A dissertation completed at The Center for Education, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013
PREDICTORS OF THE SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT OF EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS IN THE PARISH SCHOOLS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA Rosalie J. Papa Shaw, Ed. D. March 27, 2003
RETURN edited 11/13/03

ABSTRACT

National and international studies of science achievement point to a declining trend as students move from early elementary school through high school. Internationally, United States' science students are well above average in grade 4, slightly above average in grade 8, and well below average in grade 12. This study focused on eighth grade students and their seventh grade science teachers in the parish elementary schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Of particular interest was the possibility that a teacher who "feels confident" about his/her ability to teach science will teach it well, whether or not he/she has extensive formal science training.

The research question was, "Which of the selected variables, including the teachers' science-teaching self- efficacy beliefs, gender, age, years of teaching experience, years of science teaching experience, certification, highest degree earned, college major, and number of college science courses taken, class size, school size, school location, prior science achievement in the school, the students' general aptitude and overall achievement, as well as the economic status of their families, are predictors of student achievement in science at the eighth grade level?"

Initial correlational analyses revealed that eight of the eighteen variables were significantly correlated with science achievement. These variables were the schools' location and prior science achievement, students' overall achievement, general ability, and family income, and teachers' certification, overall science-teaching self-efficacy beliefs and personal science-teaching self-efficacy beliefs. Schools were then divided into the highest- and lowest-scoring groups based on TerraNova science subtest scores. Other variables based on TerraNova data were not analyzed further.

The remaining five variables were analyzed using the appropriate t-tests to determine which, if any, were significantly different in the highest- and lowest-scoring groups. t-Tests showed that the science -teaching self-efficacy beliefs and certification of the teachers were not significantly different in the two groups. However, school location and median family income were significantly different in the highest- and lowest-scoring groups. Science the other predictor, family income. achievement in this study was predictable by school location, which can be tied closely to

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