Showing papers in "Journal of Educational Psychology in 2001"

Academic self-efficacy and first year college student performance and adjustment.

Abstract: A longitudinal study of 1st-year university student adjustment examined the effects of academic self-efficacy and optimism on students' academic performance, stress, health, and commitment to remain in school. Predictor variables (high school grade-point average, academic self-efficacy, and optimism) and moderator variables (academic expectations and self-perceived coping ability) were measured at the end of the first academic quarter and were related to classroom performance, personal adjustment, stress, and health, measured at the end of the school year. Academic self-efficacy and optimism were strongly related to performance and adjustment, both directly on academic performance and indirectly through expectations and coping perceptions (challenge-threat evaluations) on classroom performance, stress, health, and overall satisfaction and commitment to remain in school. Observed relationships corresponded closely to the hypothesized model.

Performance-Approach Goals: Good for What, for Whom, under What Circumstances, and at What Cost?.

Abstract: Some researchers have called for a reconceptualization of goal theory that acknowledges the positive effects of performance-approach goals. The authors of the present article review studies that indicate that performance-approach goals are associated with adaptive patterns of learning but note that, in other studies, these goals have been unrelated or negatively related to the same outcomes. There is a need to consider for whom and under what circumstances performance goals are good. There is some evidence that performance-approach goals are more facilitative for boys than for girls, for older students than for younger students, in competitive learning environments, and if mastery goals are also espoused. The authors describe the cost of performance-approach goals in terms of the use of avoidance strategies, cheating, and reluctance to cooperate with peers. They conclude that the suggested reconceptualization of goal theory is not warranted.

Cognitive constraints on multimedia learning: When presenting more material results in less understanding.

Abstract: In 4 experiments, college students viewed an animation and listened to concurrent narration explaining the formation of lightning. When students also received concurrent on-screen text that summarized (Experiment 1) or duplicated (Experiment 2) the narration, they performed worse on tests of retention and transfer than did students who received no on-screen text. This redundancy effect is consistent with a dual-channel theory of multimedia learning in which adding on-screen text can overload the visual information-processing channel, causing learners to split their visual attention between 2 sources Lower transfer performance also occurred when the authors added interesting but irrelevant details to the narration (Experiment 1) or inserted interesting but conceptually irrelevant video clips within (Experiment 3) or before the presentation (Experiment 4). This coherence effect is consistent with a seductive details hypothesis in which the inserted video and narration prime the activation of inappropriate prior knowledge as the organizing schema for the lesson.

Developing Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Skill in Mathematics: An Iterative Process.

Abstract: The authors propose that conceptual and procedural knowledge develop in an iterative fashion and that improved problem representation is 1 mechanism underlying the relations between them. Two experiments were conducted with 5th- and 6th-grade students learning about decimal fractions. In Experiment 1, children's initial conceptual knowledge predicted gains in procedural knowledge, and gains in procedural knowledge predicted improvements in conceptual knowledge. Correct problem representations mediated the relation between initial conceptual knowledge and improved procedural knowledge. In Experiment 2, amount of support for correct problem representation was experimentally manipulated, and the manipulations led to gains in procedural knowledge. Thus, conceptual and procedural knowledge develop iteratively, and improved problem representation is 1 mechanism in this process.

Continuity of academic intrinsic motivation from childhood through late adolescence: A longitudinal study.

Abstract: Two aspects of continuity, stability of individual differences and means, were examined in a longitudinal study from the middle elementary through the high school years. Two hypotheses regarding individual-difference stability were supported with structural equation modeling in both the general-verbal and math domains: (a) Academic intrinsic motivation is a stable construct throughout these years, and (b) with advancement in age, academic intrinsic motivation becomes increasingly stable. A third hypothesis, that the mean level of academic intrinsic motivation declines over these ages, also was supported, and significant linear trends were obtained, but it was also found to be modified by particular subject areas, with math showing the greatest decline and social studies showing no significant change. The combination of these 2 aspects of continuity places those with low motivation early in their schooling particularly at risk.

Perceptions of Classroom Environment, Achievement Goals, and Achievement Outcomes.

