Academic self-efficacy mediates the relationship between Student teacher interaction and students university Academic achievement in Ethiopia

Abstract

The foundation of every societal growth and in emerging nations like Ethiopia in particular, is the quality of education. It should be remembered that good teachers and students are essential for high-quality education. The major goal of this study was to demonstrate the direct and indirect effects of student-teacher interaction and student academic self-efficacy on the academic achievement of Ethiopian university students and to develop the scale to Ethiopian culture. A sample of 313 students from seven colleges and three schools, including 192 male and 121 female, answered questionnaires to gauge their level of interaction with their teachers and their academic self-efficacy to carry out university learning activities. Academic achievement and students' academic self-efficacy were significantly correlated with reports of student interaction with their teacher. The academic achievement of university students in Ethiopia was also highly correlated with students' reports of their academic self-efficacy. In addition, University students' academic self-efficacy played a partial mediating role in the association between student teacher interactions and academic achievement. According to the study's findings, student teacher interaction and academic self-efficacy are major determinants of academic success in universities. Limitations and the useful contributions of this study were discussed.

Introduction

Ethiopia has one of the earliest civilizations in history (Arasho et al., 2008), is the oldest sovereign nation in Africa, and has been inhabited for more than two thousand years (Gota, 2012, Adejumobi, 2007). Even yet, Ethiopia is currently among the low income nations in the globe and suffers from a wide range of public, financial, and political issues, with deficiency and internal war being the maximum pressing. The youth of this economically struggling nation will ultimately be responsible for solving these complex issues and raising it to at least the level of middle-income affluent nations. Ethiopian youth must successfully complete their education, particularly at the university level, with success if the aforementioned objective to turn the country into a middle-income nation is to be realized. This is due to the widespread belief that obtaining the highest levels of education or a university education is essential for the dynamic development of skill in a field of research and development that has a momentous influence on the advancement of any nation's politics, socioeconomic situation, and overall quality of life.

According to Mahona & Demetria (2020), the foundation of every societal growth, including that of a nation like Ethiopia, which faces several political, economic, social, and educational obstacles, is the quality of education. Everyone should concur that in order to provide a high-quality education; there must be devoted, effective, and conscientious teachers, as well as committed, enthusiastic, and responsible parents and pupils. A positive teacher-student relationship is regarded to have several benefits for the educational success of students at various levels of education, according to empirical research. Different academics have shown as there was a definite tie between learner-teacher relations and its long-standing impact on students' academic progress and future survives. Furthermore, according to (Baker et al., 2008) research, teachers had a tremendous impact on students' academic success in addition to their social and personal development. Positive student-teacher interactions are vital for university students to sense harmless and at ease in their learning environment and serve as a foundation for critical social and academic skills, according to many experts' findings and attachment theory (Whitaker, 2004, O'Connor et al., 2011, Baker, et al, 2008, Tisome, 2009, and Silver et al., 2005).

According to (Sarfraz, 2017) the ability to consolidate and accomplish the particular plan essential to reach predetermined objectives is known as self-efficacy, and it is another component in academic achievement in addition to student-teacher interaction. The level or strength of one's confidence in their own ability to complete academic activities in schools, colleges, universities and reach goals is known as academic self-efficacy (Ormrod, 2006 People with strong academic self-efficacy are individuals who plan well their academic journey, successfully organize their academic work and carry it out (Bandura, 1982, Alay & Triantoro, 2013). Such people confidently use their skills to complete objectives and even exceedingly complex academic jobs because they have faith in their talents (Alay & Triantoro, 2013).

Interactions Between Students With Teachers And Academic Success

Student-teacher relationships have a favorable effect on students' university outcome, according to numerous studies in western and Asian cultures (Tisome, 2009, Lee, 2007, Diant & Abedini, 2016, Xu & Qi, 2019). The effect of student-teacher connection on university students' academic progress now Ethiopian culture, however, has not been the subject of published research.

