Showing papers in "Journal of Educational Psychology in 1998"
TL;DR: For instance, this paper found that peer support was a positive predictor of prosocial goal pursuit and teacher support was positive predictor both types of interest and of social responsibility goal pursuit, while parent support was associated with interest in school indirectly by way of negative relations with emotional distress.
Abstract: Adolescents' supportive relationships with parents, teachers, and peers were examined in relation to motivation at school (school- and class-related interest, academic goal orientations, and social goal pursuit). On the basis of 167 sixth-grade students, relations of perceived support from parents, teachers, and peers to student motivation differed depending on the source of support and motivational outcome: Peer support was a positive predictor of prosocial goal pursuit, teacher support was a positive predictor of both types of interest and of social responsibility goal pursuit, and parent support was a positive predictor of school-related interest and goal orientations. Perceived support from parents and peers also was related to interest in school indirectly by way of negative relations with emotional distress. Pursuit of social responsibility goals and school- and class-related interest in 6th grade partly explained positive relations between social support in 6th grade and classroom grades 1 year later. Continued research on the social origins of classroom motivation in early adolescence is needed. For most students, early adolescence is a time of change and transition. With respect to interpersonal relationships and social adjustment, these changes reflect a growing psychological and emotional independence from adults and a corresponding dependence on peer relationships to establish and maintain positive perceptions of the self (Steinberg, 1990; Youniss & Smollar, 1985). Often confounding these general developmental challenges is a transition to a new school environment, which tends to be marked by adolescents' perceptions that teachers no longer care about them, and decreased opportunities to establish meaningful relationships with peers (Eccles & Midgley, 1989). Therefore, young adolescents often must negotiate and establish relationships with adults and peers under less than optimal conditions. A particular concern is that young adolescents who do not enjoy positive, supportive relationships with adults and peers are often at risk for academic problems (e.g., Goodenow, 1993; Midgley, Feldlaufer, & Eccles, 1989; Phelan, Davidson, & Cao, 1991). In the present study, I examined specific ways in which supportive relationships with parents, teachers, and peers are related to young adolescents' motivation at school and to academic performance.
1,591 citations
TL;DR: This article found that multimedia learners can integrate words and pictures more easily when the words are presented auditorily rather than visually, which is consistent with a dual-processing model of working memory consisting of separate visual and auditory channels.
Abstract: Students viewed a computer-generated animation depicting the process of lightning formation (Experiment 1) or the operation of a car's braking system (Experiment 2). In each experiment, students received either concurrent narration describing the major steps (Group AN) or concurrent on-screen text involving the same words and presentation timing (Group AT). Across both experiments, students in Group AN outperformed students in Group AT in recalling the steps in the process on a retention test, in finding named elements in an illustration on a matching test, and in generating correct solutions to problems on a transfer test. Multimedia learners can integrate words and pictures more easily when the words are presented auditorily rather than visually. This split-attention effect is consistent with a dual-processing model of working memory consisting of separate visual and auditory channels.
1,303 citations
TL;DR: First and 2nd graders (N = 285) receiving Title 1 services received 1 of 3 kinds of classroom reading programs: direct instruction in letter-sound correspondences practiced in decodable text (direct code); less instruction in systematic sound-spelling patterns embedded in connected text (embe).
Abstract: First and 2nd graders (N = 285) receiving Title 1 services received 1 of 3 kinds of classroom reading programs: direct instruction in letter–sound correspondences practiced in decodable text (direct code); less direct instruction in systematic sound–spelling patterns embedded in connected text (embe
936 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that students who read expository passages with seductive details (i.e., interesting but irrelevant adjuncts) recall significantly fewer main ideas and generated significantly fewer problem-solving transfer solutions than those who read passages without them.
Abstract: In 4 experiments, students who read expository passages with seductive details (i.e., interesting but irrelevant adjuncts) recalled significantly fewer main ideas and generated significantly fewer problem-solving transfer solutions than those who read passages without seductive details. In Experiments 1, 2, and 3, revising the passage to include either highlighting of the main ideas, a statement of learning objectives, or signaling, respectively, did not reduce the seductive details effect. In Experiment 4, presenting the seductive details at the beginning of the passage exacerbated the seductive details effect, whereas presenting the seductive details at die end of the passage reduced the seductive details effect. The results suggest that seductive details interfere with learning by priming inappropriate schemas around which readers organize the material, rather than by distracting the reader or by disrupting the coherence of the passage.
653 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that students regulate their level of effort in academic tasks by using a variety of cognitive, volitional, and motivational strategies; students' reported use of these strategies varied across the three motivational problems with which they were presented; and different aspects of students' motivational regulation were related positively to their goal orientation, use of some cognitive strategies, and course grade.