Abstract: Two studies examined the relationship between undergraduates' perceptions of their classroom environment, their adoption of achievement goals for the course, and their graded performance and intrinsic motivation. Results revealed a distinct antecedent profile for each goal in the trichotomous framework: Mastery goals were linked to the presence of lecture engagement and the absence of an evaluation focus and harsh evaluation, performance-approach goals were linked to the presence of evaluation focus, and performance-avoidance goals were linked to the presence of evaluation focus and harsh evaluation. When the perceived classroom environment and achievement goal variables were tested together as predictors of graded performance and intrinsic motivation, the results clearly demonstrated that the influence of the perceived classroom environment on these outcomes measures was indirect; the perceived classroom environment influenced achievement goal adoption, and achievement goal adoption, in turn, directly influenced graded performance and intrinsic motivation.

When learning is just a click away: Does simple user interaction foster deeper understanding of multimedia messages?

Abstract: In 2 experiments, students received 2 presentations of a narrated animation that explained how lightning forms followed by retention and transfer tests. In Experiment 1, learners who were allowed to exercise control over the pace of the narrated animation before a second presentation of the same material at normal speed (part-whole presentation) performed better on transfer but not retention tests compared with learners who received the same 2 presentations in the reverse order (whole-part presentation). In Experiment 2, learners who were allowed to exercise control over the pace of the narrated animation across 2 presentations (part-part presentation) performed better on transfer but not retention tests compared with learners who received the same 2 presentations at normal speed without any learner control (whole-whole presentation). These results are consistent with cognitive load theory and a 2-stage theory of mental model construction.

Between- and Within-Domain Relations of Academic Motivation Among Middle and High School Students: Self-Efficacy, Task-Value, and Achievement Goals

Abstract: The author used confirmatory factor analysis to examine between-domain relations of self-efficacy , task-value, and achievement goal orientations among 424 Korean middle and high school students. AH motivational constructs demonstrated strong subject specificity in both age groups. Strengths of betweendomain associations differed substantially by individual constructs. Performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals were highly correlated across domains, whereas task-value and mastery goals were more distinct across domains. Self-efficacy perceptions were moderately correlated across subjects. High school students' academic motivation was more differentiated than that of middle school students. Within-domain interrelations among these motivation constructs were generally consistent with previous research. More important, consistent patterns of relations were observed in four different academic domains within each age group.

Beyond the Pages of a Book: Interactive Book Reading and Language Development in Preschool Classrooms.

Abstract: The effects of a book reading technique called interactive book reading on the language and literacy development of 4-year-olds from low-income families were evaluated. Teachers read books to children and reinforced the vocabulary in the books by presenting concrete objects that represented the words and by providing children with multiple opportunities to use the book-related words. The teachers also were trained to ask open-ended questions and to engage children in conversations about the book and activities. This provided children with opportunities to use language and learn vocabulary in a meaningful context. Children who were in the interactive book reading intervention group scored significantly better than children in the comparison group on Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III and other measures of receptive and expressive language. Book reading and related activities can promote the development of language and literacy skills in young children.

Estimating root word vocabulary growth in normative and advantaged populations: Evidence for a common sequence of vocabulary acquisition.

Abstract: Root word vocabulary was studied in 2 normative samples (English-speaking, wide socioeconomic range) and in an advantaged sample. The authors estimated that in 2nd grade, the mean normative vocabulary was 5,200 root words, increasing to approximately 8,400 root words by 5th grade. During grades 3-5, the lowest quartile added about 3 root words a day, whereas the highest quartile added about 2.3 words a day. However, by 5th grade, children in the lowest quartile had only reached average 4th-grade level because they had such a small vocabulary in 2nd grade. There is evidence that words are learned in roughly the same order. The implications of these findings suggest (a) that greater efforts should be made to foster vocabulary acquisition in the primary years and (b) that a rough vocabulary curriculum sequence can be identified for the elementary years.

Importance of Assessing Spatial Ability in Intellectually Talented Young Adolescents: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study.