Academic Self-efficacy And Academic Achievement

Social cognitive psychologists claim that students' increased learning and academic achievement are related to their level of academic self-efficacy. According to (Barbara, 2019, Uçar, and Sungur, 2017, Liu et al., 2020, and Zhao et al., 2021), students who have great self-efficacy are self-assured in their capacity to grasp a lesson, overcome disputes in school, and choose even the most challenging options. According to a study by Mohson et al. (2017), which involved 214 university students, and found the result of the academic performance of students is positively and significantly impacted by academic self-efficacy. In its research on the subject, Barbara (2019) discovered a strong link between students' academic success and their level of academic self-efficacy. According to Triaka, (2017) study, self-efficacy predicts significantly the students’ academic outcome. Study conducted by (Triaka, 2017) demonstrates that students those who have high self-efficacy or believe in their own abilities to succeed they openly own up to it and they do not abandon up right away when they make a mistake

Academic Self-efficacy As A Mediator

Numerous researches have been done on the impact of learner educator interaction and educational self-efficacy on students' academic outcome at various educational levels. According to research findings, student teacher interaction and students' academic self-efficacy each have a direct impact on students' academic accomplishment (Barbara, 2019, Uçar and Sungur, 2017; Liu et al., 2020; Mohsan et al., 2017). The mediating function of academic self-efficacy in the link between student teacher relationship and academic achievement has not been the subject of many earlier studies. According to (Xu & Qi, 2019) research Student teacher contact affects student mathematics achievement through academic self-efficacy. This study also focused the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy on the student teacher relationship and academic achievement only on single subject.

The Present Research

Based on self-determination and attachment theory, the current study examined the connection between student teacher contact, academic self-efficacy, and academic accomplishment. This paper also looked at the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy on the link between student-teacher interaction and the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of Ethiopian university students across all subject areas.

Methods

Sample Size And Sampling Technique

First, by using purposive sampling technique, Wolaita Sodo University graduating year students were selected. Following this, they were further divided into groups based on colleges/schools and sexual category for the reasons that there are not an equal number of students in each college/school and that there are significantly less female students than male students in each colleges and schools. From a total of 1626 students, the researchers selected 313 graduating year students as the study's sample using Morgan and Krejcie's 1970 sampling determination table. We as a researcher choose a sample from a population based on a clear approximation by using the sampling determination table created by Morgan and Krejcie. A lot of researchers have used the method for their study and confirmed its validity. Lastly, because randomization is successful in generating correspondent descriptive groups that are basically the same on all applicable variables, simple random sampling processes and a technique of lottery system are also used to select contributors from each colleges and schools in order to avoid unfairness and offer equivalent chance for entire graduation class students (Amin, 2005). 

Procedures

Students may experience significant difficulty speaking English because it is a foreign language to Ethiopian university students. Due to this, two senior language instructors who teach at Wolaita Sodo University in Ethiopia language departments who are native Amharic speakers translated the questionnaire into the nation's official language. The survey measures were translated and reverse-translated from one language to another in accordance with Brislin's (1986) guidelines to guarantee conceptual parity between the original instruments (in English) and their equivalents in Amharic. The work received ethical approval from the research ethics committee of Shaanxi Normal University. After being made aware of the significance and potential applications of the study, the participants’ Ethiopian university (Wolaita Soddo University) gave permission for it to be carried out.

The questionnaire made it very clear to participants that their responses would always remain anonymous. They were also being told they could freely and voluntarily offer their voluntary, informed consent and that they have the opportunity to withdraw or decline any moment to take part in the study. The contributors were prearranged guidelines on the best way to finish the questionnaire and were advised that further data will be gathered later, making it essential for them to submit their student identity card number on the form. The student Cumulative Grade-Point-Averages (GPAs) for the final year of the 2021/22 academic year were collected from the participant university in Ethiopia based on the student identity card number provided on the self-report questionnaires after the questionnaire collection process was complete.

