Predicting physics achievement: attitude towards physics, self-efficacy of learning physics, and mathematics achievement

Attitude and academic achievement

Attitude refers to “a predisposition to respond positively or negatively to things, people, places, events or ideas” (Simpson, Koballa, Oliver & Crawley, 1994, p. 212). It is related to some of the psychological constructs such as beliefs (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), and perceptions (Bem, 1972). In addition, there is a close relationship between attitude and achievement behaviors (Eccles et al., 1983). Some achievement behaviors (e.g., performance in a course) can be influenced by attitudes. Some dimensions of the attitudes such as importance of any science disciplines, liking or disliking the disciplines, and interest or not interest in the disciplines can be closely related to achievement performances (Eccles et al., 1983).

Furthermore, attitude toward behavior that is affected by behavioral beliefs in the Theory of Planned Behavior can influence behavioral intention of individuals, and then this can affect their behaviors (Ajzen, 1985). Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) claimed that definition of attitude that is “a learned predisposition to respond to an object in a consistently favorable and unfavorable manner” (p. 336) imply a close relationship between attitude and behavior. They also discussed that attitudes are serious predictors of certain behaviors. For example, having positive attitude towards some behaviors can result in some positive specific actions. If someone is able to determine one’s attitudes, they can also estimate his/her behaviors as an outcome of these attitudes. There can be a strong relationship between attitude and behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). Considering the above discussions it can be assumed that there can also be a close relationship between attitude and students’ academic performance or achievement. Under the discussions expecting students to study hard if they have positive attitude towards any subjects or topics to show better academic performance can be reasonable. In the study of Manstead and Van Eekelen (1998), students’ performances in the exams were also considered as their behavior under the discussions of Theory of Planned Behavior. As a result, there can be a strong relationship between attitudes and academic achievements as Eccles et al. (1983) indicated.

Self-efficacy and academic achievement

Perceived self-efficacy refers to individuals’ beliefs related to their judgments and capabilities to organize the actions for reaching their designated goals (Bandura, 1997). It is closely related to their own motivation and behaviors (Bandura, 1993). This can affect students’ motivation to accomplish the tasks given and their attainment of some skills (Schunk, 1984). According to Bandura (1997), self-efficacious students are more motivated to achieve the goals determined, and they work harder. Furthermore, there is a close relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement (Zimmerman, 2000). Pajares and Schunk (2001) have discussed that having a higher level of efficacy increases individuals’ accomplishments. They are more confident in mastering the difficult tasks that they encounter and persist on achieving in these tasks. Therefore, students’ confidence about their capability is critical in determining their academic achievement (Pajares & Schunk, 2001).