Abstract: This study extends current models of self-regulated learning by addressing 3 research questions, including what strategies do students use to regulate their motivation? is the use of these strategies dependent on contextual factors? how is motivational regulation related to other aspects of self-regulated learning and achievement? Self-report data were collected from 115 college students by using an open-ended questionnaire and Likert-style survey. Findings provide evidence that students regulate their level of effort in academic tasks by using a variety of cognitive, volitional, and motivational strategies; that students' reported use of these strategies varied across the 3 motivational problems with which they were presented; and that different aspects of students' motivational regulation were related positively to their goal orientation, use of some cognitive strategies, and course grade.
642 citations
TL;DR: This article found that avoidance of help seeking was related negatively to students' academic efficacy, while a perceived emphasis on self-improvement was associated with lower levels of help avoidance, whereas a perceived focus on relative ability was correlated with higher levels.
Abstract: With hierarchical linear modeling, student reports of the avoidance of help seeking were related to student and classroom characteristics. Avoidance of help seeking was related negatively to students' academic efficacy. However, avoidance of help seeking was related less strongly to students' academic efficacy in classrooms in which teachers believed they should attend to their students' social and emotional needs. Average levels of avoidance of help seeking were related to students' perceptions of the classroom goal structure: A perceived emphasis on self-improvement was related to lower levels of help avoidance, whereas a perceived emphasis on relative ability was associated with higher levels. Teacher reports of their approaches to instruction (emphasizing self-improvement or emphasizing relative ability) were unrelated to students' avoidance of help seeking.
531 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that teachers with more positive attitudes toward homework and those whose students performed more poorly on stantlardized tests reported assigning more assignments, while positive relations were found between the amount of homework students completed and achievement, especially at upper grades.
Abstract: Students (n = 709), parents, and teachers (n = 82) completed a questionnaire concerning amount of homework assigned by teachers, portion of assignments completed by students, and attitudes about homework. Student achievement measures were also collected. Weak relations were found between the amount of homework assigned and student achievement. Positive relations were found between the amount of homework students completed and achievement, especially at upper grades (6-12). At lower grades (2 and 4), teacher-assigned homework was related to negative student attitudes. At upper grades, teachers with more positive attitudes toward homework and those whose students performed more poorly on stantlardized tests reported assigning more homework. A path analysis for lower grades indicated that class grades were predicted only by standardized test scores and the proportion of homework completed by students. At upper grades, class grade predictors also included parent, teacher, and student attitudes.
500 citations
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that students remembered word translations better when they had selected both visual and verbal annotations during learning than only 1 or no annotation; they comprehended the story better when the opportunity to receive their preferred mode of annotation.
Abstract: Erfurt University of Education English-speaking college students who were enrolled in a German course read a 762-word German language story presented by a computer program. For key words in the story, students could choose to see a translation on the screen in English (i.e., verbal annotation) or view a picture or video clip representing the word (i.e,, visual annotation), or both. Students remembered word translations better when they had selected both visual and verbal annotations during learning than only 1 or no annotation; students comprehended the story better when they had the opportunity to receive their preferred mode of annotation. Results are consistent with a generative theory of multimedia learning that assumes that learners actively select relevant verbal and visual information, organize the information into coherent mental representations, and integrate these newly constructed visual and verbal representations with one another. Current developments in information technologies have resulted in rapid advances in the application of instructional and educational technology. There seem to be, however, only small advances in corresponding basic research on the psychological principles of human learning in a multimedia learning environment (Kozma, 1991). This article deals with two of these psychological principles. On the one hand, multimedia learning requires the learner to process information presented in different modes (e.g., in a verbal and a visual mode). Thus, cognitive psychological theories on processing information such as Mayer's (1997) generative theory of multimedia learning are relevant. On the other hand, the term
477 citations
TL;DR: This article found that phonological sensitivity at different levels of linguistic complexity was substantially interrelated at each age and predicted word reading ability in older children, independently of language skills and letter knowledge.
