Showing papers on "Academic achievement published in 2012"

Mindsets That Promote Resilience: When Students Believe That Personal Characteristics Can Be Developed

Abstract: Because challenges are ubiquitous, resilience is essential for success in school and in life. In this article we review research demonstrating the impact of students’ mindsets on their resilience in the face of academic and social challenges. We show that students who believe (or are taught) that intellectual abilities are qualities that can be developed (as opposed to qualities that are fixed) tend to show higher achievement across challenging school transitions and greater course completion rates in challenging math courses. New research also shows that believing (or being taught) that social attributes can be developed can lower adolescents’ aggression and stress in response to peer victimization or exclusion, and result in enhanced school performance. We conclude by discussing why psychological interventions that change students’ mindsets are effective and what educators can do to foster these mindsets and create resilience in educational settings. When students struggle with their schoolwork, what determines whether they give up or embrace the obstacle and work to overcome it? And when students feel excluded or victimized by peers, what determines whether they seek revenge through aggression or seek more productive solutions? Resilience—or whether students respond positively to challenges—is crucial for success in school and in life. Yet what causes it? And what can be done to increase it? In this article we demonstrate the impact of students’ mindsets—or implicit theories about the malleability of human characteristics—on their academic and social resilience (Dweck, 2006; Dweck, Chiu, & Hong, 1995). We show how mindsets can contribute to two of the most important issues currently facing educators: (a) academic underachievement and (b) the impact of peer exclusion and victimization. Each of these problems is of great concern, yet each has been frustratingly difficult to address. For example, many of the large-scale interventions evaluated by the Institute of

Handbook of Research on Student Engagement.

