[[alternative]]An exploratory study of the relationship between the attitude toward science, self-efficacy in life-science and representation of nutrition-health beliefs / academic achievement of students at institude of technology

Abstract

[[abstract]]An exploratory study of the relationship between the attitude toward science, self-efficacy in life-science and representation of nutrition-health beliefs / academic achievement of students at institute of technology Michael Te-fa Hsu Abstract The purposes of this study are to explore the relationship between the attitude toward science, self-efficacy in life-science and the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs, the academic achievement of students at the institute of technology. This study employed a revised "questionnaire of the attitude toward science of students of institute of technology"(α=.75),"questionnaire of self-efficacy in life-science"(α=.97), and also a "questionnaire of the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs in the daily life" (α=.83) designed and developed by the writer. The subjects answering these questionnaires were 222 students at institute of technology located at south of Taiwan. The important findings of this study are summarized as follows: A. The relationship between the attitude toward science and the other variables: 1. The average value of the attitude toward science was 2.68 and the standard deviation was 0.39. There was a significant difference (t=8.14, p<0.001) between the average and expected value (2.5). This difference means that the total average was higher than the expected value. 2. The different trend of the attitude toward science showed a significant difference in the self- efficacy in life-science (F2, 219=20.63, p<0.001), the score of the Biology showed a significant difference (F2, 219=3.44, p<0.05), and in addition, the semester academic achievement, (F2, 219=4.232, p<0.05). 3. The relationship between the attitude toward science of students and self-efficacy in life-science revealed a positive correlation r =.40 (p<0.01). The semester academic achievement also revealed a significantly positive correlation r >.13 (p<0.05). B. The relationship between the self-efficacy in life-science and the other variables: 1. The average value of the self-efficacy in life-science was 53.39 and the standard deviation was 12.40. There was a significant difference (t= -1.934, p<0.05) between the average value and expected value(55). Therefore this indicated that the total average was lower than the expected value. 2. Different grades of the self-efficacy of students (high, middle, low) showed a significant difference in attitude toward science(F2, 218=11.903, p<0.001), score of the Biology (F2, 93=4.306, p<0.05) and semester academic achievement, (F2, 216=6.401, p<0.01；F2, 216=6.635, p<0.01). 3. Both self-efficacy in life-science and total semester academic achievement indicated a significantly positive correlation r >.23 (p<0.01). C. The relationship between the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs and the other variables: 1. The average value of the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs was 1.65, did not appear an obvious declination to any side. It revealed that students of at institute of technology had two standards of the representation of nutrition-health beliefs toward both in the East- and West-oriented representation. 2. The different trend of the attitude toward science did not show significant differences in the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs. Different grades of the self- efficacy did not show a significant difference in the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs. It characterized that there was phenomenon which students identified East-oriented nutrition-health beliefs in some items, and also identified West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs in some items. 3.The relationship between the attitude toward science and the representation of the East- and West- oriented nutrition-health beliefs revealed a low negative correlation r = -0.007 (p>0.05). Both self- efficacy in life-science and the representation of the East- and West-oriented nutrition-health beliefs revealed a low negative correlation r = -0.066(p>0.05). Finally, according to the findings of this study, I hereby offer discussion and the suggestion of science curriculum, science teaching and further research. ________________ Key Words: Attitude toward science, self-efficacy, social representation, life world, nutrition-health beliefs Biology and Ntrition