DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMISTRY LABORATORY SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS SCALE

Abstract

Chemistry self-efficacy beliefs have been defined as someone’s beliefs about his or her own capability to perform a given chemistry task. These beliefs, one of the affective variables in the laboratory practices which are quite effective for learning science, affect individuals’ accomplishment, motivation and anxiety. Self-efficacy is task and domain specific. Therefore, self-efficacy beliefs gathered through chemistry self-efficacy scales cannot be accepted as a predictor of chemistry laboratory self-efficacy beliefs. In this research, an instrument, Chemistry Laboratory Self-Efficacy Beliefs Scale, was developed in order to determine students’ self-efficacy beliefs toward chemistry laboratory. Data were collected from 1095 high school students. Validity analysis was examined with Exploratory Factor Analysis, then Confirmatory Factor Analysis was made. The factor analysis revealed 2 factors: psychomotor self-efficacy and cognitive self-efficacy. The reliability analysis was computed with Cronbach alpha coefficient, for the whole instrument it was 0.885. The analyses resulted in the development of a two-factor scale of 14 items that was shown to be valid and reliable. At the same time, this instrument is also the first original instrument developed for determining the students’ self-efficacy beliefs toward chemistry laboratory. Key words: chemistry laboratory, high school students, self-efficacy beliefs.