Connection to School and Science Self-Efficacy During Pandemic Learning: Middle School Students' Experiences

• In Event: Learning and Motivation in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In a mixed methods study of students in grades 6-8 from urban and rural schools, we apply stage-environment fit theory to examine early adolescents’ experiences of connection and science self-efficacy during the unique conditions of learning during the pandemic. Using survey data (n=64) and interviews, we investigate students’ experiences across varying instructional models. Our findings demonstrate that feelings of connection were stronger in the fully remote school, complexifying simple comparisons of remote and in-person learning. Parents’ reports of household stress from the pandemic predict students’ science self-efficacy, highlighting the role of home environments in supporting STEM self-perceptions and career aspirations. Our finding that connection predicts science self-efficacy contributes to growing research on the importance of relationships in learning.

Authors

• Samantha G. Daley, University of Rochester

• Michelle Heckman, University of Rochester

• Rebecca Rosen, University of Rochester