had more interest in engineering departments. The results of the study also imply the importance of the indirect effect of attitudes towards STEM on the relationship between students’ achievement and gender.

References

  • Abosalem, Y. (2014). Khalifa university of science technology and research (KUSTAR) students’ attitudes towards mathematics in the light of variables such as gender, nationality, mathematics courses, and the course they are attending. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational & Social Sciences (EPESS), 1, 446-460.
  • Achzab, A., Budiyanto, C. W. & Budianto, A. (2018). Analysis of the 21st century skills achievement using constructivist learning with arduino based driverless vehicle technology. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 262, 201-205.
  • Aiken, L. R. (1970). Attitudes toward mathematics. Review of Educational Research, 40, 551-596.
  • Akgunduz, D. (2016). A Research about the placement of the top thousand students in STEM fields in Turkey between 2000 and 2014. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 12(5), 1365-1377.
  • Akpinar, E., Yildiz, E. Tatar, N. & Ergin, Ö. (2009). Students’ attitudes toward science and technology: an investigation of gender, grade level and academic achievement. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 2804-2808.
  • Arevalo, I. J. M. & Ignacio, M. M. (2018). Twenty first century skills and science achievement of grade 10 students: A causal – comparative study. Research Journal of Educational Sciences, 6(1), 7-13.
  • Arhin, A. K., & Offoe, A. K. (2015). Gender differences and mathematics achievement of senior high school students: A case of Ghana National College. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(33), 67-74.
  • Bacharach, V. R., Baumeister, A. A., & Furr, R. M. (2003). Racial and gender science achievement gaps in secondary education. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 164(1), 115-126.
  • Barut, B. (2020). Cross country comparison of math-related factors affecting student mathematics literacy levels based on PISA 2012 results (Unpublished master’s thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara.
  • Bezci, F., & Sungur-Vural, S. (2013). Academic procrastination and gender as predictors of science achievement. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in the World, 3(2), 64-68.
  • Bidegain, G. & Mujika, J. F. L. (2020). Exploring the relationship between attitudes toward science and PISA scientific performance. Revista de Psicodidáctica, 25(1), 1-12.
  • Brown, L. I., & Kanyongo, G. Y. (2010). Gender differences in performance in mathematics in Trinidad and Tobago: Examining affective factors. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 5, 113–130.
  • Bulut, S. (1994). The effect of different teaching methods and gender on probability achievement and attitudes toward probability (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
  • Choi, N., & Chang, M. (2011). Interplay among school climate, gender, attitude toward mathematics, and mathematics performance of middle school students. Middle Grades Research Journal, 6(14), 15-28.
  • Clewell, B. C., & Campbell, P. B. (2002). Taking stock, where we've been, where we are, where we're going. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 8, 255-283.
  • Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillside, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  • Erdogan, A., Baloglu, M., & Kesici, S. (2011). Gender differences in geometry and mathematics achievement and self-efficacy beliefs in geometry. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 43, 91-106.
  • Gardner, P. L. (1975). Attitudes to science: A review. Studies in Science Education, 2, 1- 41.
  • Geesa, R.L., Izci, B., Song, H., & Chen, S. (2019). Exploring factors of home resources and attitudes towards mathematics in mathematics achievement in South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(9), em1751. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/108487
  • George, R. (2000). Measuring change in students' attitudes toward science over time: An application of latent variable growth modeling. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 9, 213–225.
  • Guzey, S. S., Moore, T. J., Harwell, M., & Moreno, M. (2016). STEM Integration in middle school life science: student learning and attitudes. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 25(4), 550-560. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9612-x
  • Hall, K. J. (2018). Students’ attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville.
  • Karakaya, F., Avgin, S. S. & Yilmaz, M. (2018). Ortaokul öğrencilerinin fen-teknoloji-mühendislik-matematik (FeTeMM) mesleklerine olan ilgileri, Ihlara Journal of Educational Research, 3(1), 36-53.
  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: The Guilford Press.
  • Koycu, U. & Vries, M. J. (2016). What preconceptions and attitudes about engineering are prevalent amongst upper secondary school pupils? An international study. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 26, 243-258. Doi: 10.1007/s10798-015-9305-4.
  • Lindberg, S.M., Hyde, J.S., Petersen, J.L., & Linn, M.C. (2010). New trends in gender and performance in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 1123–1135.
  • Liu, M., Horton, L., Olmanson, J., & Toprac, P. (2011). A study of learning and motivation in a new media enriched environment for middle school science. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(2), 249-265.
  • Ma, X. & Kishor, N. (1997). Assessing the relationship between attitude toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28(1), 26-47.
  • Mahoney, M. P. (2010). Students' attitudes toward STEM: development of an instrument for high school STEM based programs. The Journal of Technology Studies, 36(1), 24-34.
  • Malhotra, N. K., Lopes, E., & Veiga, R. T. (2014). Structural equation modeling with Lisrel: An initial vision. Brazilian Journal of Marketing, 13(2).
  • Moenikia, M. & Zahed-Babelan, A. (2010). A study of simple and multiple relations between mathematics attitude, academic motivation and intelligence quotient with mathematics achievement. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 1537–1542.
  • Ozcan, H., & Koca, E. (2019). STEM’e yönelik tutum ölçeğinin Türkçe’ye uyarlanması: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Hacettepe Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi, 34(2), 387-401. Ozel, M., Caglak, S., & Erdogan, M. (2013). Are affective factors a good predictor of science achievement? Examining the role of affective factors based on PISA 2006. Learning and Individual Differences, 24, 73–82.
  • Pallant, J. (2001). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (Versions 10 and 11). Maidenhead, Philadelphia: Open University Press.
  • Papanastasiou, E. C., & Zembylas, M. (2002). The Effect of Attitudes on Science Achievement: A Study Conducted Among High School Pupils in Cyprus. International Review of Education, 48(6), 469-484.
  • Pearson, J. W. & Miller, J. D. (2012). Pathways to an engineering career. Peabody Journal of Education, 87(1), 46-61.
  • Pituch, K. A., & Stevens, J. P. (2016). Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences: Analyses with SAS and IBM’s SPSS (6th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Robinson, J.P., & Lubienski, S.T. (2011). The development of gender achievement gaps in mathematics and reading during elementary and middle school: Examining direct cognitive assessments and teacher ratings. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 268–302.
  • Saha, S. (2007). A study of gender attitude to mathematics, cognitive style and achievement in mathematics. Experiments in Education, 35, 61-67.
  • Schibeci, R. A. (1977). Attitudes to science: a semantic differential instrument. Research in Science Education, 7, 149-155.
  • Shannon, E. (2015). Achievement and 21st century skills in elementary school students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Dowling College, Oakdale, NY.
  • Tseng, K. H., Chang, C. C., Lou, S. J. & Chen, W. P. (2013). Attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in a project-based learning (PjBL) environment. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 23, 87-102. Doi: 10.1007/s10798-011-9160-x
  • Turhan, F., Aydogdu, M., Sensoy, O., & Yildirim, H. I. (2008). İlköğretim 8. sınıf öğrencilerinin bilişsel gelişim düzeyleri, fen bilgisi başarıları, fen bilgisine karşı tutumları ve cinsiyet değişkenleri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. Kastamonu Egitim Dergisi, 16(2), 439-450.
  • Ugras, M. (2019). Ortaokul öğrencilerinin fen-teknoloji-mühendislik-matematik (FeTeMM) mesleklerine yönelik ilgileri. Turkish Studies, 14(1), 751-774.
  • Unfried, A., Faber, M. & Wiebe, E. N. (2014, April). Gender and student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Urunibrahimoglu, M. (2019). Investigation of the interest levels of secondary school students in Science- Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (FeTeMM) professions. Anadolu Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi (AUJEF), 3(3), 151-173.
  • Weston, R., & Gore Jr, P. A. (2006). A brief guide to structural equation modeling. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(5), 719-751.

