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

The relationships between physics achievement and some physiological variables were investigated. For example, some studies (Çapri, 2013; Papanastasiou & Zembylas, 2002) showed that students’ attitudes toward physics were positively related to their physics achievement. Some (Çapri, 2013; Yerdelen-Damar & Peşman, 2013) also revealed that students’ physics achievement could be significantly explained by their self-efficacy of learning physics. In addition, students’ mathematics achievement was an important factor in determining their physics achievement (Meltzer, 2002). The majority of the studies (e.g., Gungor et al., 2007; Willson et al., 2000) focused on the psychological constructs on predicting students’ physics achievement. Some studies (e.g., Marsh et al., 2015; Veloo et al., 2015) also showed the correlations between students’ success in mathematics and physics. However, there are a few studies that discuss the role of students’ mathematics achievement in explaining their physics achievement considering also psychological constructs. Which ones psychological constructs or mathematics achievements are more effective in explaining physics achievement is still unclear. Identifying the most effective predictors of physics achievement might enable researchers or teachers to focus on these predictors more to be able to increase students’ physics achievement. Although regression analyses cannot imply causality (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2007), improving the students’ attitude towards physics or mathematics achievement may also result in improved physics achievement in actual learning environments. Due to the most predictive variable of physics achievement to be identified in this study, more importance for the improvement of this predictive variable should be given to increase physics achievement more in learning of physics.

It can also be claimed that students’ science achievements in international assessments might be very important criterion to rank the countries education levels as mentioned before. For example, some predictions can be made about the quality of the education in the countries according to the students’ scores in these assessments. One of the developing countries Turkey has put some education reforms to compete with developed countries in international assessments. Therefore, there have been radical changes in science curricula in primary and secondary schools for last decade. In the final version of the revised curricula (see Ministry of National Education [MoNE], 2013a, 2013b) in Turkey, students’ active involvement in learning science are also emphasized and teachers are advised to perform more science inquiry activities. It is advocated that these could enable students to have some cognitive and psychomotor skills and more positive attitude towards science. Therefore, some significant relationships between psychological constructs (e.g., attitude, belief, motivation) and students’ outcomes (e.g., achievement in exams, projects, and experiments) might be expected. Theoretical ideas about the relationship between behavior and attitude (see Eccles et al., 1983; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) also support this claim. However, in some of the studies related to physics education (e.g., Gungor et al., 2007; Willson et al., 2000) significant relationships between physics attitude and physics achievement were not observed. With the chancing education systems that emphasize more students’ active involvement in science learning all over the world today and also in Turkey there might be some changes in students’ attitude towards physics. Thus there also might be significant relationships between attitude towards physics and physics achievement. Investigating whether such a relationship exists can help researchers or teachers to better understand the effectiveness of some reforms in science education on students’ science/physics achievement. For example, different strategies or methods that might increase the students’ attitudes, self-efficacies and achievements should be advised to the teachers.