Showing papers in "British Journal of Educational Psychology in 1983"

Student Achievement as a Function of Person-Environment Fit: A Regression Surface Analysis.

Abstract: Summary. The two previously distinct fields of person-environment fit and classroom learning environment are brought together in a study of whether students achieve better when in their preferred classroom environment. Using a sample of 116 junior high school science classes, achievement on a set of nine affective and cognitive outcomes was related to interactions between actual and preferred classroom individualisation measured along the dimensions of personalisation, participation, independence, investigation and differentiation. Regression surface analyses revealed that some actual-preferred interactions accounted for a significant increment in outcome variance beyond that attributable to corresponding pretest, general ability and actual individualisation. The person-environment fit hypothesis was supported in all cases in that relationships between achievement and actual individualisation were more positive in classes containing students with greater preferences for individualisation than in classes with students with lower preferences. Findings suggest that in individualised classroom settings person-environment fit could be as important as individualisation per se.

The identification and prevalence of specific reading retardation

Abstract: Summary. The existence of a hump at the tail of the distribution of under-/over-achievement in reading is generally accepted, yet the evidence in support of this is far from conclusive. In a national sample of 8,836 10-year-olds, part of the Child Health and Education Study, the over-representation of children with severe under-achievement, i.e. specific reading retardation, could not be confirmed. The implications are that specific reading retardation is the extreme of a continuum of under-achievement and that any cut-off point on this continuum used for its definition is arbitrary. Estimates of the prevalence of specific reading retardation must therefore be accompanied by the precise criteria used for its identification.

Preadolescent Self-Concept: Its Relation to Self-Concept as Inferred by Teachers and to Academic Ability.

Abstract: Summary. The purpose of this study is to relate student self-concept in seven different areas to teacher ratings of student self-concept in the same areas and to academic ability. The results from three diverse samples are considered (total N = 958 students). Student-teacher agreement on student self-concept varied from modest (r = 0.24 for Relationship With Parents) to good (r = 0.52 for Mathematics Self-concept) for the seven self-concept dimensions (mean r = 0.40), was higher in academic areas than non-academic areas, and was particularly good for academic self-concept in the high SES sample (r = 0.74). A multitrait-multimethod analysis of this student-teacher agreement demonstrated the distinctiveness of the seven dimensions and argued for the multidimensionality of self-concept. Academic abilities (reading achievement, IQ, and teacher ratings of ability in different areas) tended to be uncorrelated with non-academic dimensions of self-concept, moderately correlated with the academic dimensions, and most highly correlated with the academic dimension of self-concept that most closely matched the particular academic ability. These correlations were largest in the high SES sample where several correlations exceeded 0.7. Further discussion suggested possible reasons why the results of this study provide better support for the construct validity of self-concept than is typically reported.

Imaginative play training as an intervention method with institutionalised preschool children

Abstract: Summary. A group of 17 children who had been removed from deleterious family backgrounds and placed in institutional care were exposed to ten 30-minute sessions of imaginative play training. When compared with matched controls, the experimental subjects showed significant post-training increments in levels of imaginative play, positive emotionality, prosocial behaviours, and in measures of divergent thinking and story-telling skills, and decreases in levels of overt aggression. The variables of age, non-verbal intelligence and fantasy predisposition were found to influence the subjects' responsiveness to the training programme, with younger, high-fantasy and high-IQ children being most susceptible to the influence of the training exercises.

Relationships of Locus of Control to Self Esteem, Academic Achievement, and Prediction of Performance among Nigerian Secondary School Pupils.

Abstract: Summary. The purpose of this study was: (a) to investigate the effects of socioeconomic background, locus of control, intelligence, and self-esteem on academic achievement of Nigerian secondary school pupils; (b) and to examine the relationships of locus of control to socio-economic background, intelligence, self-esteem, academic achievement and prediction of academic performance. Eighty secondary school boys completed the Socio-economic Background Questionnaire, the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, the Brookover Scale of Self-Concept of Academic Ability, and provided estimates of prediction of their own academic performance. The analyses of data revealed that: (a) all the four independent variables (socio-economic background, locus of control, intelligence, self-esteem) had significant positive effects on academic achievement; (b) internality significantly positively correlated with intelligence, self-esteem and academic achievement; (c) the internals were significantly more accurate predictors of their own academic performance than the externals.