Abstract: Preface S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, and C. Wylie.- SECTION I: WHAT IS STUDENT ENGAGEMENT?.- Jingle, Jangle, and Conceptual Haziness: Evolution and Future Directions of the Engagement Construct A. L. Reschly and S. L. Christenson.- Developmental Dynamics of Student Engagement, Coping, and Everyday Resilience E. A. Skinner and J. R. Pitzer.- Engagement across Developmental Periods D. Mahatmya, B. J. Lohman, J. L. Matjasko, and A. Feldman Farb.- Ethnicity and Student Engagement G. E. Bingham and L. Okagaki.- Student Engagement: What is it? Why does it matter? J. D. Finn and K. Zimmer.- Section I Commentary: So What is Student Engagement Anyway: Commentary on Section I J. Eccles and M. Wang.- SECTION II: ENGAGEMENT AS LINKED TO MOTIVATIONAL VARIABLES.- A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Student Engagement J. Reeve.- Achievement Goal Theory, Conceptualization of ability/Intelligence, and Classroom Climate E. M. Anderman and H. Patrick.- School Identification K. E. Voelkl.- Self-Efficacy as an Engaged Learner D. H. Schunk and C. A. Mullen.- A Cyclical Self-Regulatory Account of Student Engagement: Theoretical Foundations and Applications T. J. Cleary and B. J. Zimmerman.- Academic Emotions and Student Engagement R. Pekrun and L. Linnenbrink-Garcia.- Students' Interest and Engagement in Classroom Activities M. Ainley.- Section II Commentary: Motivation and Engagement: Conceptual, Operational, and Empirical Clarity A. Martin.- SECTION III: ENGAGEMENT AND CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES.- Parental Influences on Achievement Motivation and Student Engagement J. Bempechat and D. J. Shernoff.- Families as Facilitators of Student Engagement: Toward a Home-School Partnership Model J. N. Raftery, W. S. Grolnick, and E. S. Flamm.- Teacher-Student Relationships and Engagement: Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Improving the Capacity of Classroom Interactions R. C. Pianta, B. K. Hamre, and J. P. Allen.- The Role of Peer Relationships in Student Academic and Extracurricular Engagement J. Juvonen, G. Espinoza, and C. Knifsend.- Understanding Student Engagement with a Contextual Model S. Lam, B. P. H. Wong, H. Yang, Y. Liu.- Allowing Choice and Nurturing an Inner Compass: Educational Practices Supporting Students' Need for Autonomy A. Assor.- The Engaging Nature of Teaching for Competency Development R. Hipkins.- Assessment as a Context for Student Engagement S. Nichols and H. Dawson.- Section III Commentary: Socio-Cultural Contexts, Social Competence, and Engagement at School K. Wentzel.- SECTION IV: ENGAGEMENT AND STUDENT OUTCOMES.- The Relationship between Engagement and High School Dropout R. W. Rumberger and S. Rotermund.- High School Reform and Student Engagement M. H. Davis and J. M. McPartland.- The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Engagement, Motivation, and Resilience in Students R. Brooks, S. Brooks, and S. Goldstein.- The Relations of Adolescent Student Engagement with Troubling and High-Risk Behaviors A. Griffiths, E. Lilles, M. Furlong, and J. Sidwha.- Trajectories and Patterns of Student Engagement: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study C. Wylie and E. Hodgen.- Instructional Contexts for Engagement and Achievement in Reading J. T. Guthrie, A. Wigfield, and W. You.- A Self-regulated Learning Perspective on Student Engagement C. A. Wolters and D. J. Taylor.- Classroom Strategies to Enhance Academic Engaged Time M. Gettinger and M. J. Walter.- Deep Engagement as a Complex System: Identity, Learning Power and Authentic Enquiry R. Deakin Crick.- Section IV Commentary: Outcomes of Engagement and Engagement as an Outcome: Some consensus, divergences and unanswered questions M. Janosz.- SECTION V: MEASUREMENT ISSUES, INSTRUMENTS, AND APPROACHES.- Measuring Student Engagement: The Development of a Scale for Formative Use C. W. Darr.- Systems Consultation: Developing the Assessment-to-Intervention Link with the Student Engagement Instrument J. J. Appleton.- Finding the Humanity in the Data: Understanding, Measuring & Strengthening Student Engagement E. Yazzie-Mintz and K. McCormick.- The Measurement of Student Engagement: A Comparative Analysis of Various Methods and Student Self-Report Instruments J. A. Fredricks and W. McColskey.- Issues and Methods in the Measurement of Student Engagement: Advancing the Construct through Statistical Modeling J. Betts.- Section V Commentary: Possible New Directions in the Measurement of Student Engagement K. Samuelsen.- Epilogue S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly and C. Wylie.

Unseen Disadvantage: How American Universities' Focus on Independence Undermines the Academic Performance of First-Generation College Students

Abstract: American universities increasingly admit first-generation college students whose parents do not have 4-year degrees. Once admitted, these students tend to struggle academically, compared with continuing-generation students--students who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year degree. We propose a cultural mismatch theory that identifies 1 important source of this social class achievement gap. Four studies test the hypothesis that first-generation students underperform because interdependent norms from their mostly working-class backgrounds constitute a mismatch with middle-class independent norms prevalent in universities. First, assessing university cultural norms, surveys of university administrators revealed that American universities focus primarily on norms of independence. Second, identifying the hypothesized cultural mismatch, a longitudinal survey revealed that universities' focus on independence does not match first-generation students' relatively interdependent motives for attending college and that this cultural mismatch is associated with lower grades. Finally, 2 experiments at both private and public universities created a match or mismatch for first-generation students and examined the performance consequences. Together these studies revealed that representing the university culture in terms of independence (i.e., paving one's own paths) rendered academic tasks difficult and, thereby, undermined first-generation students' performance. Conversely, representing the university culture in terms of interdependence (i.e., being part of a community) reduced this sense of difficulty and eliminated the performance gap without adverse consequences for continuing-generation students. These studies address the urgent need to recognize cultural obstacles that contribute to the social class achievement gap and to develop interventions to address them.

