Regression Levels of Selected Affective Factors on Science Achievement: A Structural Equation Model with TIMSS 2011 Data

Abstract

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the science success regression levels of chosen emotional features of elementary 8th grade students using Structural Equation Model. The study was conducted by the analysis of students’ questionnaires and science success in TIMSS 2011 data using SEM. Initially, the factors that are thought to have an effect on science success were detected out of TIMSS questionnaire and KMO and Bartlett’s tests were done to test appropriateness of these items to factor analysis. Explanatory Factor analysis was done for the sub-dimensions that were seen to be suitable for factor analysis and then, confirmative factor analysis was done using LISREL and the appropriateness of dimensions to the model was tested. Seeing that the concordance indexes od dimensions were suitable to the model, structural model was rested. At the end of the SEM test, it was found that the attitudes and values of 8th grade students predicted their science success in a positive way, and negative attitudes and their self-confidence predicted their success in a negative way.