Abstract: This study examined phonological sensitivity in 238 children from middle- to upper-income families and 118 children from lower-income families across different levels of linguistic complexity. Children ranged in age from 2 to 5 years. Overall, the results indicated that as children increased in age, phonological sensitivity both increased in absolute terms and became more stable. Significant social class differences in growth of phonological sensitivity were also obtained. Phonological sensitivity at different levels of linguistic complexity (e.g., syllables, phonemes) was substantially interrelated at each age and predicted word reading ability in older children independently of language skills and letter knowledge. These results indicate that phonological sensitivity can be assessed in young preschool children and that lower levels of phonological sensitivity may serve as developmental precursors to higher levels of phonological sensitivity. The development of phonological processing is an important precursor to the acquisition of early reading skills (e.g., Adams, 1990; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987). Phonological processing refers to the use of phonological information (i.e., the sounds of one's language) in processing written and oral language. A growing body of research indicates that individual differences in one form of phonological processing, phonological sensitivity, are causally related to the normal acquisition of beginning reading (e.g., Bryant, MacLean, Bradley, & Crossland, 1990; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987; Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1994). Children who are better at detecting and manipulating syllables, rhymes, or phonemes are quicker to learn to read, and this relation is present even after variability in reading skill due to factors such as IQ, receptive vocabulary, memory skills, and social class is partialed out (Bryant et al., 1990; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987; Wagner et al., 1994). The majority of evidence linking phonological sensitivity in prereaders with the development of reading has come from studies that have assessed children's phonological sensitivity at the point of school entry but prior to formal reading instruction. For example, Share, Jorm, MacLean, and Mathews (1984) found that children's phonological sensitivity, measured at the beginning of kindergarten with a phoneme segmentation task, was the single best predictor of
444 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, eight measures of cognitive and language functions in 232 children were subjected to multiple methods of cluster analysis in an effort to identify subtypes of reading disability, yielding 9 reliable subtypes representing 90% of the sample, including 2 nondisabled subtypes, and 7 reading-disabled subtypes.
Abstract: Eight measures of cognitive and language functions in 232 children were subjected to multiple methods of cluster analysis in an effort to identify subtypes of reading disability. Clustering yielded 9 reliable subtypes representing 90% of the sample, including 2 nondisabled subtypes, and 7 reading-disabled subtypes. Of the reading-disabled subtypes, 2 were globally deficient in language skills, whereas 4 of the 5 specific reading-disabled subtypes displayed a relative weakness in phonological awareness and variations in rapid serial naming and verbal short-term memory. The remaining disabled subtype was impaired on verbal and nonverbal measures associated with rate of processing, including rate and accuracy of oral reading. Studies showed evidence for discriminative validity among the 7 reading-disabled subtypes. Results support the view that children with reading disability usually display impairments on phonological awareness measures, with discriminative variability on other measures involving phonological processing, language, and cognitive skills.
444 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that young children deliberated about how to regulate writing and demonstrated either mastery or performance orientations as a function of classroom-specific tasks, authority structures, and evaluation practices.
Abstract: Writing and portfolio activities provided a context for examining relations between classroom contexts and young children's self-regulated learning (SRL). Data collection spanned 6 months and included weekly visits to Grade 2 and 3 classrooms during regularly scheduled writing and portfolio activities. Data included teacher questionnaires and observations and student questionnaires, observations, and interviews. Young children deliberated about how to regulate writing and demonstrated either mastery or performance orientations as a function of classroom-specific tasks, authority structures, and evaluation practices. Findings support sociocognitive models of learning regarding how classroom contexts affect students' beliefs, values, expectations, and actions. Also they challenge assumptions that young children lack the cognitive sophistication required for SRL and do not adopt motivational orientations that undermine it.
TL;DR: This paper examined the relation between motivational variables and self-reported cheating beliefs and behaviors in a sample of early adolescents and found that cheating and beliefs in the acceptability of cheating would be more likely when students perceived an emphasis on performance and extrinsic incentives rather than on mastery and improvement.
Abstract: The relations of motivational variables to self-reported cheating behaviors and beliefs in science were examined in a sample of early adolescents. It was hypothesized that cheating and beliefs in the acceptability of cheating would be more likely when students perceived an emphasis on performance and extrinsic incentives rather than on mastery and improvement. Results indicated that students who reported cheating in science perceived their classrooms as being extrinsically focused and perceived their schools as being focused on performance and ability. Students who believed in the acceptability of cheating also reported personal extrinsic goals and a perceived emphasis on extrinsic factors in class. Students who reported cheating also worried about school. The reported use of deep cognitive strategies was related negatively and the use of self-handicapping strategies was related positively to cheating beliefs and behaviors. Why do some adolescents engage in cheating behaviors, whereas others do not? What are the motivational variables related to cheating during adolescence? The present study examines relations between motivational variables and selfreported cheating beliefs and behaviors in a sample of early adolescents.
TL;DR: This paper showed that tutorial interaction can be structured so that same-ability age mates can scaffold each other's higher-order thinking and learning, and demonstrated that tutorial interactions can help students to construct knowledge both during their tutorial interaction and on written measures.
Abstract: This study demonstrates that tutorial interaction can be structured so that same-ability age mates can scaffold each other's higher order thinking and learning. Seventh graders were assigned in pairs to 3 mutual peer-tutoring conditions: explanation only (E), inquiry plus explanation (IE), and sequenced inquiry plus explanation (SIE). Tutorial sessions followed teacher-led science lessons over a 5-week treatment. IE and SIE students were trained to ask comprehension and thought-provoking questions on the material when in the tutoirole and to explain material to partners when acting as tutee. SIE students received additional training in asking their questions in a particular sequence. E students explained material to each other. SIE students outperformed IE and E students on ability to construct knowledge both during their tutorial interaction and on written measures.