Classroom emotional climate, student engagement, and academic achievement

Abstract: The emotional connections students foster in their classrooms are likely to impact their success in school. Using a multimethod, multilevel approach, this study examined the link between classroom emotional climate and academic achievement, including the role of student engagement as a mediator. Data were collected from 63 fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms (N 1,399 students) and included classroom observations, student reports, and report card grades. As predicted, multilevel mediation analyses showed that the positive relationship between classroom emotional climate and grades was mediated by engagement, while controlling for teacher characteristics and observations of both the organizational and instructional climates of the classrooms. Effects were robust across grade level and student gender. The discussion highlights the role of classroom-based, emotion-related interactions to promote academic achievement.

Cooperative learning methods: A meta-analysis.

Abstract: Cooperative learning is one of the most widespread and fruitful areas of theory, research, and practice in education. Reviews of the research, however, have focused either on the entire literature which includes research conducted in noneducational settings or have included only a partial set of studies that may or may not validly represent the whole literature. There has never been a comprehensive review of the research on the effectiveness in increasing achievement of the methods of cooperative learning used in schools. An extensive search found 164 studies investigating eight cooperative learning methods. The studies yielded 194 independent effect sizes representing academic achievement. All eight cooperative learning methods had a significant positive impact on student achievement. When the impact of cooperative learning was compared with competitive learning, Learning Together (LT) promoted the greatest effect, followed by Academic Controversy (AC), Student-Team-Achievement-Divisions (STAD), Teams-Games-Tournaments (TGT), Group Investigation (GI), Jigsaw, Teams-Assisted

Developmental Dynamics of Student Engagement, Coping, and Everyday Resilience

Abstract: The goal of this chapter is to present a perspective on student engagement with academic work that emphasizes its role in organizing the daily school experiences of children and youth as well as their cumulative learning, long-term achievement, and eventual academic success. A model grounded in self-determination theory, and organized around student engagement and disaffection with learning activities, seems to offer promise to the study of academic development by specifying the dynamic cycles of context, self, action, and outcomes that are self-stablizing or self-amplifying, and may underlie trajectories of motivation across many school years. The study of ongoing engagement can be enriched by the incorporation of concepts of everyday resilience, focusing on what happens when students make mistakes and encounter difficulties and failures in school. The same personal and interpersonal resources that promote engagement may shape students’ reactions to challenges and obstacles, with academic coping an especially important bridge back to reengagement. Future research can examine how these motivational dynamics contribute to the development of durable academic assets, such as self-regulated learning and proactive coping, and an academic identity that allows students eventually to take ownership for their own learning and success in school.

Intelligence: New findings and theoretical developments.

Abstract: We review new findings and new theoretical developments in the field of intelligence New findings include the following: (a) Heritability of IQ varies significantly by social class (b) Almost no genetic polymorphisms have been discovered that are consistently associated with variation in IQ in the normal range (c) Much has been learned about the biological underpinnings of intelligence (d) "Crystallized" and "fluid" IQ are quite different aspects of intelligence at both the behavioral and biological levels (e) The importance of the environment for IQ is established by the 12-point to 18-point increase in IQ when children are adopted from working-class to middle-class homes (f) Even when improvements in IQ produced by the most effective early childhood interventions fail to persist, there can be very marked effects on academic achievement and life outcomes (g) In most developed countries studied, gains on IQ tests have continued, and they are beginning in the developing world (h) Sex differences in aspects of intelligence are due partly to identifiable biological factors and partly to socialization factors (i) The IQ gap between Blacks and Whites has been reduced by 033 SD in recent years We report theorizing concerning (a) the relationship between working memory and intelligence, (b) the apparent contradiction between strong heritability effects on IQ and strong secular effects on IQ, (c) whether a general intelligence factor could arise from initially largely independent cognitive skills, (d) the relation between self-regulation and cognitive skills, and (e) the effects of stress on intelligence

Student engagement: What is it? Why does it matter?