Academic achievement, self-esteem and valuing of the school—some sex differences

Abstract: Summary. The present study tested the hypotheses that there would be sex differences in the relationship between academic achievement and (1) self-esteem, (2) perception of parental pressure towards academic achievement and (3) perceived value of the school. These hypotheses were derived from an analysis of self-esteem theory in relation to sex related roles and norms in our culture. The hypotheses were tested using 348 children in five different class levels. Results showed that from the 4th to the 8th class level low academic achievement was associated with low self-esteem and with strong perceived parental pressure for boys, but not for girls. At the 8th class level low achievement was associated with low perceived value of the school for the girls while there was no such relationship for boys. The results supported the hypothesis that academic achievement has different effects for boys and girls.

The effects of headings in text on recall, search and retrieval

Abstract: Summary. This paper summarises the results from nine experiments on headings. The experiments centre on three main variables (i) the purpose of the task (recall, search or retrieval from familiar and unfamiliar text); (ii) the position of the headings (marginal or embedded); and (iii) the nature of the headings (statements or questions). The results showed that headings aided recall, search and retrieval from the text used in these experiments, but that the position of the headings (marginal or embedded) had no effect. The kind of headings (questions or statements) had no differential effect with readers of different ability but low-ability participants appeared to do better with headings as questions in the recall tasks.

Effects on academic learning of manipulating emotional states and motivational dynamics

Abstract: SUMMARY. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of emotionally disturbing stimuli on the learning process. A five-minute film segment depicting horrific scenes of automobile accident victims, and part of a pathologist’s post-mortem of a victim, was shown to an experimental group of 69 student teachers, while a non-treatment group of 66 student teachers served as controls. The two groups were well matched on several independent variables covering the four domains of ability, personality, motivation, and mood states. The emotionally disturbing treatment produced a decrement in learning performance, but resulted in a massive 36 per cent increase in predictive variance attributable to enhanced correlations between the non-ability intrapersonal variables and learning performance, for a prose learning task.

Process measures of problem and non-problem children's classroom behaviour: the influence of teacher behaviour variables

Abstract: Summary. Teacher-pupil interactions were observed in the classrooms for a four-month period to determine similarities and differences in teacher-pupil interactions of problem and non-problem children. Analyses of 15 teacher and pupil process measure variables were conducted to assess the stability of teacher-pupil interactions in a number of relevant behavioural measures and to determine the development of any clear trends in teachers' interactions with problem and non-problem children. Results suggest that a certain deterioration is noticeable in teachers' interactions with problem children receiving more negative affect and less sustaining feedback from their teachers over the course of four months. Observations of problem children's behavioural interactions suggest an increase in serious misdemeanours and a corresponding decline in sustained attention. Educational implications of the study are discussed in terms of the mental health needs of children.

Cognitive development in the Down's Syndrome infant: slow or different?

Abstract: Summary. An investigation was carried out to determine whether cognitive development in the Down's Syndrome (DS) infant is identical in nature with that of the Normal (N) infant, even though manifesting a general retardation. Longitudinal investigation was carried out of Object Permanence development in a group of 8 DS infants and a group of 26 N infants. As expected, DS infants manifested delayed achievement of all steps in the sequence. In addition, however, DS infants were less likely than N infants to repeat an achieved success on the following test session. Further, and in contrast to the N infants, errors committed by the DS infants tended not to conform to the “characteristic” error pattern theoretically predicted for each task. It was concluded that identity in development across the two populations holds at the level of first achievement only. Cognitive development in the DS infant must be considered not merely “slow” but rather, in important respects, different from that in the normal infant.

Teacher Expectations and Perceptions of Polynesian and Pakeha Pupils and the Relationship to Classroom Behaviour and School Achievement.

Abstract: Summary. A study of 90 nine-year-olds in five ethnically mixed New Zealand classrooms was undertaken to investigate teachers' perceptions of Polynesian and Pakeha pupils and the relationship of these perceptions to expectations for general ability. Results showed that the Polynesian minority group pupils were perceived less favourably than the Pakeha majority on dimensions reflecting parent-home factors and academic work skills. In line with this, teachers held lower expectations for the ability of Polynesian pupils than their Pakeha classmates. However, observations of teacher-pupil interaction showed no ethnic group differences. Despite the absence of any overt discrimination against minority group pupils there were achievement differences favouring the majority group in terms of standardised achievement test performance and in teachers' ratings of achievement at the end of the year. It was concluded that while teacher expectation effects did not severely bias children's learning, negative perceptions and expectations for Polynesian children led to them being treated similarly to others expected to be of low ability and helped to maintain the status quo of lower achievement.