Measures

Three sets of questions made up the self-report questionnaire. The first set on the background characteristics of the students (i.e., demographic variables). The scales Student Teacher Interaction (STI) and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale made up the final two sets of items (ASES). Since the scale was created in a different culture, factor analyses have been undertaken for the student teacher interaction and academic self-efficacy surveys.

Factor Analysis Of Student Teacher Interaction Scale

Confirmatory factor analysis is a method for determining if an item fits the underlying model or not (Lania, 2013). The use of CFA makes it possible to analyze and test theoretical models that describe relationships between manifest variables (Fairchild et al., 2005).

The main component analysis was performed to determine the components on which the items loaded and to name those factors, as well as to evaluate the construction validity. The data's suitability for the analysis was assessed using KMO and the Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (BST). The results' KMO score was 0.821. Factor analysis may be carried out, in accordance with (Hair et al., 2014), when the KMO value was greater than 0.6. The significance of the Chi-squared statistics obtained at the conclusion of the BST showed that the data with many variables had a normal distribution. The significance of the BST was demonstrated (Chi-Square = 1486.603; p = 0.000). These outcomes proved that the STI was a suitable subject for factor analysis. There were most likely four components (conflict, closeness, share feeling and asking for help) that best explained the data. Initial EFA results for 28 items with Eigenvalues showed that four higher-than-1-factor structures could be retrieved and accounted for 53.309% of the total variance. Ten items (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 21 and 22) were not included since their loadings were insufficient and they were loaded on many factors (Pianta, 2001). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and model fit was determined.

All elements in the measurement model for each indication had reasonably high loadings, according to the factor loadings. All of the products had standardized loadings that were higher than 0.50. At a significance threshold of p < 0.01, every factor loading was highly significant. Table (2) and Figure (1) showed the measurement model and fit indices. 

Measurement Of Academic Self-efficacy

The Measurement Inventory Scale for Academic self-efficacy, which consists of 40 items and was developed by (Abdal and Muhammad, 2006), was used to measure it. In other words, the scale was modified by using all 40 questions from the Abdal and Muhammad academic self-efficacy scale (2006).

The results of the BST's obtained from Chi-squared tests, which were significant, indicated that the data with multiple variables had a normal distribution. It was determined that the BST was significant (Chi-Square = 2140.956; =0.000). There are most likely five factors (confidence, dependency, recalling, asking for help and not understanding concepts) that can explain the data Five higher-than-1-factor structures could be extracted from the initial EFA results for 40 items having Eigenvalues, and they were responsible for 56.276% of the overall variation.. Due to its insufficient loadings and the fact that they were loaded on numerous criteria, 18 items (1, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 32, 33, and 37) was excluded (Abdal and Muhammad, 2006).

All elements in the measurement model for each indication had reasonably high loadings, according to the factor loadings. All of the products had standardized loadings that were higher than 0.50. At a p < 0.01 threshold of significance, all factor loadings were very significant. Table (3) and Figure (2) displayed the measurement model and fit indices 

Academic Achievement (Aa)

By using the identity card number of student that they had provided on their self-reporting surveys the Registrar Office of participant University was able to access the official records and determine the total 3, 5 and 6 years average results (CGPAs). The accumulative total average results (CGPAs), which range from 0.00 to 4.00 on a 4-point scale, are computed by country standards of higher education organizations.

Results

Analysis Of Mediation

Academic self-efficacy and student-teacher interactions had a positive, momentous impact on academic achievement (c; = .045**, p < .001). Additionally, the students and teachers interaction took a strong and favorable influence on students' academic self-efficacy. (a; =.145 p < .005) a and also academic self-efficacy had a substantial favorable effect on university students' academic outcome (b; =.31 p < .001). The association between teacher student contact and academic success of university students in Ethiopia is partially mediated by academic self-efficacy. Below the figure of the mediation model were the results.