Abstract: This chapter considers the relationships of student engagement with ­academic achievement, graduating from high school, and entering postsecondary schooling Older and newer models of engagement are described and critiqued, and four common components are identified Research on the relationship of each component with academic outcomes is reviewed The main themes are that engagement is essential for learning, that engagement is multifaceted with behavioral and psychological components, that engagement and disengagement are developmental and occur over a period of years, and that student engagement can be modified through school policies and practices to improve the prognoses of students at risk The chapter concludes with a 13-year longitudinal study that shows the relationships of academic achievement, behavioral and affective engagement, and dropping out of high school

Our Princess Is in Another Castle: A Review of Trends in Serious Gaming for Education

Abstract: Do video games show demonstrable relationships to academic achievement gains when used to support the K-12 curriculum? In a review of literature, we identified 300+ articles whose descriptions related to video games and academic achievement. We found some evidence for the effects of video games on language learning, history, and physical education (specifically exergames), but little support for the academic value of video games in science and math. We summarize the trends for each subject area and supply recommendations for the nascent field of video games research. Many educationally interesting games exist, yet evidence for their impact on student achievement is slim. We recommend separating simulations from games and refocusing the question onto the situated nature of game-player-context interactions, including meta-game social collaborative elements.

How Context Matters in High-Need Schools: The Effects of Teachers’ Working Conditions on Their Professional Satisfaction and Their Students’ Achievement

Abstract: Background/ContextEducational policy makers have begun to recognize the challenges posed by teacher turnover. Schools and students pay a price when new teachers leave the profession after only 2 or...

Academic Emotions and Student Engagement

Abstract: Emotions are ubiquitous in academic settings, and they profoundly affect students’ academic engagement and performance. In this chapter, we summarize the extant research on academic emotions and their linkages with students’ engagement. First, we outline relevant concepts of academic emotion, including mood as well as achievement, epistemic, topic, and social emotions. Second, we discuss the impact of these emotions on students’ cognitive, motivational, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and social-behavioral engagement and on their academic performance. Next, we examine the origins of students’ academic emotions in terms of individual and contextual variables. Finally, we highlight the complexity of students’ emotions, focusing on reciprocal causation as well as regulation and treatment of these emotions. In conclusion, we discuss directions for future research, with a special emphasis on the need for educational intervention research targeting emotions.

Words as Tools: Learning Academic Vocabulary as Language Acquisition

Abstract: There is a growing awareness of the importance of academic vocabulary, and more generally, of academic language proficiency, for students’ success in school. There is also a growing body of research on the nature of the demands that academic language places on readers and writers, and on interventions to help students meet these demands. In this review, we discuss the role of academic vocabulary within academic language, examine recent research on instruction in academic vocabulary, considering both general academic words and discipline-specific words, and offer our perspective on the current state of this research and recommendations on how to continue inquiry and to improve practice in this area. We use the metaphor of ‘words as tools’ to reflect our understanding that instruction in academic vocabulary must approach words as means for communicating and thinking about disciplinary content, and must therefore provide students with opportunities to use the instructed words for these purposes as they are learning them.

A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Different Types of Parental Involvement Programs for Urban Students

Abstract: This meta-analysis of 51 studies examines the relationship between various kinds of parental involvement programs and the academic achievement of pre-kindergarten-12th-grade school children. Analyses determined the effect sizes for various parental involvement programs overall and subcategories of involvement. Results indicate a significant relationship between parental involvement programs overall and academic achievement, both for younger (preelementary and elementary school) and older (secondary school) students as well as for four types of parental involvement programs. Parental involvement programs, as a whole, were associated with higher academic achievement by .3 of a standard deviation unit. The significance of these results is discussed.

Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Digital storytelling (DST) on the academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation of senior high school students learning English as a foreign language. The one-year study adopted a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design involving 110 10th grade students in two English classes. The independent variable was information technology-integrated instruction (ITII) on two different levels - lecture-type ITII (comparison group) and DST (experimental group). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including English achievement and critical thinking scores, questionnaire responses for learning motivation, as well as recordings of student and teacher interviews for evaluating the effectiveness of DST in learning. Descriptive analysis, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and qualitative content analysis was used for evaluating the obtained data. Our findings indicate that DST participants performed significantly better than lecture-type ITII participants in terms of English achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation. Interview results highlight the important educational value of DST, as both the instructor and students reported that DST increased students' understanding of course content, willingness to explore, and ability to think critically, factors which are important in preparing students for an ever-changing 21st century.