Abstract: At age 13, 393 boys and 170 girls scoring at the top 0.5% in general intelligence completed the Scholastic Assessment Test Mathematics (SAT-M) and Verbal (SAT-V) subtests and the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) Space Relations (SR) and Mechanical Reasoning (MR) subtests. Longitudinal data were collected through follow-up questionnaires completed at ages 18, 23, and 33. Multivariate statistical methods were employed using the SAT-M, SAT-V, and a DAT (SR + MR) composite to predict a series of developmentally sequenced educational-vocational outcomes: (a) favorite and least favorite high school class, (b) undergraduate degree field, (c) graduate degree field, and (d) occupation at age 33. Spatial ability added incremental validity to SAT-M and SAT-V assessments in predicting educational-vocational outcomes over these successive time frames. It appears that spatial ability assessments can complement contemporary talent search procedures. The amount of lost potential for artistic, scientific, and technical disciplines that results from neglecting this critical dimension of nonverbal ideation is discussed.

When problem solving is superior to studying worked examples.

Abstract: Interactions between levels of learner knowledge in a domain and levels of instructional guidance were investigated. Inexperienced mechanical trade apprentices were presented with either a series of worked examples to study or problems to solve. On subsequent tests, inexperienced trainees benefited most from the worked examples condition, with this group performing better with lower ratings of mental load than similar trainees who solved problems. With more experience in the domain, worked examples became redundant and problem solving proved superior. It is suggested that the relative effectiveness of either worked examples or problem solving depends heavily on levels of learner knowledge.

Collective efficacy : A neglected construct in the study of schools and student achievement

Abstract: A theoretical analysis is advanced that discusses social cognitive theory at the group level to explain the formation and impact of collective efficacy. The study used student- and school-level data from a sample of urban elementary schools. Consistent with social cognitive theory, mastery experience was found to be a significant predictor of differences between schools in teachers' collective efficacy perceptions. In addition, after controlling for student demographic characteristics and prior achievement, collective efficacy was positively and significantly related to differences among schools in student achievement. Finally, the amount of consensus among faculty members regarding collective efficacy perceptions was not a significant predictor of student achievement, nor was it significantly related to school socioeconomic status or minority concentration.

Academic Control and Action Control in the Achievement of College Students: A Longitudinal Field Study.

Abstract: A contradiction to the typical pattern of academic success occurs when bright, enthusiastic high school students fail after entering university. Two measures, perceived academic control and action control (i.e., preoccupation with failure) were administered to 524 college students at the beginning of a 2-semester course. Achievement-related cognitions, emotions, motivation, and final grades were measured at the end of the course. High-academic-control students exerted more effort, reported less boredom and anxiety, were more motivated, used self-monitoring strategies more often, felt more in control of their course assignments and of life in general, believed they performed better, and obtained higher final grades. Failure-preoccupied students received higher final grades, which corroborated their self-reported performance. Of note, high-control, high-failure-preoccupied students outperformed the other 3 groups by 1 to 2 letter grades.

Factors related to English reading performance in children with Chinese as a first language : More evidence of cross-language transfer of phonological processing

Abstract: Parallel measures of phonological, syntactic, and orthographic processing skill and reading were administered in English and in Chinese to 65 children whose 1st language (LI) was Cantonese and whose 2nd language (L2) was English. Phonological skill was correlated across L1 and L2. Phonological skill in both L1 and L2 was correlated with L2 reading and contributed a unique variance to L2 reading, even though the children's L1 was not written in an alphabetic orthography, whereas the 2nd language had an alphabetic orthography. This research adds to a growing body of evidence for cross-language transfer of phonological processing in L2 learning of English-as-a-Second-Language students.

Signaling as a Cognitive Guide in Multimedia Learning

Abstract: In 3 experiments, students received a short science lesson on how airplanes achieve lift and then were asked to write an explanation (retention test) and to write solutions to 5 problems, such as how to design an airplane to achieve lift more rapidly (transfer test) For some students, the lesson contained signals, including a preview summary paragraph outlining the 3 main steps involved in lift, section headings, and pointer words such as because or as a result The signaling did not add any additional content information about lift but helped clarify the structure of the passage Students who received signaling generated significantly more solutions on the transfer test than did students who did not receive signaling when the explanation was presented as printed text (Experiment 1), spoken text (Experiment 2), and spoken text with corresponding animation (Experiment 3) Results are consistent with a knowledge construction view of multimedia learning in which learners seek to build mental models of cause-and-effect systems

Performance across different areas of mathematical cognition in children with learning difficulties.

