Exploring Structural Relations between Conceptions and Approaches to Learning Science among Secondary Students

The purpose of the present study was examining the structural relations of secondary students’ conceptions of and approaches to learning science. Statistical population were all of secondary students in Kerman city enrolled in science and mathematics courses. The sample consisted of 350 participants. The questionnaires (adopted fromLee, Johanson and Tsai, 2008) were validated employing CFA Method. Accordingly, cronbach’s alph coefficient estimated to be .80 for the conceptions of learning science questionnaire and .73 for the approach to learning science questionnaire. The AVE validity coefficient for research variables also measured to be between.51 to .63. Results of six factors model of conceptions of learning science and four factors model of approaches to learning science revealed that the fit indexes of confirmatory factor analysis were favorable and relatively favorable and so these two instruments are acceptable measurment models among Iranian students. SEM analysis also revealed that “increase of knowledge” was the strongest predictor for surface motive and “understanding and seeing in a new way” was the strongest predictor for deep motive, but other variables of COLS were not directly significant predictors to surface strategy. Among the variables of higher level conceptions of learning science, only the direct effect of “applying” on deep strategy was significant. The indirect effect of “increase of knowledge” on surface strategy (mediated by surface motive) was stronger than the indirect effect of “memorizing” on surface motive that mediated by the same mediator. The results showed that secondary students’ conceptions of science learning predict their approaches to learning science.