Academic achievement

About: Academic achievement is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 69460 publications have been published within this topic receiving 2227289 citations. The topic is also known as: academic performance & educational achievement.

Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987–2003:

Abstract: In this article, research conducted in the United States since 1987 on the effects of homework is summarized. Studies are grouped into four research designs. The authors found that all studies, regardless of type, had design flaws. However, both within and across design types, there was generally consistent evidence for a positive influence of homework on achievement. Studies that reported simple homework–achievement correlations revealed evidence that a stronger correlation existed (a) in Grades 7–12 than in K–6 and (b) when students rather than parents reported time on homework. No strong evidence was found for an association between the homework–achievement link and the outcome measure (grades as opposed to standardized tests) or the subject matter (reading as opposed to math). On the basis of these results and others, the authors suggest future research.

Toward the development of an elementary teacher's science teaching efficacy belief instrument

Abstract: The National Science Board Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology stressed the importance of elementary school science because it is within the formative years that “substantial exposure to mathematical and scientific concepts and processes” is thought to be “critical to later achievement” (1983, p. 22). Though science is required of all students within the elementary years, strong evidence suggests that elementary teachers do not feel science curriculum is a high priority (Stake and Easley, 1978; Schoeneberger and Russell, 1986). When elementary science is addressed, it is not usually taught in a way that enhances student achievement (Denny, 1978). Researchers have suggested a myriad of possible causes for existing voids in elementary science teaching (Edmunds, 1979; Fitch & Fisher, 1979; Franz & Enochs, 1982; Helgeson, Blosser, & Howe, 1977; and Weiss, 1978). Abundant attention has been devoted to the investigation of teacher attitude toward science and the effects of these attitudes on subsequent teaching (Haney, Neuman, & Clark, 1969; Koballa & Crawley, 1985; Morrisey, 1981; and Munby, 1983). Teacher belief systems, however, have been neglected as a possible contributor to behavior patterns of elementary teachers with regard to science. Investigation of teacher beliefs is vital to a more complete understanding of teacher behavior. Koballa and Crawley (1985) defined belief as “information that a person accepts to be true” (p. 223). This is differentiated from attitude which is a general positive or negative feeling toward something. Attitudes may be formed on the basis of beliefs, and both attitudes and beliefs relate to behavior. An example based upon Koballa and Crawley’s description, can be made to demonstrate the relationship between beliefs, attitudes and behavior with regard to the elementary science teaching situation. An elementary teacher judges his/

On the measurement of achievement goals: critique, illustration, and application

Abstract: The authors identified several specific problems with the measurement of achievement goals in the current literature and illustrated these problems, focusing primarily on A. J. Elliot and H. A. McGregor's (2001) Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ). They attended to these problems by creating the AGQ-Revised and conducting a study that examined the measure's structural validity and predictive utility with 229 (76 male, 150 female, 3 unspecified) undergraduates. The hypothesized factor and dimensional structures of the measure were confirmed and shown to be superior to a host of alternatives. The predictions were nearly uniformly supported with regard to both the antecedents (need for achievement and fear of failure) and consequences (intrinsic motivation and exam performance) of the 4 achievement goals. In discussing their work, the authors highlight the importance and value of additional precision in the area of achievement goal measurement.

Construct Validation of a Strategy Model of Student Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract: Using student interviews, teacher ratings, and achievement test outcomes, we validated a strategy model of student self-regulated learning as a theoretical construct. Forty-four male and 36 female high school students were asked to describe their use of 14 self-regulated learning strategies in six contexts, and their teachers rated these students for their self-regulated learning during class. Factor analyses of the teachers' ratings along with students' scores on a standardized test of mathematics and English revealed a single self-regulated learning factor that accounted for nearly 80% of the explained variance and two smaller factors that were labeled Student Verbal Expressiveness and Achievement. Students' reports of using self-regulated learning strategies during a structured interview correlated .70 with the obtained teachers' rating factor and were negatively related to the Student Verbal Expressiveness and Achievement Factors. Our results indicate both convergent and discriminative validity for a self-regulated learning construct. An important new topic of research in student academic functioning has been termed self-regulated learning (Corno, 1986; Henderson, 1986; McCombs, 1986; Schunk, 1986; Wang & Peverly, 1986). Although interest in this topic has diverse theoretical origins, a common conceptualization of students has emerged as metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning process (Zimmerman, 1986). In terms of metacognitive processes, self-regulated learners plan, organize, self-instruct, and selfevaluate at various stages during the acquisition process. From a motivational vantage, self-regulated learners perceive themselves as self-efficacious, autonomous, and intrinsically motivated. In terms of behavior, self-regulated learners select, structure, and even create social and physical environments that optimize acquisition. According to this view, effective learners become aware of functional relations between their patterns of thought and action (often termed strategies) and social and environmental outcomes. There is a growing research literature indicating the importance of students' use of self-regulate d learning strategies. Recently Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons (1986) proposed a model that comprised 14 categories of self-regulated learning strategies that high school students use during class and study. These strategies included self-evaluation (Bandura & Cervone,