Abstract: The performance of 210 2nd graders in different areas of mathematical cognition was examined. Children were divided into 4 achievement groups: children with difficulties in mathematics but not in reading (MD-only), children with difficulties in both mathematics and reading (MD/RD), children with difficulties in reading but not in mathematics, and children with normal achievement. Although both MD groups performed worse than normally achieving groups in most areas of mathematical cognition, the MD-only group showed an advantage over the MD/RD group in exact calculation of arithmetic combinations and in problem solving. The 2 groups did not differ in approximate arithmetic and understanding of place value and written computation. Children with MD-only seem to be superior to children with MD/RD in areas that may be mediated by language but not in ones that rely on numerical magnitudes, visuospatial processing, and automaticity.

Parenting and Academic Socialization as They Relate to School Readiness: The Roles of Ethnicity and Family Income.

Abstract: Relationships between parenting and children's school readiness were examined within socioeconomically comparable samples of African American and Euro-American kindergarten children, mothers, and teachers. The moderating role of family income and ethnicity for the relationships between parenting behaviors, parental expectations, and school involvement and children's early school performance were also examined. Although there were many similarities across ethnic groups in the relationships between parenting and school performance, family income moderated the relationship between parenting behaviors and prereading scores: Parenting had a much stronger relationship with prereading performance for lower income families than for higher income families. Ethnicity moderated the relationships between parental school involvement and children's premath performance. Implications of these findings for prevention and intervention programs are discussed.

Psychological parameters of students' social and work avoidance goals : a qualitative investigation

Abstract: The study identifies and describes the psychological parameters of middle school students social and work avoidance goals. Data were collected from 86 students during 114 interviews and 24 structured observation periods. Inductive content analyses of the interview and observation data identified 8 distinct motivational goals (purposes) that the sample of middle school students espoused for their academic achievement. However, this analysis focuses on social and work avoidance goals that have not been widely explored in the literature to date. The analysis also identifies the structure of these goals in terms of their component academic behaviors, affect, and cognitions. The study is significant because it extends and deepens descriptions of the distinct social and work avoidance goals that students' may espouse and identifies key psychological components of these goals.

A new tool for measuring and understanding individual differences in the component processes of reading comprehension

Abstract: We propose a new measure of individual differences in reading comprehension ability that is theoretically motivated, is easy to administer, and that has high predictive power. Participants read 3-sentence paragraphs that describe the relations among a set of real and artificial terms, and then they respond to true-false statements that assess their ability to access and integrate long-term memory knowledge with text information, to make text-based inferences, and to recall text. The components of our task predict performance on a test of global reading comprehension and on a range of specific comprehension tests, each of which draws more heavily on one particular component. Our task is better at predicting reading comprehension than is a typical working memory span task and has the potential for advancing researchers' understanding and measurement of a range of linguistic and cognitive tasks.

Effects of Structure Strategy Training and Signaling on Recall of Text.

Abstract: Younger and older adults participated in 9 hr of either structure strategy training, interest strategy training, or no training Both trained groups reported positive changes in reading, but only the structure strategy group showed increased total recall from a variety of texts and an informative video. Structure strategy training increased the amount of information remembered as well as recall of the most important information. This training affected the organization of recall and was critical for producing readers who could use the structure strategy consistently across a variety of expository texts. In addition, it helped learners use signals in text more effectively. There was an additive effect of training plus signaling for use of the structure strategy consistently across five passages. The strategy switch hypothesis was supported, indicating that signaling affects encoding rather than retrieval processes. The findings have implications for both reading and writing.

