Academic self-beliefs and prior knowledge as predictors of student achievement in Mathematics: a structural model

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between prior knowledge, academic self-beliefs, and previous study success in predicting the achievement of 139 students on a university mathematics course. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the interplay of these variables in pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational psychology (Dorchester-on-Thames) 2008-01, Vol.28 (1), p.59-71
Main Authors: Hailikari, Telle, Nevgi, Anne, Komulainen, Erkki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
College Students
Correlation
Knowledge
Mathematics
Mathematics Achievement
Mathematics Education
Measures (Individuals)
Prediction
Prior Learning
Self Efficacy
Structural Equation Models
Studies
Test Results
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Summary:The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between prior knowledge, academic self-beliefs, and previous study success in predicting the achievement of 139 students on a university mathematics course. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the interplay of these variables in predicting student achievement. The results revealed that domain-specific prior knowledge was the strongest predictor of student achievement over and above other variables included in the model and, together with previous study success, explained 55% of the variance. Academic self-beliefs strongly correlated with previous study success and had a strong direct influence on prior knowledge test performance. However, self-beliefs predicted student achievement only indirectly via prior knowledge. The results imply that both prior knowledge and self-beliefs should be taken into account when considering instructional support issues, because they can provide valuable insights about the future performance of the students.
ISSN:0144-3410
1469-5820
DOI:10.1080/01443410701413753