Individual Differences in Pupil Perceptions of School Problems.

Abstract: Summary. Despite the function of problems in initiating thought towards solutions and the effect of the quality of problems on the quality of solutions, little is known about how problems are envisaged and formulated. The present study investigated the content of school problems as posed by secondary pupils, the quality with which the problems are formulated, and the relation of the content and quality to the intellectual characteristics of the pupils. Among the results were: (1) although the content of the problems included peer relations and institutional restrictions, the salient content involved the affectivity of teachers; (2) the quality with which the problems were formulated was predominantly ‘egocentric’ rather than ‘socially-sensitive’; (3) the content and quality of the problems were related to specific intellectual characteristics of the pupils.

The Effect of Picture upon the Readability of a School Science Topic.

Abstract: Summary. The effect of picture upon the readability of a specially written science topic was studied. 338 14-year-old children studying CSE Biology in six comprehensive schools completed a cloze test during their study and an objective items recognition test 15 minutes afterwards. Analysis of variance performed on post-test scores showed that when pictures were present the topic was more easily remembered. However, pictures played little part in the children's performance on the cloze test. It is concluded that attempts to match science textbooks to their readers solely by the application of standard readability formulae, which are unable to take account of the pictorial content of such materials, are simplistic and misleading.

Piagetian Tasks, Traditional Intelligence and Achievement Tests.

Abstract: Summary. At the beginning of the school year, 312 children from kindergarten and elementary school Grades 1 to 4 were given three types of Piagetian tasks (seriation, conservation and multiple classification) and traditional intelligence tasks (Cattell form 1, Cattell form 2A and subtests from the PMA 5 to 7). At the end of the same school year different types of tasks concerning initial arithmetic (number line comprehension, number language, addition and subtraction, reversal addition/subtraction, verbal arithmetic) were also administered. It was shown that the combination of seriation and conservation was superior to the intelligence tests in predicting number language. Seriation predicted number line comprehension as well as the intelligence tests. Both the Piagetian tasks and the PMA 5 to 7 subtests were found to be equally poor predictors of simple computation (addition, subtraction and reversal tasks). Verbal arithmetic was predicted as well by both types of tests. It was concluded that, from a psychometric viewpoint, seriation, classification and conservation instruments were of good quality and these tests certainly were not inferior to the usual intelligence and achievement tests.

Lined paper: its effects on the legibility and creativity of young children's writing

Abstract: This study examines the effects of lined and unlined paper on the writing ability of young children. 101 children at four age levels, from mean age 6 years 2 months to 9 years 2 months, wrote two pieces of free writing. These were rated for both creativity and legibility. Creativity was found to be unaffected by the type of paper used. Legibility, however, showed an interaction with both type of paper and age: younger children's legibility was greater with unlined paper, while the opposite was true of the older sample. The implications of these findings for educational practice are discussed.

Relations among metamemory, rehearsal activity and word recall of learning disabled and non-disabled readers.

Abstract: Summary. Readers who were learning disabled and non-disabled between ages 8 and 10 free-recalled unrelated word lists of three different levels of rehearsal activity (spontaneous, one-item, multi-item). Prior to recall they estimated their word recall ability, while retrieval knowledge was assessed after free recall. Results indicated older children free recalled more words than younger, and non-disabled more than disabled. Learning disabled and non-disabled readers were comparable in their initial estimates of recall; however, skill of memory appraisal was unrelated to learning disabled readers' recall accuracy. Disabled readers were classified as deficient in strategic knowledge, but no differences in rehearsal activity between the two reading groups occurred. Recall differences were attributed to semantic encoding difficulties rather than to production deficiencies in rehearsal activity or in metamemory, per se.

Causal Attributions for Task Performance: The Effects of Performance Outcome and Sex of Subject.

Abstract: Each of 70 sixth-form grammar school students was allocated to one of four treatments produced by the factorial combination of manipulations of their performance (success or failure) on two successive anagram tasks. Prior to each task, self-reports of anxiety and performance expectations were obtained. After each task, subjects were asked to make attributions about the outcome. When both tasks were completed, subjects were questioned about future performance on similar tasks. Predictions concerning attributions were derived from “logical” and “self-serving” analyses of how such attributions are made. In general, the results on the attributional measures tended to support the predictions derived from the self-serving analysis. Sex differences were found in relation to two of the four attributional measures employed, and in relation to the measures of anxiety about task performance and expectations concerning future performance. Subjects were also asked to make attributions about the outcomes of recent public examinations, and here females ascribed greater causality than did males to the factors of help from teachers and help from home. Possible reasons for inconsistencies between previous findings concerning sex differences in achievement-related attributions and those obtained in the present study are discussed.