Context moderates students' self-reports about how they study

Abstract: Models of self-regulate d learning hypothesize that learners selectively match study tactics to varying tasks and diverse goals. In this study, relative to each of 3 contexts—reading for learning, completing a brief essay, and studying for an exam—students rated the frequency with which they applied 26 study tactics, used 20 textbook features and other resources, and adopted 30 goals for studying. Analyses revealed substantial context effects in these self-reports. Nine separate principal component analyses of ratings corresponding to cells in a 3 X 3 matrix of (a) tactics, resources, and goals by (b) contexts, identified considerable discrepancies in items' assignment to components, and heterogeneous loadings across contexts. These findings bolster the premise that students' reports of self-regulati ng studying behaviors are context specific. They also raise questions about using self-reports of self-regulate d learning that do not reflect context effects. Strategic learners have four characteristics. First, they critically assess tasks, such as studying a textbook chapter, to identify features that may influence how they engage with the task and the degree of success they will have. Second, on the basis of their assessment, strategic students define short-term goals and probably overall goals for studying. Third, they know alternative cognitive tactics that provide options about tactics to apply to studying. Finally, strategic students make judgments about which tactic(s) or pattern(s) of tactics has the greatest utility for achieving the goals they choose to pursue (Hadwin & Winne, 1996; Winne, 1995, 1997; Winne & Hadwin, 1998). Goals provide standards against which strategic students may monitor unfolding engagement with the task or the product(s) constructed as they engage with it. When strategic students monitor these events, they are self-regulating learning (SRL; Winne, 1995). SRL updates self-knowledge and perceptions about the task's changing states, thereby creating information that selfregulating learners can use to select, adapt, and even generate tactics (Butler & Winne, 1995; Hadwin & Winne, 1997; Winne & Hadwin, 1998). The element of intent to adapt cognitive engagement distinguishes SRL from "just using" tactics. An expert whose domain knowledge includes well-formed, automated tactics that

Classification in Context: An Alternative Approach to Identifying Early Reading Disability.

Abstract: This study evaluated an alternative method of identifying early reading difficulty. L. S. Fuchs and D. Fuchs (1998) proposed that academic problems could be indexed by a dual discrepancy on level and slope of performance, relative to classmates, on curriculum-based measurement tasks. From a sample of 694 1st- and 2nd-grade children, we identified 47 children as dually discrepant in reading and compared them with 17 children identified as IQ-reading achievement discrepant and 28 children identified as low achieving. The dually discrepant children were younger and more impaired on phonological processes and teacher ratings of academic competence and social behaviors. This group also reflected the gender and racial distributions of the population. Single-point measures of fluency and phonological awareness were not sensitive indicators of reading problems, suggesting that ongoing assessment and evaluation may be necessary for valid identification.

Self-handicapping and defensive pessimism : exploring a model of predictors and outcomes from a self-protection perspective.

Abstract: The present study is centrally concerned with self-handicapping and defensive pessimism (comprising defensive expectations and reflectivity), the factors that predict these strategies, and the associations between these strategies and a variety of academic outcomes. Major findings are that task orientation negatively predicts both self-handicapping and defensive expectations and positively predicts reflectivity; uncertain personal control positively predicts defensive expectations, and to a lesser extent, self-handicapping; and an external attributional orientation is positively associated with self-handicapping, and to a lesser extent, defensive expectations. Both self-handicapping and defensive expectations are negatively associated with self-regulation and persistence, whereas reflectivity is positively associated with these outcomes. Students high in self-handicapping received lower end-of-year grades than did students low in self-handicapping and were less likely to be in attendance 1 year later.

Expectancy-Value Relationships of Shame Reactions and Shame Resiliency.

Abstract: This study investigated expectancy-value predictors for experiencing shame from test feedback and the possible consequences of these shame reactions. Those who experienced shame included a broader range of students than previously thought, including some high achievers who had high self-perceptions of competence. Main expectancy-value predictors of shame were lower self-efficacy ratings and higher intrinsic as well as extrinsic goal orientations. Also, although having important future goals for which the course had instrumental value was not predictive of inducing shame, such goals appeared to exert influence on whether a person would be resilient from a shame reaction with increased motivation, motivated behavior, and higher academic exam scores. If students believe they have the capabilities and are committed to a clear future goal for which the course grade or course information is relevant, then a shame reaction may be a warning signal that current actions are not in line with future goal attainment. For these students, a personal evaluation of goal commitment may result in increased motivated behavior.

