The Role of Subjective Task Value and Prior Achievement in the Relationship between Personal Epistemology and Science Self-efficacy Beliefs: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to test the relationship between seventh-grade students’ personal epistemology for science, subjective task value, and science self-efficacy, with prior achievement serving as a moderator. The mediating role of subjective task value is proposed in the prediction of the relationship between personal epistemology for science and science self-efficacy. To achieve this aim, a model that explains the relationships among the specified variables is proposed, and then this model is tested using moderated mediation techniques, controlling for the effects of gender and parental educational background variables. The study sample comprises 312 seventh-grade students, determined through stratified random sampling. The analyses confirm the mediating effect of subjective task value and reveal the moderator effect of prior achievement on the prediction of personal epistemology for science and science self-efficacy. Finally, the results of the study are compared with existing research in the field, and recommendations are provided to researchers and practitioners in science education based on these findings.