Structural relationships between learning environments and students’ non-cognitive outcomes: secondary analysis of PISA data

Relationships between students’ perceptions and their non-cognitive outcomes (epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy and attitudes to science) were investigated through secondary analysis of data from 14,167 United Arab Emirates students who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that students’ perceptions of the learning environment were related to the non-cognitive outcomes of epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy and attitudes. Also, epistemological beliefs were found to have a statistically-significant and positive relationship with self-efficacy and attitudes, and self-efficacy was significantly related to attitudes.