TL;DR: For example, this article found that the relation between achievement and self-regulated learning (SRL) is more complex than originally believed, and that SRL strategies are not necessary for high achievement.
Abstract: The relation between achievement and self-regulated learning (SRL) is more complex than originally believed. In this study, 222 seventh-grade students (53% boys) descnbed their use of SRL strategies and rated their achievement goals (mastery and performance). Students were high achievers, performing at or above the 97th percentile on an achievement test. However, they ranged widely in their use of SRL strategies, suggesting that SRL strategies are not necessary for high achievement. Reasons for variation in SRL were examined. Advanced reasoning was not related to SRL. Performance goal orientation was related to SRL only in conjunction with mastery goal orientation. Mastery goal orientation and gender were significantly related to SRL. As mastery goals increased, so did the use of SRL strategies. Girls reported greater use of SRL strategies (a) involving personal regulation or optimizing the environment and (b) when completing difficult homework or engaged in reading and writing.
TL;DR: In this article, two studies examined middle school students' achievement values by using peer nomination procedures and found that ethnic minority boys least valued high-achieving male students, whereas ethnic minority girls valued high achieving female classmates.
Abstract: Two studies examined middle school students' achievement values by using peer nomination procedures. Nominations of peers whom participants admired, respected, and wanted to be like were summed to create a values index. Respondents also nominated peers who fit 6 behavioral descriptions including effort versus disengagement and being socially responsible versus deviant. Study 1 participants were African American and Study 2 participants were ethnically diverse. Both studies yielded systematic findings. Girls valued high-achieving female classmates, whereas ethnic minority boys least valued high-achieving male students. White boys, similar to girls, valued high-achieving, same ethnicity classmates. Respondents associated academic disengagement and social deviance with being male, a low achiever, and an ethnic minority. The usefulness of peer nomination procedures as a methodology for studying values and implications for understanding the plight of ethnic minority male adolescents are discussed. Writing in 1967 about the achievement gap between Black and White students, Irwin Katz was among the first psychologists to call attention to the study of motivation as a promising direction for research on the causes of low achievement among ethnic minority youth (Katz, 1967). Thirty years later, Katz's admonitions still ring true. African American children continue to experience chronic school failure in disproportionately high numbers, and efforts to understand the root causes of this vexing problem have increasingly turned to motivational explanations. For example, it has been argued that a history of school failure has led many Black children to have low expectations for future success, to perceive themselves as relatively incompetent, and to attribute poor performance to either low ability or other factors not within their control. Although low expectations, perceived incompetence, and attributions to uncontrollability are often precursors to failure (e.g., Weiner, 1985), the relations between these maladaptive self-beliefs and school achievement among African American youth are far from certain (see review in Graham, 1994). A different kind of motivational explanation for Black underachievement that may hold more promise focuses on achievement values. Unlike achievement-related cognitions, which largely center on beliefs about ability ("Can I do
TL;DR: Normandeau et al. as discussed by the authors used structural equation modeling to test a model of school achievement that included children's intellectual abilities, preschool behavior, and cognitive self-control, which in turn positively determined school achievement at the end of first grade (when controlling for intellectual abilities).