Accuracy of teachers' judgments of students' academic achievement: A meta-analysis

Abstract: This meta-analysis summarizes empirical results on the correspondence between teachers' judgments of students' academic achievement and students' actual academic achievement. The article further investigates theoretically and methodologically relevant moderators of the correlation between the two measures. Overall, 75 studies reporting correlational data on the relationship between teachers' judgments of students' academic achievement and students' performance on a standardized achievement test were analyzed, including studies focusing on different school types, grade levels, and subject areas. The overall mean effect size was found to be .63. The effect sizes were moderated by use of informed versus uninformed teacher judgments, with use of informed judgments leading to a higher correspondence between teachers' judgments and students' academic achievement. A comprehensive model of teacher-based judgments of students' academic achievement is provided in the Discussion. Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0027627.supp

Effectiveness of school-based universal social, emotional, and behavioral programs: do they enhance students' development in the area of skill, behavior, and adjustment?

Abstract: To answer the question of whether teaching social and emotional skills to foster social–emotional development can help schools extend their role beyond the transfer of knowledge, the authors conducted a meta-analytical review of 75 recently published studies that reported the effects of universal, school-based social, emotional, and/or behavioral (SEB) programs. The analyzed interventions had a variety of intended outcomes, but the increase in social skills and decrease in antisocial behavior were most often reported. Although considerable differences in efficacy exist, the analysis demonstrated that overall beneficial effects on all seven major categories of outcomes occurred: social skills, antisocial behavior, substance abuse, positive self-image, academic achievement, mental health, and prosocial behavior. Generally, immediate effects were stronger than delayed effects, with the exception of substance abuse, which showed a sleeper effect. Limitations of the analysis and moderators of the effectiveness of SEB programs in schools are discussed in the final section of the article.

Adolescent Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive Engagement Trajectories in School and Their Differential Relations to Educational Success.

Abstract: The current study used a multidimensional approach to examine developmental trajectories of three dimension of school engagement (school participation, sense of school belonging, and self-regulated learning) from grades 7 to 11 and their relationships to changes in adolescents’ academic outcomes over time. The sample includes 1,148 African American and European American adolescents (52% females, 56% black, 34% white, and 10% others). As expected, the downward trajectories of change in school participation, sense of belonging to school, and self-regulated learning differed as did their predictive relationships with academic performance and educational aspiration, with school belonging declining most markedly, but being least predictive of changes in grade point average.

Student Perceptions in the Classroom

Abstract: Contents: Part I:Issues in the Study of Student Perceptions. D.H. Schunk, Theory and Research on Student Perceptions in the Classroom. A. Assor, J.P. Connell, The Validity of Students' Self-Reports as Measures of Performance Affecting Self-Appraisals. Part II:Social Perceptions. T.J. Berndt, K. Keefe, Friends' Influence on Adolescents' Perceptions of Themselves at School. S. Graham, C. Hudley, An Attributional Approach to Aggression in African-American Children. A. Wigfield, R.D. Harold, Teacher Beliefs and Children's Achievement Self-Perceptions: A Developmental Perspective. R.S. Newman, M.T. Schwager, Student Perceptions and Academic Help-Seeking. Part III:Ability-Related Perceptions. P.R. Pintrich, B. Schrauben, Students' Motivational Beliefs and Their Cognitive Engagement in Classroom Academic Tasks. B.J. Zimmerman, M. Martinez-Pons, Perceptions of Efficacy and Strategy Use in the Self-Regulation of Learning. J.L. Meece, D.P. Courtney, Gender Differences in Students' Perceptions: Consequences for Achievement-Related Choices. G. Hackett, N.E. Betz, Self-Efficacy Perceptions and the Career-Related Choices of College Students. B.G. Licht, The Achievement-Related Perceptions of Children With Learning Problems: A Developmental Analysis. Part IV:Goal Perceptions. J.G. Nicholls, Students as Educational Theorists. K.R. Wentzel, Motivation and Achievement in Adolescence: A Multiple Goals Perspective. C.M. Jagacinski, The Effects of Task Involvement and Ego Involvement on Achievement-Related Cognitions and Behaviors. C. Ames, Achievement Goals and the Classroom Motivational Climate.

