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Development and validation of the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Children’s Questionnaire to assess the short-term influence of scientists facilitating outreach

View ORCID ProfileSarah Carroll, Jerome Sheahan, View ORCID ProfileVeronica McCauley, View ORCID ProfileMuriel Grenon
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.25.919357
Sarah Carroll
1Biochemistry, School of Natural Sciences, College of Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
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  • For correspondence: muriel.grenon@nuigalway.ie s.carroll15@nuigalway.ie
Jerome Sheahan
2School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics, College of Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
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Veronica McCauley
3College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
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Muriel Grenon
1Biochemistry, School of Natural Sciences, College of Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
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  • ORCID record for Muriel Grenon
  • For correspondence: muriel.grenon@nuigalway.ie s.carroll15@nuigalway.ie
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Abstract

Despite the positive relationship between science self-efficacy and science motivation, and the prevalence of scientist-led outreach programs, there is limited research on the effect of scientists on children’s science self-efficacy beliefs. Furthermore, there is no extant science self-efficacy research on primary pupils in Ireland, possibly due to the absence of a suitable and valid assessment instrument. This multi-study research aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire suitable for investigating the effect of scientist-facilitated science outreach on the science self-efficacy of children aged 11-12 years old. In Study 1 the first version of the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Children’s Questionnaire (IS-SEC-Q) was developed and tested with 92 primary school students. In Study 2, the revised questionnaire was re-tested with 282 students. For both studies, construct validity was examined through factor analysis. Questionnaire interpretation and comprehension were investigated via interviews (N=4 and 25 respectively). In Study 2, convergent and criterion validity of the scales was also examined. The final IS-SEC-Q contained 5 scales (63 items), including an adaptation of Usher and Pajares ‘Sources of Self-Efficacy in Mathematics’ scale. Study 2 interviews indicated possible misinterpretations of the Emotional State subscale. The questionnaire demonstrated good psychometric properties and should serve well for informal science education practitioners endeavouring to assess their impact on primary children’s science self-efficacy.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted February 03, 2020.
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Development and validation of the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Children’s Questionnaire to assess the short-term influence of scientists facilitating outreach
Sarah Carroll, Jerome Sheahan, Veronica McCauley, Muriel Grenon
bioRxiv 2020.01.25.919357; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.25.919357
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Development and validation of the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Children’s Questionnaire to assess the short-term influence of scientists facilitating outreach
Sarah Carroll, Jerome Sheahan, Veronica McCauley, Muriel Grenon
bioRxiv 2020.01.25.919357; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.25.919357

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