Fen ve Matematik Başarısı, STEM’e Yönelik Tutum ve Cinsiyet Arasındaki İlişkilerin İncelenmesi

Year 2021, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 342 - 357, 05.06.2021
https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.778281

Abstract

DOI: Bu çalışma, lise öğrencilerinin fen ve matematik başarıları, STEM’e yönelik tutumları ve cinsiyetleri arasındaki ilişkileri incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Türkiye’nin iki farklı şehrindeki devlet okullarından toplam 446 lise öğrencisi (240 kız, 206 erkek), bu çalışmanın katılımcılarını oluşturmaktadır. Katılımcılar, Anadolu İmam Hatip Lisesi ve Anadolu Lisesi’inde okuyan 10., 11. ve 12. sınıf öğrencilerinden seçilmiştir. Çalışmada ele alınan değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiler Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesi (SEM) kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Matematik ve fen başarısının öğrencilerin matematik ve fen tutumları ile anlamlı ve pozitif ilişkili olduğu ancak öğrencilerin mühendislik ve teknolojiye yönelik tutumları ile negatif ilişkili olduğu bulunmuştur. Öte yandan, 21. yüzyıl becerileri hem matematik başarısı hem de fen bilimleri başarısı ile anlamlı düzeyde ilişkili bulunmamıştır. Sonuçlar ayrıca kız öğrencilerin erkek öğrencilere göre daha yüksek matematik ve fen başarı puanlarına sahip oldukları diğer taraftan erkek öğrencilerin ise kız öğrencilere göre mühendislik bölümlerine daha fazla ilgisi olduğunu göstermiştir. Çalışmanın sonuçları ayrıca öğrencilerin STEM’e yönelik tutumlarının başarı ve cinsiyet ilişkisi üzerindeki dolaylı etkisinin önemini işaret etmektedir. 

