ABSTRACT
This study sought to determine the influence of perceived locus of control on students’ self-efficacy belief and achievement in integrated science. The study also examined the influence of gender on perceived locus of control, self-efficacy belief and achievement in integrated science. Six research questions were generated and used for the study. Five null hypotheses were also formulated to guide the study. The design of the study was an ex-post-facto research design. The study was carried out in Nsukka Education zone of Enugu State. The sample for the study consisted of junior secondary class II students in the five intact classes drawn from five single sex junior secondary schools in Nsukka education zone. Two instruments were used for data collection Perceived Locus of Control Scale (PLCS) developed by Dutweiler (1984) and Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) that was developed by the researcher with the help of an expert in educational psychology after relevant literature. Students’ achievement scores was obtained. The data collected using the instruments were analyzed suing mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and t –test analysis was used to test the hypothesis. The major findings of the study are: perceived locus of control has a significant influence on students’ self-efficacy belief and achievement in integrated science, also there is no significant influence of gender on students’ locus of control, perceived self-efficacy belief and achievement in integrated science. A major recommendation of the study is that considering the importance of locus of control on students’ self-efficacy belief and achievement in integrated science, students should be taught on how to picture themselves succeeding in the challenging situations given the level of effort made towards the task. Some educational implications were highlighted and suggestions for further studies made.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Integrated science is a core subject offered in junior secondary school certificate examination (JSSCE). It has been defined by Gbamanja (1992) as an approach to the teaching of science in which concepts and principles are presented so as to express fundamental unity of scientific thought and avoid premature or undue stress on the distinctions between the various scientific fields. Howel (1992) noted that the essence of beginning a course in science is to teach students what science is and how a scientist works. Jacobson (1992) described integrated science as a programme which offers to the student’s experiences, which help them to develop an operational understanding of the structure of science. This will help to enrich their lives and make them more responsive in the society.
The rationale for introducing this subject in junior secondary school is to equip the students at this level with the basic fundamental, theoretical and practical framework of science. Having the knowledge of the basic principles of science, students would develop positive attitude towards the study of science subjects like biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics in the senior secondary school and science based courses at tertiary levels of education such as engineering, computer science, medicine and architecture. Maduabum (1983) observed that any country that aspires to lay the necessary foundation for its industrial and technological progress must expose its younger generation to the knowledge of science. Okeke (1983) in highlighting the importance of science also noted that, of the entire academic disciplines the world looks up to the sciences for the improvement of peoples’ quality of life. Therefore, all nations require a good programme in science because through the application of science, man ensures the longevity of his existence.
Recent trends in Nigeria have shown that learning and teaching of integrated science as a school subject are being accorded high premium. For instance, our new National Policy on Education (Federal Government of Nigeria, (FGN), 2004: 35) posits that “science and technology shall continue to be taught in an integrated manner in the schools to promote, in the students, the appreciation of the practical application of basic ideas”. To this end, some states have established special science schools in order to promote science and technology at secondary school level. The establishments of several polytechnics and universities of technology are also bold attempts by the federal and state government to encourage science and technology. These efforts to popularize science and technology are extremely important not only in the nation building efforts but also essential in capacity development, resulting in the improvement of the overall quality of life in the society.
Even though in Nigeria much emphasis is being placed on the teaching and learning of the integrated science, research has shown that students’ achievement in integrated science have been very much unsatisfactory (Njoku, 2003). Also, statistics from the planning, research and statistics (PRS) unit in Nsukka education zone of Enugu state indicate that students are not doing well. This statistics further highlights the fact that from 2004 – 2008, among the students who entered for junior secondary school certificate examination, about 24.73% had distinction and credit passes. The rest had ordinary passes and failure grades as shown in the appendix. However, it is a serious problem that many students continue to show poor achievement in integrated science. This results in students leaving school with inadequate science skills (Malloy & Malloy, 1998).
A contributing factor to poor achievement may be that teachers fail to develop personal characteristics like teachers’ self-efficacy and mannerism that arouses students into taking advantage of learning opportunities (Simpson, 2000). Thus, some studies have investigated the major factors which contribute to students poor achievement in their study of integrated science especially JSSCE. Some of the factors identified include ineffective teaching method (Olarinoye, 1982), low cognitive competence among the teachers, disruption in academic activities of schools (Udom, 1994) and students motivational variables (Ali, 2002).
