Gender differences in self-efficacy in relation to Grade 9 science achievement in South Africa

Abstract

The gender trends in science achievement in South Africa have raised concerns for gender equity, as male learners continue to achieve poor results compared to their female counterparts. The current study investigated whether gender differences in self-efficacy contribute to the growing gender gap in science amongst Grade 9 learners in South Africa. This study took a post-positivist stance and used self-efficacy theory as a framework that guided the selection of variables in the TIMSS 2019 data. The theory emphasised the role of self-efficacy on learner achievement: higher levels of self-efficacy are associated with higher achievement. This study followed a quantitative secondary data analysis design. The TIMSS 2019 data for South Africa was analysed with descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. In the TIMSS 2019 cycle, 520 schools and 20 829 learners in Grade 9 were sampled in South Africa. Data was collected through questionnaires and achievement tests. The current study used teacher and learner questionnaires, including the overall science achievement for data analysis. The findings reflected significant differences in self-efficacy between the genders. Female learners reported higher self-efficacy, which was associated with their higher science achievement. Studies in other countries reported self-efficacy as an indicator of academic achievement amongst males and females. In South Africa, self-efficacy is also a contributing factor to Grade 9 science achievement. The current study suggests that to understand the effect of self-efficacy on learner achievement, researchers should also consider the language of the test as it poses a greater impact on the performance of the learners.