Abstract: Universit6 du Qutbec h Montrtal The purpose of this study was to test a model of school achievement that included children's intellectual abilities, preschool behavior, and cognitive self-control. It suggested that teacher-rated preschool behavior such as aggressive, anxious-withdrawn, and prosocial behaviors influence cognitive self-control, which in turn positively determines school achievement at the end of first grade (when controlling for intellectual abilities). Participants were 291 kindergarten children. Results from structural equation modeling demonstrated that all hypothesized path models were significant, except the one between anxious-withdrawn behavior and cognitive self-control. A second model was thus specified in which a path between anxious-withdrawn behavior and school achievement was estimated. The second model offered a better representation of the sample data (comparative fit index = .99, normormed fit index = .98), ×2(19, N = 286) = 29.43, p > .05, and the path between anxious-withdrawn behavior and school achievement was found significant. The role of preschool behavior and cognitive self-control in first-grade school achievement is discussed. There is a consensus that children's successful school transition from kindergarten to the first grade is particularly important because children's grades in the first years of school substantially affect subsequent achievement trajecto- ries (e.g., Alexander & Entwisle, 1988; Alexander, Entwisle, & Dauber, 1993; Ensminger & Slusarick, 1992; Reynolds & Bezrucko, 1993; Willms & Jacobsen, 1990). Moreover, children's poor school achievement may constitute a risk factor for mental health difficulties in later childhood or adolescence (e.g., Feldman & Wentzel, 1990; Tremblay et al., 1992) and in adulthood (Caspi, Elder, B Kazdin, 1985). Therefore, a quintessential research problem exists in identifying specific processes that could impair or facilitate children's academic performance during the first years of schooling. Particular attention has been given to the influence of the family processes (e.g., the affective climate, the cognitive stimulation, the quality of the parent-child interaction, parental involvement) and characteristics (e.g., socioeco- nomic level) on school achievement (Crane, 1996; Gorges & Elliott, 1995; Grolnick & Ryan, 1989; Pianta & Harbers, 1996). Children's school experience with peers and their Sylvie Normandeau, ,5.cole de Psychotducation, Universit6 de Montrtal; Frtdtric Guay, Dtpartement de Psychologic, Universit6 du Qutbec h Montrtal. This research was supported by grants from Le Fonds pour la Formation des Chercheurs et l'Aide ~t la Recherche (FCAR- Qutbec) and the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and also by a doctoral fellowship from SSHRC. We thank the children and teachers who so kindly participated in this study. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sylvie Normandeau, Ecole de Psychotducation, Universit6 de Montrtal, P.O. Box 6128, Station "Centre-ville," Montrtal, Qu6- bee, H3C 3J7, Canada. Electronic mail may be sent to normande@ere.umontreal.ca. engagement in the school as well as their school-related behavior, such as their motivation or beliefs about them- selves, have been considered in studies of middle-school children or adolescents (e.g., Beyer, 1995; Gottfried, Flem- ing, & Gottfried, 1994; Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994; Wentzel, 1991, 1993; Wentzel, Feldman, & Weinberger, 1991; Wentzel, Weinberger, Ford, & Feldman, 1990). Among the processes that have been associated with school achieve- ment, children's ability to engage in self-control (Kendall, 1993) is of particular importance during the early grades. Indeed, children's ability to concentrate on a task and to participate in the academic routine are determinants of their school achievement (Alexander et al., 1993). Such behavior during the early primary grades enhances learning opportu- nities and contributes favorably to school achievement. Therefore, it is important to focus on processes such as children's ability to engage in cognitive self-control in a learning situation. Cognitive serf-control abilities, along with self-efficacy perception and commitment to academic goals, are a key element involved in children's serf-regulated learning (Zimmerman, 1989, 1990). The current prospective study was undertaken to assess the interplay between children's behavioral characteristics and their ability to engage in cognitive self-control as predictors of their school achievement in first grade. Some limits identified in previous studies led us to consider the mediating role of children's cognitive self-control between their behavioral characteristics in kindergarten and their school performance in first grade. First, little is known about specific processes that could play a mediating role between children's preschool behav- ioral characteristics and later school achievement (Belsky & MacKinnon, 1994). Second, most of the studies that have considered the association between children's behavioral characteristics (anxious-depressive, aggressive, or prosocial 111
TL;DR: This paper found that students in high involvement classrooms reported challenges and skills as above average and matched, whereas students in low-involved classrooms reported skills as exceeding challenges and positive affect, and teachers scaffolded instruction (i.e., negotiated understanding, transferred responsibility, and fostered intrinsic motivation).
Abstract: Students' (21 girls, 21 boys) self-reports of involvement in mathematics were related to instructional strategies observed in their upper-elementary classrooms. Students in high involvement classrooms reported challenges and skills as above average and matched, whereas students in low involvement classrooms reported skills as exceeding challenges. Students in high involvement classrooms also reported significantly more positive affect. Discourse analyses of instruction in high involvement classrooms revealed that teachers scaffolded instruction (i.e., negotiated understanding, transferred responsibility, and fostered intrinsic motivation). Instruction in low involvement classrooms was characterized by Initiation-Response-Evaluation sequences, emphasis on procedures, and extrinsic motivation strategies. Results imply that involvement can be socially constructed through whole class instruction and that researchers should give more attention to measuring and understanding situated motivation.
TL;DR: This paper found that orientations to help avoidance would predict styles of help seeking (HS) in math classes, and that students with an ability-focused orientation exhibited avoidant-covert HS: they requested least help and were most likely to cheat.
Abstract: It was predicted that orientations to help-avoidance (HA) would predict styles of help seeking (HS). In Study 1, a total of 1,029 pupils aged 10-12 years rated reasons for HA in math class. Ratings formed 3 factors reflecting autonomous strivings for independent mastery, ability-focused concerns to mask poor ability, and expedient perceptions that help would not expedite task completion. In Study 2, a total of 272 pupils who had endorsed one or another HA orientation could request help for math problems. An autonomous orientation was associated with autonomous HS, which promoted independent mastery, and an expedient orientation with executive HS, which expedited task completion. Pupils, especially boys, with an ability-focused orientation exhibited avoidant-covert HS: they requested least help and were most likely to cheat. HS was moderated by perceived threat to competence (ability-focused orientation) but not by perceived competence.
