ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-ESTEEM AS PREDICTORS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN BIOLOGY IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated academic self-efficacy and self-esteem as predictors of secondary school students' interest in Biology in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. The predictive correlation survey design was adopted for the study. The population was 20,777 senior secondary school two (SSS 2) students offering Biology in Anambra State. A sample size of 732 students drawn from the population using multi stage sampling techniques was used for the study. The instruments for data collection were the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) and Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and Students' Interest Scale (SIS). The instruments were validated by three lecturers, one from the Department of Science Education and others from the Department of Education Foundation, Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability of ASES, SES and SIS was established using Cronbach's Alpha, which yielded coefficients of internal consistency of 0.75, 0.81 and 0.88 respectively. Data were generated for the study through the administration of the instruments with the help of research assistants. The students' achievement scores in Biology were obtained from the teachers' folder. 2,928 questionnaires were physically distributed and all were collected at the spot. The data collected were analyzed using simple and multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study showed among others, that academic Self-efficacy significantly predicted about 2.4% of the academic achievement of secondary school students in Biology. It was also revealed that self-esteem significantly predicted about 2.4% of the academic achievement of secondary school students in Biology. The study concluded that academic self-efficacy and self-esteem play important roles in shaping secondary school students’ interest in Biology. The study established that students’ beliefs about their academic capabilities and their sense of self-worth are closely linked to how they engage with and value Biology learning. It was recommended amongst others that Biology teachers should adopt instructional strategies that strengthen students’ academic self-efficacy and self-esteem, such as providing constructive feedback, encouraging active participation, and using learner-centred approaches that allow students to experience success in Biology tasks.