Affect, Ability, and Science Achievement: A Quantitative Synthesis of Correlational Research

Abstract

In a comprehensive review of the literature containing correlations among affect, ability, and achievement in science—and between each of these variables and gender—findings were synthesized quantitatively with a view to determining the size and direction of relationships as well as the degree to which the relationships were modified by gender, level in school, and content area within science. Retrieved from 66 articles and reports, the data base consisted of 255 correlations. We found that boys' and girls' science achievement is positively related to affect, but the relationship is weaker than was expected; science achievement correlates more strongly with cognitive abilities than with affect. In both boys and girls, affect is more strongly related to achievement level than to cognitive abilities. The data suggest that boys achieve slightly better than girls in science, and they tend to possess slightly more cognitive ability. In some content areas within science, boys demonstrate more positive affect than do girls; in other content areas the reverse is true.