Discussion

According to numerous studies (; Liu et al., 2020, Tisome, 2009; Barbara, 2019; Uçar & Sungur, 2017; Mohsan et al., 2017), Relationships between students and instructors, academic self-efficacy, and educational achievement all showed a strong favorable correlation. This research was conducted using both self-determination theory and attachment theory. The current research was carried out in Ethiopia, a collectivist culture country, and examined the direct effects of learner teacher interaction and student academic self-efficacy on students' university educational achievement. Centered on the findings, there was a significant correlation among learner-teacher interaction and academic achievement. According to this, students who engage with teachers well tend to perform better academically than their peers who don't get along well with them. This study supports other earlier studies that discovered a significant positive association between student-teacher interaction and academic achievement (Tisome, 2009, Diant & Abedini, 2016, Xu & Qi, 2019). The next hypothesis (i.e. there was a significant positive correlation between students' academic self-efficacy and their university academic achievement) was proved. The findings indicated a substantial positive correlation between university students' academic achievement and educational self-efficacy. This shows that students who have high self-efficacy on their own abilities perform better academically than their peers who think as they have low self-efficacy. This study's findings did not agree with the results of few earlier investigations, and agree with many of previous studies.

Whether student academic self-efficacy would influence the positive connection between student instructor relations and academic achievement was the third hypothesis and was supported by finding of current research.

The discoveries of the current research determine a substantial correlation between student-teacher interaction and academic achievement and showed that academic self-efficacy acted as partially mediating the relationship of student teacher interaction and academic achievement. The current study outcome demonstrated that the connection between teacher-student interaction and students' academic success was partially mediated by academic self-efficacy, which supported the study hypothesis and supported the findings of previous researchers (Zhao et al., 2021, Xu & Qi, 2019). Self-efficacy partially mediates the bond between student teacher interaction and academic achievement (Xu & Qi, 2019).

The current research makes both theoretical and practical contributions to the literature.

Practically Higher education officials and stakeholders or rule producers can create approaches and practices on how students can adapt to the different learning atmosphere and time of tertiary education organizations, how students can easily interact with their instructors, how students may improve their study techniques, how students can access the resources they require, and how students can obtain support when they encounter different issues. Teachers and higher education administrators should be aware of their potential to significantly impact learners’ educational achievement, and academic self-efficacy.

The results of this investigation have numerous theoretical applications. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of how self-efficacy and interactions between students and teachers influence academic accomplishment and improve knowledge in these fields among university students.

The outcomes of the present study specifically assist researchers, educationalists and psychologists in comprehending that the theories of student teacher interaction and self-efficacy are applicable outside of Western developed countries, at least in relation to developing African countries like Ethiopia, and that these characteristics have the similar influences on students' academic achievement in Ethiopia as they do in individualist nations like the United States, and Europe.

In conclusion, the findings and suggestions of the current study are crucial for expanding past research in the field and filling a vacuum in the literature because empirical studies in this subject have mostly concentrated on developed Asian and Western countries and disregarded Africa especially Ethiopia.

Relevance To Academic Setting

Education is a fundamental bone for global growth in universal and for developing nations like Ethiopia in particular since it affects how people live, how societies are organized, how the economy works, and how governments operate as a whole. The improvement of linked issues and the acceleration of students' desire to acquire knowledge and skills are at the core of education's fundamental role in the growth of a nation in all spheres, including knowledge and the economy (Adejumbo, 2007, Gota, 2012). It helps students connect with cutting-edge strategies and tactics for social needs-based national development.

Academic achievement at Ethiopian higher education institutions is influenced by a number of factors. This study will be of considerable value to parents, teachers, and universities that invest a lot in their students and want them to perform well in university academic performance because there aren't many empirical studies of this kind in Ethiopian institutions.

Conclusions

The current study fills in empirical gaps in the existing literature and offers more data and information to academics and practitioners about the connections between student-teacher interaction, academic self-efficacy, and educational achievement of Ethiopian university students. The present research findings made it possible to more concisely comprehend the elements that contribute to the association between student-teacher interaction, academic self-efficacy, and academic achievement. Additionally, this finding showed the value of mediation role in comprehending the direct and indirect effects of student-teacher interactions on academic accomplishment and produced a number of ramifications.

Declarations

The authors declare no competing interests.

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