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Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
Which is more predictive: Domain- or task-specific self-efficacy in teaching and outcomes?
Hong Lu1, Xin Chen1, Chunxia Qi2
1Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong.
Background:
Students' academic performance and learning experiences are crucial in school education, yet their relationships with instructional characteristics remain an open question.
Aims:
The present study examined how cognitive activation and teacher support were associated with students' academic emotions and achievement in math classrooms via domain- and task-specific self-efficacy.
Sample:
In total, 5388 eighth graders from central China participated in this study.
Methods:
Cognitive activation, teacher support, math-related enjoyment and anxiety, and domain- and task-specific self-efficacy were measured with self-reported student questionnaires. The math achievement was measured with a standardized test.
Results:
Our findings showed that the two instructional characteristics were positively related to math achievement and enjoyment but negatively related to math anxiety, with the mediation effects of task- and domain-specific self-efficacy. In detail, cognitive activation had a stronger relationship with math anxiety through task-specific self-efficacy than domain-specific self-efficacy. Whereas, cognitive activation had a greater linkage with math enjoyment through domain-specific self-efficacy than task-specific self-efficacy. In addition, teacher support had a greater association with learning outcomes through domain-specific self-efficacy than task-specific self-efficacy.
Conclusions:
The relational mechanism of cognitive activation and teacher support on math achievement and academic emotions were differentially mediated by task- and domain-specific self-efficacy in Chinese math classrooms.
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