MEDIATING EFFECT OF STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC HARDINESS AD STUDENTS’ LEARNING ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE

This study aims to determine whether students’ self-efficacy significantly mediates the relationship between academic hardiness and students’ learning engagement in science among grade 10 junior high school students in Talaingod District, Division of Davao del Norte. This quantitative research utilized descriptive and correlational designs. There were 169 respondents identified through stratified random sampling. Moreover, this study employed three adapted research instruments validated and treated using mean, standard deviation, Pearson-r, regression analysis, and Sobel z-test. The findings revealed high levels of academic hardiness, learning engagement and self-efficacy among the grade 10 respondents. The results also showed a significant relationship between academic hardiness and students’ learning engagement. Self-efficacy also found to be moderately positively correlated with students’ learning engagement in science. The results also revealed a strong positive relationship between academic hardiness and self-efficacy of students in science. Moreover, the findings indicate that self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between academic hardiness and students’ learning engagement in science. These results encourage schools should employ workshops and active learning strategies for building academic hardiness, self-efficacy, and engagement in science and provide opportunities for their students to gain confidence and overcome challenges in academics. Furthermore, educators should also develop interventions to encourage collaborative learning in science; and equip teachers with strategies to give constructive feedback, manage positive environments, and inspire academic hardiness in students. Furthermore, future research should explore how academic hardiness and self-efficacy can be developed in other subjects and their impact on student outcomes across different educational settings. KEYWORDS: Science Education, Academic Hardiness, Learning Engagement, Self-Efficacy, Descriptive And Correlational Designs, Regression Analysis, Sobel Z-Test, Talaingod District, Davao Del Norte, Philippines.