References

  • Abosalem, Y. (2014). Khalifa university of science technology and research (KUSTAR) students’ attitudes towards mathematics in the light of variables such as gender, nationality, mathematics courses, and the course they are attending. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational & Social Sciences (EPESS), 1, 446-460.
  • Achzab, A., Budiyanto, C. W. & Budianto, A. (2018). Analysis of the 21st century skills achievement using constructivist learning with arduino based driverless vehicle technology. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 262, 201-205.
  • Aiken, L. R. (1970). Attitudes toward mathematics. Review of Educational Research, 40, 551-596.
  • Akgunduz, D. (2016). A Research about the placement of the top thousand students in STEM fields in Turkey between 2000 and 2014. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 12(5), 1365-1377.
  • Akpinar, E., Yildiz, E. Tatar, N. & Ergin, Ö. (2009). Students’ attitudes toward science and technology: an investigation of gender, grade level and academic achievement. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 2804-2808.
  • Arevalo, I. J. M. & Ignacio, M. M. (2018). Twenty first century skills and science achievement of grade 10 students: A causal – comparative study. Research Journal of Educational Sciences, 6(1), 7-13.
  • Arhin, A. K., & Offoe, A. K. (2015). Gender differences and mathematics achievement of senior high school students: A case of Ghana National College. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(33), 67-74.
  • Bacharach, V. R., Baumeister, A. A., & Furr, R. M. (2003). Racial and gender science achievement gaps in secondary education. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 164(1), 115-126.
  • Barut, B. (2020). Cross country comparison of math-related factors affecting student mathematics literacy levels based on PISA 2012 results (Unpublished master’s thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara.
  • Bezci, F., & Sungur-Vural, S. (2013). Academic procrastination and gender as predictors of science achievement. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in the World, 3(2), 64-68.
  • Bidegain, G. & Mujika, J. F. L. (2020). Exploring the relationship between attitudes toward science and PISA scientific performance. Revista de Psicodidáctica, 25(1), 1-12.
  • Brown, L. I., & Kanyongo, G. Y. (2010). Gender differences in performance in mathematics in Trinidad and Tobago: Examining affective factors. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 5, 113–130.
  • Bulut, S. (1994). The effect of different teaching methods and gender on probability achievement and attitudes toward probability (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
  • Choi, N., & Chang, M. (2011). Interplay among school climate, gender, attitude toward mathematics, and mathematics performance of middle school students. Middle Grades Research Journal, 6(14), 15-28.
  • Clewell, B. C., & Campbell, P. B. (2002). Taking stock, where we've been, where we are, where we're going. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 8, 255-283.
  • Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillside, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  • Erdogan, A., Baloglu, M., & Kesici, S. (2011). Gender differences in geometry and mathematics achievement and self-efficacy beliefs in geometry. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 43, 91-106.
  • Gardner, P. L. (1975). Attitudes to science: A review. Studies in Science Education, 2, 1- 41.
  • Geesa, R.L., Izci, B., Song, H., & Chen, S. (2019). Exploring factors of home resources and attitudes towards mathematics in mathematics achievement in South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(9), em1751. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/108487
  • George, R. (2000). Measuring change in students' attitudes toward science over time: An application of latent variable growth modeling. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 9, 213–225.
  • Guzey, S. S., Moore, T. J., Harwell, M., & Moreno, M. (2016). STEM Integration in middle school life science: student learning and attitudes. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 25(4), 550-560. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9612-x
  • Hall, K. J. (2018). Students’ attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville.
  • Karakaya, F., Avgin, S. S. & Yilmaz, M. (2018). Ortaokul öğrencilerinin fen-teknoloji-mühendislik-matematik (FeTeMM) mesleklerine olan ilgileri, Ihlara Journal of Educational Research, 3(1), 36-53.
  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: The Guilford Press.
  • Koycu, U. & Vries, M. J. (2016). What preconceptions and attitudes about engineering are prevalent amongst upper secondary school pupils? An international study. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 26, 243-258. Doi: 10.1007/s10798-015-9305-4.
  • Lindberg, S.M., Hyde, J.S., Petersen, J.L., & Linn, M.C. (2010). New trends in gender and performance in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 1123–1135.