Is Reading Important in Reading-Readiness Programs? A Randomized Field Trial with Teachers as Program Implementers.

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of phonological awareness training, with and without a beginning decoding component. Thirty-three teachers in 8 urban schools were assigned randomly within their schools to 3 groups: control, phonological awareness training, and phonological awareness training with beginning decoding instruction and practice. Following training, teachers in the 2 treatment groups conducted the treatments for about 20 weeks. In each teacher's class, pre- and posttreatment data were collected on 12-14 children (N = 404); 312 children were tested again the following fall. At the end of kindergarten, the 2 treatment groups performed comparably and outperformed controls on the phonological awareness measures. On alphabetic (reading and spelling) tasks, however, the group participating in phonological awareness training with beginning decoding instruction did better than the other 2 groups. In the fall of the next year, many of these between-group differences remained but were less impressive. Implications are discussed for bridging research and practice.

Determinants of Individual Differences and Gender Differences in Knowledge.

Abstract: The authors investigated the abilities, self-concept, personality, interest, motivational traits, and other determinants of knowledge across physical sciences/technology, biology/psychology, humanities, and civics domains. Tests and self-report measures were administered to 320 university freshmen. Crystallized intelligence was a better predictor than was fluid intelligence for most knowledge domains. Gender differences favoring men were found for most knowledge domains. Accounting for intelligence reduced the gender influence in predicting knowledge differences. Inclusion of nonability predictors further reduced the variance accounted for by gender. Analysis of Advanced Placement test scores largely supported the results of the knowledge tests. Results are consistent with theoretical predictions that development of intellect as knowledge results from investment of cognitive resources, which, in turn, is affected by a small set of trait complexes.

Working Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Speech Rate as Predictors of Children's Reading Performance at Different Ages.

Abstract: This study explored the contribution of 2 working memory (WM) systems (the phonological loop and the central executive) to reading performance in younger (9-year-old) and older (14-year-old) children. The results showed that (a) significant age-related differences in verbal and visual-spatial WM performance were maintained when articulation speed and short-term memory (the phonological system) were partialed from the analysis and (b) WM predicted age-related differences in word recognition and comprehension performance independent of the contribution of a short-term memory and articulatory rate. The results were interpreted as support for the notion that both the phonological and the executive systems are important predictors of age-related changes in reading but that these processes operate independent of each other in predicting fluent reading. Several implications of the results are discussed.

Drawing construction as a strategy for learning from text.

Abstract: Classroom use of student-generated drawings has been encouraged for a number of purposes (e.g., R. Hubbard & K. Ernst, 1996). The present study examined the use of drawing as a learning strategy for 5thand 6th-grade students reading science text. Three experimental drawing conditions and a reading control tested the hypothesis that drawing is effective only when students are supported during the construction process. Drawing (draw) participants constructed drawings only, whereas illustration comparison participants compared drawings with a provided illustration. Prompted illustration comparison (PIC) participants answered prompting questions to guide this comparison process. Dependent measures included a free-recall and recognition posttest, drawing accuracy, on-line self-monitoring behaviors, and time on task. PIC participants constructed the most accurate drawings and also scored significantly higher on the free-recall posttest. No differences were found on recognition posttest items. Although all drawing conditions spent significantly more time on task, these participants also engaged in significantly more self-monitoring events than did reading control participants. PIC participants also engaged in more events than did draw participants.

Predicting reading and mathematics achievement in fourth-grade children from kindergarten readiness scores.

Abstract: This study examined age and gender differences in verbal skills and visuomotor skills at kindergarten, in achievement in reading and mathematics at Grade 4, and in the link between skills at kindergarten and later achievement (n = 281). Older children had higher verbal skills and visuomotor skills than younger children, and girls had higher visuomotor skills and reading achievement than boys. With controls for age, verbal skills uniquely predicted later reading achievement, whereas both verbal skills and visuomotor skills uniquely predicted later mathematics achievement. Readiness in the specific areas of auditory memory and verbal associations predicted later reading achievement, whereas readiness in the specific areas of auditory memory, number skills, and visual discrimination predicted later mathematics achievement.