The use and value of illustrations as contextual information for readers at different progress and developmental levels

Abstract: Summary. Controversy surrounds the role of illustrations in reading development. Supporters of the focal attention hypothesis claim that illustrations act as distractors in learning the cues to individual word recognition. Conversely, within a psycholinguistic framework, the contextual hypothesis maintains that in learning to read continuous text illustrations may constitute a legitimate source of semantic information. Whether this serves an adaptive function and at what levels of reading development was the essential research question. From 1868 children across grades I to V, 120 good and poor readers at reading ages 7 and 9 were selected. Subjects read narrative extracts of 320 words with or without illustrations. Results in general confirmed the contextual hypothesis. More specifically, illustrations were adaptively used in terms of textual message identification, information processing strategy and comprehension by good readers at RA7. Poor readers particularly at RA9 showed significant illustration effects but strategy results suggested a non-adaptive function. Good readers at RA9 were least affected, appearing independent of illustrative information.

A cross-cultural examination of parents' and teachers' expectations for deaf youth regarding careers.

Abstract: Summary. There has been, to the best of these authors' knowledge, no cross-culture analyses of the attitudes of parents and teachers regarding appropriateness of occupations for deaf youth. This study was an attempt at such an analysis and compares attitudes at a school for the deaf in Italy and a school for the deaf in England. Attitudes pertaining to advising equally qualified deaf and hearing persons to train for 13 different occupations were assessed. There was no significant rater, or rater-by-country effects. There were significant differences between the countries, and the expressed advice to hearing and deaf persons. There were no significant differences between the mean advice to deaf people in England and mean advice to deaf people in Italy.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Field Dependence-Independence and the Development of Formal Operational Thought.

Abstract: Summary. The Group Embedded Figures Test and paper-and-pencil measures of three formal operations schemes were administered to 120 pupils three times at one-year intervals. Analyses of correct responses indicated that the impact of field dependence-independence on the development of formal operational thought, apart from that explained by 1Q differences, was inconsequential. Test-retest correlations revealed a high degree of stability of performance on the Group Embedded Figures Test, but consistency of performance on the three measures of formal thought was minimal. Classification analyses confirmed the findings of recent cross-sectional investigations of the consolidation of formal operations schemes.

An evaluation of the ‘your style of learning and thinking’ inventory

Abstract: Summary. This paper assesses an effort by Torrance and co-workers to introduce a new test which they claim is based on a model of cognitive style, “Your Style of Learning and Thinking”. Specifically investigated are its theoretical bases and psychometric properties. This study found evidence that conflicted with Torrance et al.'s findings. The theoretical bases are weak, there are anomolous and faulty items, misleading scoring, low reliabilities, and a lack of concurrent validity. It is suggested that a model relating left and right brain dominance to creativity has little value.

Cumulative Deficit in Culturally Disadvantaged Children.

Abstract: Summary. Much of the previous research on the question of whether the course of scholastic learning in culturally disadvantaged children shows a cumulative deficit over time has been inconclusive, but recent analyses of the British National Child Development Study data have provided firmer evidence that it does. In the present study seven scholastic attainment measures were obtained on the same sample of children at ages 11 and 15 years respectively. This sample comprised a group of 46 children from culturally and materially disadvantaged homes in three cities in England and Wales and a matched control group of 46 children from more advantaged, but still predominantly working-class homes. Relative changes in the scholastic attainment of the two groups between the two ages were examined by means of the regression (analysis of covariance) technique. It was found that, in relation to their 11-year scores, the Disadvantaged Group children had lower predicted mean scores at age fifteen than their controls on all of the test measures, but not all of the differences reached statistical significance. Also, in relation to their 7- and 11-year test scores the mean predicted scores of the Disadvantaged Group children on three of the 15 year tests were, non-significantly, lower than those of their controls. Taken in conjunction with the results of a previous analysis of the children's 11- and 7-year test scores, these findings offer some support for the cumulative deficit hypothesis.

