Examining the relationship between pre-service science teachers' epistemological beliefs, conceptions of learning science and stem self-efficacy: A structural equation modeling study

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between pre-service science teachers' epistemological beliefs, conceptions of learning science, and STEM self-efficacy. Intended for this aim, a model clarifying the relationship between variables was proposed. The relationships between the variables in the proposed model were tested by using structural equation modeling. In the 2020-2021 academic year, the study was conducted with the participation total of 506 pre-service science teachers studying in the second, third, and fourth grades at twelve different universities in Türkiye. In this study was used the relational survey model which is one of the survey models. As a data collection tool within the scope of the study, three different scales were implemented for the evaluation of pre-service science teachers' scientific epistemological beliefs, conceptions of learning science, and STEM self-efficacy.AMOS 21 and SPSS 23 programs were used for analysis of the data sets. Confirmatory factor analysis was executed to the data obtained from epistemological beliefs, conceptions of learning science, and STEM self-efficacy scales. In order to test the relationship between the variables in the proposed model, AMOS 21 program was used and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was implemented. According to the results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis, the dimension of epistemological beliefs (certainty of knowledge, development and justification) positively predicted the higher-level conceptions of learning science. The dimension of epistemological beliefs (justification, source, certainty of knowledge) negatively and significantly predicted lower-level conceptions of learning science. A positive and significant relationship was found only between the justification dimension of epistemological beliefs and STEM self-efficacy, but no significant relationship was found with other dimensions of epistemological beliefs. Higher-level conceptions of learning science positively predicted STEM self-efficacy. No significant relationship was found between STEM self-efficacy and lower-level conceptions of learning science.