Presently, researchers are redirecting their focus on learners’ perception of control that is students’ locus of control as an important variable in the learning process. Locus of control is a concept in psychology originally developed in the 1950s by Julian Rotter. It refers to the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events. Locus of control belief is people’s beliefs about what causes their actions (Rotter, 1969). These beliefs in turn guide what kinds of attitudes and behaviours people adopt. The two loci as established by the theory are the internal and external loci. Essentially, individuals who make choices primarily on their own are considered to have internal locus. That is those who see themselves as the main cause of what happens to them. For instance, a student with an internal locus of control might assume that a good achievement on a test was due to the hours spent in studying for the test. According to Perkins, (2008), people with internal locus of control are considered less susceptible to social influence, better information seekers, more achievement oriented and better psychologically adjusted. On the other hand, those who make decisions based more on what others desire are said to have external locus. If a person perceives that achievement depends on luck, chance or the assistance of others, the person is said to have external locus of control. A student with an external locus of control who achieves well on a test might assume that the good achievement was due to an easy test. Therefore, locus of control can either be internal or external.
Maltby, Day & Macaskill (2007), assert that students with internal locus of control have high achievement, have a better control of their behaviour and are more likely to attempt to influence other people. They are more likely to assume that their efforts will be successful. They are also more active in seeking information and knowledge concerning their situations than do externals. Bailer (1991) suggested that internal locus of control is associated with increased ability to delay gratification. However, externals tend to feel they have less control over their fate, tend to be more stressed and achieve less. Rotter and Hocheich (1990) posited that internals believe that causes of behavioural consequences originate within the individual. They tend to take personal responsibility for what happens to them. Taken to an extreme, an internal person misattributes causality to internal rather than to external causes. Whereas, externals in contrast, tend to believe that the causes of behavioural consequences originate in the environment. In Nigeria the question of how locus of control influences students’ self-efficacy belief and achievement in integrated science is yet to be explored.
Self-efficacy refers to people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of actions required to attain designated types of performance (Bandura, 1986). It is not concerned with the skills one has but with judgments of what one can do with whatever skills one possesses. Bandura further stated that academic self-efficacy refers to people’s conviction about their own capabilities for successfully executing a course of action that leads to a desired outcome. Perceived self-efficacy or an individual belief about the individual’s capabilities to assume the required role necessary to attain specified level of task performance has been described as an important cognitive mechanism that effect learning (Bandura & Schunk, 1986). A student’s perceived self-efficacy influences choices of activities and determines whether the student would work to accomplish a task or attempt to avoid it. As Schunk (1986), observed students who hold low sense of self-efficacy for task accomplishment adopt avoidance approach, whereas students who believe in their capability for a task accomplishment get actively involved and are motivated to achieve success (Eze, 2003).
Zhang (2003) posited that self-efficacy affects achievement directly or indirectly through various cognitive mechanisms such as learning strategies. Continuing, Zhang said that, evidence available showed that students with a strong sense of self-efficacy tended to use more strategies, which eventually resulted in better classroom achievement. In the same view with Zhang, Paris & Salmon (1989) observed that students feel self-efficacious when they are able to picture themselves succeeding in challenging situations which in turn determines their level of effort towards the task. Therefore, self-efficacy is an important construct in academics.
According to Bandura (1986), learners with internal locus of control have confidence in themselves and are said to be more efficacious. Bandura further stated that students who believe that how some future event turns out is under their control have an internal locus of control orientation. Recker (1991) also reported similar findings that students reporting lower self-efficacy reported poor academic achievement and students with a greater sense of self-efficacy perceived themselves as having greater control of their environment.
Psychologists have been concerned about gender based differences in locus of control of students (Eveleth, 2001). The term gender is used to refer to the socially constructed relationships between men and women in the society (Bent, 2005). Gender issues in learning are therefore fundamental concerns for learning to be effective. Schultz & Schultz (2005) pointed out that significant differences in locus of control have not been found in academic achievement. However, these authors also noted that there may be specific sex-based differences for specific categories of item to assess locus of control. For example, men may have a greater internal locus for question related to academic achievement (Schultz & Schultz, 2005). According to Robert (1997), both males and females are becoming more external. Females however, tend to be more external than males on most locus of control measures. Robert (1997) further stated that internality for example appears to be more related to achievement for males than females and a better predictor of social adaptation for females than for males. Nowicki (1993) observed that externality was commonly associated with female attitude towards achievement while internality was associated with male attitude towards achievement. Following inconsistency in findings, this study seeks to examine how students’ gender will determine their locus of causality.