TL;DR: In this paper, two studies were conducted among 3rd-grade and 8th-grade students to test the efficacy of the triarchic theory of human intelligence as applied to classroom learning and performance.
Abstract: Two studies were conducted among 3rd-grade (primary-school) and 8th-grade (middle-school) students to test the efficacy of the triarchic theory of human intelligence as applied to classroom learning and performance. Students at the 3rd-grade level were taught a social-studies unit and at the 8th-grade level were taught a psychology unit in 1 of 3 ways: traditional instruction (primarily memory-based), critical-thinking instruction (primarily analytically based), and triarchically based instruction (involving infusion of analytical, creative, and practical instruction). Performance at both levels was assessed through multiple-choice items measuring primarily memory and performance-based items measuring analytical, creative, and practical aspects of achievement. Third-grade students also provided self-report measures. In general, triarchic instruction was superior to the other modes of instruction, even on multiple-choice memory-based items.
TL;DR: This article investigated the self-reported relationships among 5th and 6th grade students' achievement goals in mathematics, their negative affect about making mistakes, and their self-regulatory beliefs and behaviors.
Abstract: The authors investigated the self-reported relationships among 5th- and 6th-grade students' achievement goals in mathematics, their negative affect about making mistakes, and their self-regulatory beliefs and behaviors. Cluster analysis revealed 4 motivational-affective patterns. Two groups were characterized by positive motivational-affective patterns and 2 suggested more problematic patterns related to different goal patterns, negative affect, and less positive self-regulatory behaviors and beliefs. Path analyses showed that negative affect after failure mediated performance goals and self-regulatory beliefs and behaviors. The authors propose a theory of achievement goals and affect that explains why students differ in their ability to tolerate error during learning. They also discuss practical and theoretical implications of the role of negative affect in achievement motivation.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined teacher perceptions of students' intrinsic motivation for reading from the perspective of self-determination development and reading achievement, and found that teachers perceived higher achievers to be relatively higher in intrinsic reading motivation than in extrinsic reading motivation (activity-based and autonomy-supported).
Abstract: Teacher perceptions of students' intrinsic motivation for reading were examined from the perspective of self-determination development and reading achievement. A sample of 68 teachers from randomly selected elementary schools that were representative of county characteristics rated 374 students on 6 aspects of motivation for reading, including individual, topical, activity-based, autonomy-supported, socially supported, and writing-related aspects. Quantitative and qualitative results showed that teachers perceived higher achievers to be relatively higher in intrinsic reading motivation (individual and topical) than in extrinsic reading motivation (activity-based and autonomy-supported). In contrast, teachers perceived lower achievers to be relatively more motivated by extrinsic contextual factors than by intrinsic factors. Teachers appear to possess implicit theories that are in accord with the self-determination perspective on the development of motivation and reading achievement.
TL;DR: Ackerman et al. as discussed by the authors examined student profiles from knowledge, interest, and strategy measures specific to educational psychology courses to determine whether distinct and informative student profiles would emerge from knowledge and interest measures and explore changes in student profiles across an academic semester.
Abstract: The purpose for this research was threefold: to determine whether distinct and informative student profiles would emerge from knowledge, interest, and strategy measures specific to educational psychology; to compare these profiles with prior studies; and to explore changes in student profiles across an academic semester. As a result of cluster-analytic procedures, 3 distinct groups of participants emerged at pretest, and 4 emerged at posttest. One of the profiles that remained fairly consistent from pretest to posttest was the Learning-Oriented cluster. Students fitting this profile began the semester with the highest means in interest and strategic processing and with a moderate level of domain knowledge. By the end of the semester, this cluster obtained the highest means also on the domain knowledge test Yet, the largest cluster at posttest seemed unable or unwilling to learn from demanding exposition. In the last decade, the research on individual differences has moved toward the exploration of intraindividual variabilities (Ackerman, Kyllonen, & Roberts, in press). That is to say, researchers have become increasingly concerned with how cognitive and noncognitive factors, such as knowledge and self-regulation, configure differently within individuals (Ackerman, Kanfer, & Goff, 1995). Our purpose in this study was to explore such intraindividual diiferences by examining the various learner profiles that emerged within one classroom. Specifically, we wanted to ascertain whether undergraduates enrolled in an educational psychology course would naturally form into distinctive clusters based on their academic characteristics. We formed these clusters from information on students' subject matter knowledge, interests, and strategic processing. Because they were constructed by means of cluster analysis, the resulting profiles encompassed not only multiple indicators for each student but also data from every participating student.