  • Liu, M., Horton, L., Olmanson, J., & Toprac, P. (2011). A study of learning and motivation in a new media enriched environment for middle school science. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(2), 249-265.
  • Ma, X. & Kishor, N. (1997). Assessing the relationship between attitude toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28(1), 26-47.
  • Mahoney, M. P. (2010). Students' attitudes toward STEM: development of an instrument for high school STEM based programs. The Journal of Technology Studies, 36(1), 24-34.
  • Malhotra, N. K., Lopes, E., & Veiga, R. T. (2014). Structural equation modeling with Lisrel: An initial vision. Brazilian Journal of Marketing, 13(2).
  • Moenikia, M. & Zahed-Babelan, A. (2010). A study of simple and multiple relations between mathematics attitude, academic motivation and intelligence quotient with mathematics achievement. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 1537–1542.
  • Ozcan, H., & Koca, E. (2019). STEM’e yönelik tutum ölçeğinin Türkçe’ye uyarlanması: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Hacettepe Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi, 34(2), 387-401. Ozel, M., Caglak, S., & Erdogan, M. (2013). Are affective factors a good predictor of science achievement? Examining the role of affective factors based on PISA 2006. Learning and Individual Differences, 24, 73–82.
  • Pallant, J. (2001). SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (Versions 10 and 11). Maidenhead, Philadelphia: Open University Press.
  • Papanastasiou, E. C., & Zembylas, M. (2002). The Effect of Attitudes on Science Achievement: A Study Conducted Among High School Pupils in Cyprus. International Review of Education, 48(6), 469-484.
  • Pearson, J. W. & Miller, J. D. (2012). Pathways to an engineering career. Peabody Journal of Education, 87(1), 46-61.
  • Pituch, K. A., & Stevens, J. P. (2016). Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences: Analyses with SAS and IBM’s SPSS (6th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Robinson, J.P., & Lubienski, S.T. (2011). The development of gender achievement gaps in mathematics and reading during elementary and middle school: Examining direct cognitive assessments and teacher ratings. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 268–302.
  • Saha, S. (2007). A study of gender attitude to mathematics, cognitive style and achievement in mathematics. Experiments in Education, 35, 61-67.
  • Schibeci, R. A. (1977). Attitudes to science: a semantic differential instrument. Research in Science Education, 7, 149-155.
  • Shannon, E. (2015). Achievement and 21st century skills in elementary school students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Dowling College, Oakdale, NY.
  • Tseng, K. H., Chang, C. C., Lou, S. J. & Chen, W. P. (2013). Attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in a project-based learning (PjBL) environment. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 23, 87-102. Doi: 10.1007/s10798-011-9160-x
  • Turhan, F., Aydogdu, M., Sensoy, O., & Yildirim, H. I. (2008). İlköğretim 8. sınıf öğrencilerinin bilişsel gelişim düzeyleri, fen bilgisi başarıları, fen bilgisine karşı tutumları ve cinsiyet değişkenleri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. Kastamonu Egitim Dergisi, 16(2), 439-450.
  • Ugras, M. (2019). Ortaokul öğrencilerinin fen-teknoloji-mühendislik-matematik (FeTeMM) mesleklerine yönelik ilgileri. Turkish Studies, 14(1), 751-774.
  • Unfried, A., Faber, M. & Wiebe, E. N. (2014, April). Gender and student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Urunibrahimoglu, M. (2019). Investigation of the interest levels of secondary school students in Science- Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (FeTeMM) professions. Anadolu Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi (AUJEF), 3(3), 151-173.
  • Weston, R., & Gore Jr, P. A. (2006). A brief guide to structural equation modeling. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(5), 719-751.
There are 46 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Other Fields of Education
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Sevda Yerdelen-damar 0000-0002-5665-5140

Büşra Aksöz This is me 0000-0002-6767-3467

Sevil Sezer This is me 0000-0001-5656-9309

Nil Arabacı This is me 0000-0002-0701-5307

Fatma Arıkan This is me 0000-0003-3193-1513

Publication Date June 5, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2021 Volume: 10 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Yerdelen-damar, S., Aksöz, B., Sezer, S., Arabacı, N., et al. (2021). Investigating the Interrelationships among Science and Mathematics Achievement, Attitudes towards STEM, and Gender. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, 10(2), 342-357. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.778281

All the articles published in the journal are open access and distributed under the conditions of CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License 

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