Understanding academic performance of international students: The role of ethnicity, academic and social integration

Abstract: More than 3 million students study outside their home country, primarily at a Western university. A common belief among educators is that international students are insufficiently adjusted to higher education in their host country, both academically and socially. Furthermore, several groups of international students experience considerable amounts of stress while adapting to the culture of the host-institute. Several researchers argue that studies on adaptation of international students should widen its focus to the underlying mechanisms that leads towards this “misalignment”. In a cross-institutional comparison among 958 students at five business schools in the Netherlands, differences in academic performance between local and international students were identified by focussing on their levels of academic and social integration. Students’ academic integration was measured with the Students’ Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), while students’ social integration was measured with a newly developed and validated questionnaire. The results indicate that the degree of academic success of international students is multi-faceted. International students with a (mixed) western ethnic background perform well on both academic and social integration, and also attained higher study-performance in comparison to domestic students. In contrast, international students with a non-Western background are less integrated compared to other international students. Nevertheless, they have a similar study-performance. Finally, academic adjustment is the main predictor of study-performance for Dutch, Western and Mixed-Western students. Social adjustment was negatively related to study-performance. The lack of fit for predicting long-term study success of non-Western students indicates that their academic and social integration processes are more complex and non-linear.

School Context and the Gender Gap in Educational Achievement

Abstract: Today, boys generally underperform relative to girls in schools throughout the industrialized world. Building on theories about gender identity and reports from prior ethnographic classroom observa...

Fine Motor Skills and Executive Function Both Contribute to Kindergarten Achievement

Abstract: This study examined the contribution of executive function (EF) and multiple aspects of fine motor skills to achievement on 6 standardized assessments in a sample of middle-socioeconomic status kindergarteners. Three- and 4-year-olds’ (n = 213) fine and gross motor skills were assessed in a home visit before kindergarten, EF was measured at fall of kindergarten, and Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Academic Achievement were administered at fall and spring. Correlations indicated that EF and fine motor skills appeared distinct. Further, controlling for background variables, higher levels of both EF and fine motor skills, specifically design copy, predicted higher achievement on multiple subtests at kindergarten entry, as well as improvement from fall to spring. Implications for research on school readiness are discussed.

Accuracy of Teachers' Judgments of Students' Academic Achievement:

Abstract: This meta-analysis summarizes empirical results on the correspondence between teachers’ judgments of students’ academic achievement and students’ actual academic achievement. The article further investigates theoretically and methodologically relevant moderators of the correlation between the two measures. Overall, 75 studies reporting correlational data on the relationship between teachers’ judgments of students’ academic achievement and students’ performance on a standardized achievement test were analyzed, including studies focusing on different school types, grade levels, and subject areas. The overall mean effect size was found to be .63. The effect sizes were moderated by use of informed versus uninformed teacher judgments, with use of informed judgments leading to a higher correspondence between teachers’ judgments and students’ academic achievement. A comprehensive model of teacherbased judgments of students’ academic achievement is provided in the Discussion.

The Promotion of Self‐Regulation as a Means of Enhancing School Readiness and Early Achievement in Children at Risk for School Failure

Abstract: This article reviews the literature on self-regulation and the development of school readiness and academic competence in early childhood. It focuses on relations between the development of cognitive aspects of regulation-referred to as executive functions and defined as abilities used to regulate information and to organize thinking in goal-directed activities-and the development of reactivity and regulation in stimulus-driven emotion, attention, and physiological stress response systems. It examines a bidirectional model of cognition-emotion interaction in the development of self-regulation in which top-down executive control of thought and behavior develops in reciprocal and interactive relation to bottom-up influences of emotion and stress reactivity. The bidirectional model is examined within the context of innovative preschool interventions designed to promote school readiness by promoting the development of self-regulation.