TL;DR: This paper investigated how different types of achievement goals influence elementary school students' help seeking and found that personal learning goals had a positive influence and personal performance goals had negative influence on the frequency of confirmation requests and on actual problem solving.
Abstract: The author investigated how different types of achievement goals influence elementary school students' help seeking Fourth and 5th graders were asked to solve math problems and were given the opportunity to request help from an adult Goals were conceptualized on 2 nested dimensions: (a) locus of the goal (ie, personal goals that students held at the beginning of the study vs contextual goals that characterized the task situation) and (b) emphasis of the goal (ie, the relative importance of learning vs performance) Personal learning goals had a positive influence and personal performance goals had a negative influence on the frequency of confirmation requests and on actual problem solving For students who had strong personal performance goals, a contextual learning goal resulted in more process-related help seeking than did a contextual performance goal Both types of help seeking (ie, confirmation and process-related requests) had a positive influence on problem solving Interactions among goals are discussed
TL;DR: In this article, the authors define reading engagement as the mutual support of motivations, strategies, and conceptual knowledge during reading, and propose ConceptOriented Reading Instruction (CORI) to increase reading engagement.
Abstract: The authors define reading engagement as the mutual support of motivations, strategies, and conceptual knowledge during reading. To increase reading engagement, a collaborative team designed a year-long integration of reading/language arts and science instruction (ConceptOriented Reading Instruction, CORI). The authors compared students who received this instruction to similar students who received traditionally organized instruction aimed toward the same objectives. A path analysis showed that CORI had a positive effect on strategy use and text comprehension for students at Grades 3 and 5 when accounting for past achievement and prior knowledge. CORI also had a positive, indirect effect on conceptual knowledge mediated by strategy use, and this instruction facilitated conceptual transfer indirectly through several paths simultaneously. The findings are discussed in relation to a growing literature on instructional contexts for motivated strategy use and conceptual learning from text.
TL;DR: For example, this article found that more than 1 way of developing sound-spelling connections is effective in teaching spelling but that combining whole word and onset-rime training is most effective in achieving transfer of the alphabet principle across word contexts; functional spelling units of not only a single letter but also 2 or more letters are important in beginning spelling.
Abstract: Poor spellers in 2nd grade (n = 128) participated in 24 20-min sessions that included (a) direct instruction in the alphabet principle (most frequent phoneme-spelling connections); (b) modeling of different approaches, singly and in combination, for developing connections between spoken and written words for 48 words ordered by sound-spelling predictability; and (c) practice in composing. Results of this multilayered intervention showed that (a) more than 1 way of developing sound-spelling connections is effective in teaching spelling but that after training in the alphabet principle, combining whole word and onset-rime training is most effective in achieving transfer of the alphabet principle across word contexts; (b) functional spelling units of not only a single letter but also 2 or more letters are important in beginning spelling; and (c) training in spelling transfers to composition and word recognition.
TL;DR: This article investigated the efficacy of an instructional model designed to promote self-regulation, the Strategic Content Learning (SCL) approach, and found consistent improvements across time in students' metacognitive knowledge about key self-regulated processes, perceptions of task-specific efficacy, attributional patterns, task performance, and strategic approaches to tasks.
Abstract: This article reports findings from three studies investigating the efficacy of an instructional model designed to promote self-regulation, the Strategic Content Learning (SCL) approach. Participants were post-secondary students with learning disabilities who ranged in age from 19 to 48 years. Each study comprised multiple in-depth case studies (total N = 34) embedded within a pre-posttest design. Students were provided with individualized SCL tutoring for two to three hours per week during at least one semester. Both qualitative and quantitative evidence converged to reveal consistent improvements across time in students' metacognitive knowledge about key self-regulated processes, perceptions of task-specific efficacy, attributional patterns, task performance, and strategic approaches to tasks. Students were also found to transfer strategic approaches across contexts and tasks. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
TL;DR: For example, this paper found that 5th graders distinguished their own motivational orientations from the values promoted in their educational environment, and their perceptions of teachers' expectations were unique for classes, boys, and girls.
Abstract: Thirty classes of 5th graders (10-year-olds) were surveyed to see if children's criteria for success (motivational orientations), beliefs about the causes of success, and perceptions of teachers' expectations involved the coordination of personal values and contextual norms. Classes as well as individuals have distinct motivational personalities: For both levels of analysis, Task Orientation was associated with beliefs that Interest and Effort cause success, whereas Ego Orientation was associated with beliefs that Competitiveness causes success. However, 5th graders distinguished their own motivational orientations from the values promoted in their educational environment. Profiles of orientations, beliefs, and perceptions of teachers' expectations were unique for classes, boys, and girls. Boys had more limited perceptions of classroom expectations than girls. Girls had more limited perceptions of their motivational identities than boys.