Reliability and validity of the student stress inventory (sixth form version)

Abstract: Summary. Evidence is presented which suggests that the Student Stress Inventory (Sixth Form Version) is a reliable instrument, and that it exhibits significant concurrent validity with measures of anxiety and locus of control.

In Two Minds: Arts and Science Differences at Sixth-Form Level.

Abstract: Summary. A variety of cognitive, cultural, attitudinal and personality tests were administered to two unrelated samples of sixth-form arts and science specialists attending grammar schools in Northern Ireland. Scientists were found to perform better on the cognitive and cultural variables; to endorse theoretical and economic values and to have lower Neuroticism and higher Psychoticism scores. Arts specialists endorsed aesthetic and social values to a greater extent and religious values marginally when compared with scientists. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Achievement outcome, task importance, and effort as determinants of student affect

Abstract: Summary. Seventy-five undergraduate students projected their feelings in eight typical achievement situations. Each student described affective responses to one situation, varying in achievement outcome, task importance, and effort. The 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVA for affective component scores indicated that perceptions of success/failure accounted for most of the affect reported. Small contributions were found for the following: generalised positive or negative affect related to effort exerted; value positively related to task importance; and surprise related to an interaction between effort and outcome. Implications for the Weiner model of attribution are discussed.

Children's Sensitivity to Different Modes of Colour Use in Art.

Abstract: Summary. Whilst children's drawings have been studied from a variety of perspectives their sensitivity to different modes of colour organisation has not been investigated. Proceeding from a classification of the four main modes of colour organisation found in adult art, six groups from age 5 to 11 years were tested for their ability to execute appropriate differences in the uses of colour in completions to a partially drawn scene. Subjects were also tested for their sensitivity to the differences between heraldic, gradation, harmonic and pure use of colour in a matching task. First-year first school children displayed little capacity to produce consistent differences in their pictures. Third-year first school children displayed significant capacities to perceive differences, but only a limited capacity to produce them. Third-year middle school children demonstrated considerable capacities to produce differences in styles of colour use.

Pedestrian Behavior of Children and Accompanying Parents during School Journeys: An Evaluation of a Training Program.

Abstract: Summary. From earlier studies it seems that parents who accompany their children when crossing roads often do so badly from the point of view of good protection and traffic education. In this report the results are presented of video observations of road crossing behaviour of 63 pre-school children and their parents, before and after the application of a pedestrian training programme for children in which parents were actively involved. Parents behaved far from ideally in various respects, but they displayed better traffic behaviour than children, both before and after the programme. After the programme, parents not only gave better examples when crossing, but they also gave more verbal instruction, something which rarely occurred before. The children displayed the trained behaviours more frequently after the programme. Publicity campaigns of road safety organisations in many countries have been based for many years on the belief that good examples of road crossing by parents will be followed by their children. Empirical evidence for this belief is presented here. The results demonstrate that it is not only desirable that parents set better examples for the children they accompany, but that it is also possible to achieve this by means of specific training programmes.

Students' reactions to attributions of ability and effort

Abstract: Summary. One hundred and forty-four 5th grade, 10th grade and college students were presented with a questionnaire consisting of three parts. In Part I, the students received a description of eight different hypothetical stories about classmates. In each story, the classmate's ability (high or low), exerted effort (high or low) and outcome (success or failure) were varied. Following each story the students were asked to rate the predicted grade given by a teacher, teacher's appreciation, own appreciation, projected classmate's satisfaction, and own willingness to resemble the classmate. In Parts II and III, the students were asked whether they would like to be perceived as having ability or as exerting effort. The results showed that while students believe that teachers and they themselves show more appreciation of effort exertion than ability, they project feelings of satisfaction and would like to be perceived more as having ability than exerting effort. Also, 5th grade students on all the questions reacted more favourably to effort exertion than 10th grade and college students.

The development of extraversion and ability: analysis of data from a large-scale longitudinal study of children tested at 10–11 and 14–15 years

Abstract: Summary. Following Eysenck and Cookson's study of the personality and ability of children aged 10–11 years, Cookson collected scores from some 1,700 of the same children at the age of 14–15 years. The present paper presents and analyses the resulting correlations between Eysenckian extraversion and ability. The results confirm a finding from previous Cattellian test data, that the more intelligent children decline in relative extraversion scores, and cast doubt on an Eysenckian suggestion that gradually introverts show higher I.Q.