The Experience Sampling Method : Measuring the Dynamics of Students' Self-Efficacy

Author / Creator

AAPT SM21 (2021)

Conferences

AAPT SM21 PS.B-SA-07: PER: Diverse Investigations II (2021)

Available as

Online

Summary

Research has shown that students' achievement in science courses as well as their persistence within STEM fields is correlated to a student's sense of self-efficacy -- the confidence in one's own a...

Research has shown that students' achievement in science courses as well as their persistence within STEM fields is correlated to a student's sense of self-efficacy -- the confidence in one's own ability to perform a task. Traditionally, quantitative changes in a student's self-efficacy over an academic semester have been measured using pre- and post-test surveys. However, with the complexity of the construct of self-efficacy, a pre-post design may warrant limitations in deeply understanding the impacts curricular and co-curricular activities have on students' sense of self-efficacy. To investigate the dynamics of students' self-efficacy in finer detail, we employed the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) -- self-reported, in-the-moment measurements of student experiences over time. Using the results from our pilot study, we will present how we employed the ESM to measure students' self-efficacy while performing various tasks throughout the week, the validity of our measurements, and the possible versatility of the ESM within STEM education.

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