TL;DR: In this paper, a prior knowledge activation strategy (PKA) was used to encourage students to make spontaneous connections between their personal knowledge and informational texts and students who learned to use the PKA strategy consistently outperformed students in a main idea (MI) treatment group and those in a no-instruction control group on application-level comprehension questions but not literal-level questions.
Abstract: Failure to engage with informational texts is a problem frequently noted at the high school level, at which students are expected to read independently. As a means of addressing this issue, a prior knowledge activation strategy (PKA) was taught to ninth-grade students in which they were encouraged to make spontaneous connections between their personal knowledge and informational texts. Students who learned to use the PKA strategy consistently outperformed students in a main idea (MI) treatment group and those in a no-instruction control group on application-level comprehension questions but not literal-level questions. A second study replicated the operations of the first study, with the addition of an MI-PKA treatment designed to combine both strategies. Both the PKA and the MI-PKA combination groups performed higher on application-level comprehension questions and demonstrated more positive attitudes toward reading than the other groups.
TL;DR: The authors found that unrestricted choice increased favorable affective perceptions of the reading experience compared with denied-choice and control groups but had no effect on cognitive measures of engagement during reading, whereas individuals within a single group were offered choice or were denied choice.
Abstract: Two experiments investigated the effect of choice on cognitive and affective engagement during reading. Both experiments compared college students who either selected what they read or were assigned the same story without being allowed to choose. Experiment 1 found that unrestricted choice heightened favorable affective perceptions of the reading experience compared with denied-choice and control groups but had no effect on cognitive measures of engagement. Experiment 2 replicated these findings when individuals within a single group were offered choice or were denied choice. The authors discuss the need for a more explicit theory of choice, which presently does not exist. Most people feel that choice plays an important role in their lives. Experts concur with this view, suggesting that choice is an important determinant of interest, cognitive processing, motivation, and even long-term health (Glasser, 1986; Langer, 1989). For example, Kohn (1993) claimed that choice among younger students positively affects activity level, enthusiasm, creativity, depth of comprehension , self-regulation, and rate of learning. Many recent accounts of effective instruction (Lepper, 1988; Stipek, 1997) and classroom motivation (Pintrich & Schunk, 1996; Stipek, 1993) also support the positive effects of choice. It is surprising then that so few educational studies have examined the role of choice empirically, or postulated theoretical models that articulate the relationship between choice and various aspects of cognitive and affective engagement. Three current lines of research emphasize the role of choice in learning and motivation: self-determination theory, computerized testing theory, and reader response theory. Self-determination theory states that choice has a positive impact on cognitive and affective engagement because it increases intrinsic motivation (Deci, 1992; Deci & Ryan, 1987; Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991). Most studies within this framework have examined the role that controlling environments (e.g., teachers and structured classroom settings) play in autonomy and learning (Flink, Boggiano, & Barrett, 1990; Gromick & Ryan, 1987; Miserandino, 1996). These studies generally suggest that controlling environments reduce a sense of personal autonomy and intrinsic motivation, and result in decreased learning and poorer attitudes about school. A number of other studies have examined the role that perceived control (i.e., selfjudgments of personal competence or autonomy) plays in intrinsic motivation (Boggiano, Main, & Katz, 1988; Skinner, Wellborn, & Cornell, 1990; Williams & Deci, 1996).
TL;DR: In this paper, subject-specific self-efficacy and self-concepts were assessed by asking students to report their self-perceived capability in direct reference to the internal and external comparison frames.
Abstract: H. W. Marsh's (1986) internal/external (I/E) frames of reference model posits that students* self-concepts result from simultaneous comparison of their competence to their peers' ability and their ability in other areas. The VE model failed to receive clear support with (a) subject-specific self-efficacy and (b) frame-specific self-concepts. Frame-specific selfconcepts were assessed by asking students to report their self-perceived capability in direct reference to the internal and external comparison frames. Contrary to the I/E model's assumptions, students' verbal and math self-concepts based on the internal comparison were positively correlated; achievement in one area negatively influenced both internal and external comparison-based self-concepts in the other area; and verbal and math self-concepts were positively correlated. Interestingly, most of the model's predictions were confirmed when the classical 1/E model structure was replicated, demonstrating that the hypothesized relations among self and achievement factors can be achieved without satisfying the model's theoretical provisions. The purpose of the present investigation was twofold. One was to test predictions of the internal/external (1/E) frames of reference model (Marsh, 1986) with subjectspecific academic self-efficacy to help illuminate the difference between academic self-concept and self-efficacy formation. The other was to test underlying assumptions of the I/E model with frame-specific academic self-concepts. Specifically, the present study examined whether students* verbal and math self-concepts were indeed positively correlated after the external comparison and negatively correlated after the internal comparison as the I/E model predicates.