The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of 11th grade Turkish students&rsquo / chemistry self-efficacy for cognitive skills (CSCS), and self-efficacy for chemistry laboratory (SCL), mastery-approach goals, mastery-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals to their chemistry achievement. The sample of the study included 604 students (343 females and 261 males) from seven different general public high schools in &Ccedil / ankaya, a district of Ankara. High School Chemistry Self-efficacy Scale which was developed by &Ccedil / apa Aydin and Uzuntiryaki (2009), Achievement Goal Questionnaire which was developed by Elliot and McGregor (2001), and Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) which was developed by the researcher were used to collect the data in the study. The simultaneous multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data of the study. Results revealed that the students&rsquo / CSCS, mastery-approach goal, performance-approach goal were a positive significant predictors and performance-avoidance goal was a negative significant predictor of their scores on the CAT. Students&rsquo / CSCS had the largest unique contribution to explaining the students&rsquo / chemistry achievement. These four independent variables explained a significant 9.1 % of variance in the students&rsquo / chemistry achievement.

The aim of this study was to identify predictors of student enrollment and successful achievement in 10th grade chemistry courses for a sample drawn from a single academic cohort from a single metropolitan school district in Florida. Predictors included, among others, letter grades for courses completed in academic classes for each independent grade level, sixth through 10th grade, as well as standardized test scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and demographic variables. The predictive models demonstrated that it is possible to identify student attributes that result in either increased or decreased odds of enrollment in chemistry courses. The logistic models identified subsets of students who could potentially be candidates for academic interventions, which may increase the likelihood of enrollment and successful achievement in a 10th grade chemistry course. Predictors in this study included grades achieved for each school year for coursework completed in mathematics, English, history, and science, as well as reported FCAT performance band scores for students from sixth through 10th grade. Demographics, socioeconomic status, special learning services, attendance rates, and number of suspensions are considered. The results demonstrated that female students were more likely to enroll in and pass a chemistry course than their male peers. The results also demonstrated that prior science achievement (followed closely by mathematics achievement) was the strongest predictor of enrollment in—and passing of—a chemistry course. Additional analysis also demonstrated the relative stability of academic GPA per discipline from year to year; cumulative achievement was the best overall indicator of course enrollment and achievement.

The main objective of the study was to explain how learning styles and instructional material influence students’ academic performance in some fundamental chemical concepts, and to integrate a specific learning styles model into the literatures of chemistry education and suggest how to apply it in the teaching-learning process of chemistry. To achieve the intended objective, a sequential explanatory mixed method design was applied. Out of 1676 science students in two preparatory schools, 326 participants were selected using a disproportionate random sampling and a sequential mixed method with a nested sampling strategy. Data were collected through Learning Styles Index, Chemistry test, and Semi-structured and open-ended questionnaire. The quantitative part of the data was analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including an independent sample t-test and multiple regression analysis. The qualitative part of the data was analysed using a framework analysis approach. This approach involves thematic analysis followed by comparisons both within and between themes, and between cases. The quantitative phase of the study found that the contributions of learning styles to academic performance in some fundamental chemical concepts have not statistically significant contribution. Therefore, it can be concluded that there was not any superior learning style that lead students to success in the fundamental chemical concepts considered in this study. The qualitative part of the study showed that the majority of students preferred the same nature of chemistry instructional materials. It also showed that nature of chemistry instructional materials used in the schools were different which can accommodate students’ with different learning styles. Based on the findings it is recommended that instructional designers and teachers take into consideration the representational nature of chemical concepts and then students learning styles when making instructional decisions. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Chemistry Education))

The main objective of the study was to explain how learning styles and instructional material influence students’ academic performance in some fundamental chemical concepts, and to integrate a specific learning styles model into the literatures of chemistry education and suggest how to apply it in the teaching-learning process of chemistry. To achieve the intended objective, a sequential explanatory mixed method design was applied. Out of 1676 science students in two preparatory schools, 326 participants were selected using a disproportionate random sampling and a sequential mixed method with a nested sampling strategy. Data were collected through Learning Styles Index, Chemistry test, and Semi-structured and open-ended questionnaire. The quantitative part of the data was analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including an independent sample t-test and multiple regression analysis. The qualitative part of the data was analysed using a framework analysis approach. This approach involves thematic analysis followed by comparisons both within and between themes, and between cases. The quantitative phase of the study found that the contributions of learning styles to academic performance in some fundamental chemical concepts have not statistically significant contribution. Therefore, it can be concluded that there was not any superior learning style that lead students to success in the fundamental chemical concepts considered in this study. The qualitative part of the study showed that the majority of students preferred the same nature of chemistry instructional materials. It also showed that nature of chemistry instructional materials used in the schools were different which can accommodate students’ with different learning styles. Based on the findings it is recommended that instructional designers and teachers take into consideration the representational nature of chemical concepts and then students learning styles when making instructional decisions. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Chemistry Education))