Model Causal Relationship Between Epistemological Beliefs and Study Skills on Academic Performance: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy

This study examined the model causal relationship between epistemological beliefs and study skills on academic performance with the mediating role of academic self-efficacy. This study is descriptive (non-experimental) and study design is correlational plans type of the structural equations. Statistical population of the study formed all of secondary school students of Orumieh in 2015-2016 years of academic. Sampling was cluster random and determination the sample size for each of the sub-variable were considered 20 samples and 350 persons were selected as study sample. To collecting data was used of Patrick, Hicks and Ryan’s the academic self-efficacy scale (1997), Schommer’s epistemo logical beliefs scale (1991), Congos’s study skills scale (2009) and to measure academic performance of students was used of average scores of students in the first academic semester 2015-2016. in this study structural equation modeling was used to assess. the results of this study revealed that study skills and academic self-efficacy directly affect the academic performance of students. So the results of this study revealed that study skills and epistemological beliefs indirectly and through academic self-efficacy affect the academic performance of students. in this study the direct affect of epistemological beliefs on the academic performance of students was not proved. these findings of study support the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the model causal relationship between epistemological beliefs and study skills on academic performance.