Adjustment to College as Measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: A Quantitative Review of its Structure and Relationships with Correlates and Consequences

Abstract: This paper presents a meta-analytic review (k = 237, N = 44,668) of the adjustment to college literature. The review, based on studies using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, is organized around three primary themes: (1) the structure of students’ adjustment to college, (2) the relationship of adjustment to college constructs with possible antecedents and correlates, and (3) the relationship of adjustment to college constructs with college grades and college retention. Meta-analytic results indicate that adjustment to college is multidimensional, predictive of college grades, and an unusually good predictor of college retention. Adjustment to college is also shown to be moderately related to individual traits, social support, and students’ relationships with their parents. Weaker relationships are evident with demographic variables, prior achievement, coping approaches, and variables that reflect students’ psychological independence from their parents. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of students’ adjustment to college, academic performance, and retention are discussed.

Mathematical Cognition Deficits in Children With Learning Disabilities and Persistent Low Achievement: A Five-Year Prospective Study

Abstract: First- to fifth-grade mathematics and word reading achievement were assessed for children with mathematical learning disability (MLD, n = 16), persistent low achievement (LA, n = 29), and typical achievement (n = 132). Intelligence, working memory, processing speed, and in-class attention were assessed in 2 or more grades, and mathematical cognition was assessed with experimental tasks in all grades. The MLD group was characterized by low school-entry mathematics achievement and poor word reading skills. The former was mediated by poor fluency in processing or accessing quantities associated with small sets of objects and corresponding Arabic numerals, whereas the latter was mediated by slow automatized naming of letters and numbers. Both the MLD and LA groups showed slow across-grade growth in mathematics achievement. Group differences in growth were mediated by deficits or delays in fluency of number processing, the ability to retrieve basic facts from long-term memory and to decompose numbers to aid in problem solving, and by the central executive component of working memory and in-class attention.

What No Child Left Behind Leaves Behind: The Roles of IQ and Self-Control in Predicting Standardized Achievement Test Scores and Report Card Grades

Abstract: The increasing prominence of standardized testing to assess student learning motivated the current investigation. We propose that standardized achievement test scores assess competencies determined more by intelligence than by self-control, whereas report card grades assess competencies determined more by self-control than by intelligence. In particular, we suggest that intelligence helps students learn and solve problems independent of formal instruction, whereas self-control helps students study, complete homework, and behave positively in the classroom. Two longitudinal, prospective studies of middle school students support predictions from this model. In both samples, IQ predicted changes in standardized achievement test scores over time better than did self-control, whereas self-control predicted changes in report card grades over time better than did IQ. As expected, the effect of self-control on changes in report card grades was mediated in Study 2 by teacher ratings of homework completion and classroom conduct. In a third study, ratings of middle school teachers about the content and purpose of standardized achievement tests and report card grades were consistent with the proposed model. Implications for pedagogy and public policy are discussed.

Experimentally based, longitudinally designed, teacher-focused intervention to help physical education teachers be more autonomy supportive toward their students.

Abstract: Using the field’s state-of-the-art knowledge, we designed, implemented, and assessed the effectiveness of an intervention to help physical education (PE) teachers be more autonomy supportive during instruction. Nineteen secondary-school PE teachers in Seoul were randomly assigned into either an experimental or a delayed-treatment control group, and their 1,158 students self-reported their course-related psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, amotivation, classroom engagement, skill development, future intentions, and academic achievement at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Observers’ ratings and students’ self-reports confirmed that the intervention was successful. Repeated-measures ANCOVAs showed that the students of teachers in the experimental group showed midsemester and end-of-semester improvements in all dependent measures. A multilevel structural equation model mediation analysis showed why the teacher-training program produced improvements in all six student outcome...