Relationship Between Students’ Self-Efficacy Skill and Students’ Interest in Biology in Public Secondary Schools in Anambra State, Nigeria
DOI:
10.29303/jppipa.v12i10.16345Published:
2026-10-08Downloads
Abstract
Secondary school students’ poor performance and low motivation in Biology remain persistent educational concerns that may be associated with psychological and motivational factors. Understanding the relationship between students’ self-efficacy and interest in Biology is therefore important for improving learning engagement and outcomes. This study investigated the relationship between self-efficacy and interest in Biology among Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. A correlational research design was adopted, involving 637 students selected from 18 public secondary schools through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using two validated four-point rating scales measuring students’ self-efficacy and interest in Biology. The instruments demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .810 for self-efficacy and .793 for interest. Measures of sampling adequacy (.910 and .878) and communalities (.918 and .845) further supported the suitability of the instruments. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and t-test at the .05 significance level. The findings revealed mean scores of 2.7950 for self-efficacy and 2.3507 for interest. A negligible positive correlation was found between students’ self-efficacy and interest in Biology (r = .009). Regression analysis further indicated that self-efficacy did not significantly predict students’ interest in Biology, F(1,635) = 0.051, p = .821. The study concludes that higher self-efficacy does not necessarily translate into greater interest in Biology. Therefore, Biology teachers should combine strategies that strengthen students’ self-efficacy with interactive and interest-enhancing pedagogical approaches to improve student engagement
Keywords:
Anambra State Correlational Design Interest in Biology Self-Efficacy Skills Secondary School StudentsReferences
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