Primary mathematics teachers’ goal orientations and student achievement

Primary mathematics teachers’ (N = 521) personal goal orientation and instructional practices were examined based on questionnaire responses. The teachers (grades 2 and 3) were oriented towards mastery goals and mastery approaches to instruction, and reported high teaching efficacy. Strong positive relation between performance orientation and performance instructional practices was established, and correspondingly between mastery orientation and mastery instructional practices. Positive relations between students’ (N = 9,980) basic mathematics performance (measured by paper and pencil tests) and both teacher mastery orientation and teaching efficacy were also found. Results indicate that mastery oriented teaching strategies are crucial for fostering basic mathematical competencies in primary students.     

The relationship between future goals and achievement goal orientations: An intrinsic–extrinsic motivation perspective

This research aimed to study the relationships between students’ future goals (FGs) and their immediate achievement goal orientations (AGOs) among 5733 Singaporean secondary school students (M age = 14.18, SD = 1.26; 53% boys). To this end, we hypothesized that the relationships between like valenced FGs and AGOs (both intrinsic or both extrinsic) will be stronger than those of opposite valenced FGs and AGOs (intrinsic–extrinsic) and tested two alternative models: Model A positing the prediction of AGOs by FGs and Model B positing the prediction of FGs by AGOs. Structural equation modeling showed the heuristic superiority of Model B in which intrinsic FGs (career-, society-, and family-oriented) were more strongly related to mastery-approach goal orientation than to performance-approach goal orientation and extrinsic FGs (fame- and wealth-oriented) were more strongly related to performance-approach goal orientation than to mastery-approach goal orientation. The findings suggest that, to enhance school motivation, teachers should encourage students to adopt intrinsic AGOs and FGs.     

Intelligence beliefs,goal orientations and children’s academic achievement: does the children’s gender matter?

This study evaluated how gender is related to children’s intelligence beliefs, goal orientations and academic achievement and whether there are gender differences in how intelligence beliefs and goal orientations are related to academic achievement. The participants, 362 seventh grade students (55.8% girls; Mage = 13.20, SD = .57 years), completed measures regarding their intelligence beliefs and goal orientations at the beginning of the second semester and the grades were collected at the end of the semester. Girls reported higher scores on incremental belief, mastery goal and higher achievement but lower levels of performance avoidance compared to boys. The relations between intelligence beliefs and academic achievement were fully mediated by both performance goals. Further, there were no gender differences in the associations among intelligence beliefs, goal orientations and achievement. The findings reveal that goal orientations are a mechanism that might explain why intelligence beliefs are linked with academic achievement in early adolescence.     

Promotion of students’ mastery goal orientations: does TARGET work?

Achievement goal orientations are important for students’ ongoing motivation. Students with a mastery goal orientation show the most advantageous achievement and motivational patterns. Much research has been conducted to identify classroom structures which promote students’ mastery goal orientation. The TARGET framework is one example of these efforts and provides six instructional dimensions (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation, time), which should form a classroom structure that fosters a mastery goal orientation. The aim of this study was to examine the entire multi-dimensional TARGET framework and its impact on mastery goal orientation in a longitudinal study with 1680 secondary school students. CFAs confirmed the existence of one latent factor TARGET comprising the six proposed dimensions. This study also provides the first empirical evidence, based on longitudinal data, that TARGET has a positive impact on student mastery goal orientations.     

Chinese tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teaching approaches: the mediation of teacher engagement

This study investigated the effects of Chinese tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching on their approaches to teaching mediated by teacher engagement. In a survey of 597 Chinese tertiary teachers, the respondents placed particular emphasis on relational and mastery goals and expressed a preference for student-focused approaches to teaching. An emphasis on mastery goals was found to predict a preference for student-focused teaching, whereas ability-approach and work-avoidance goal orientations predicted a preference for teacher-focused teaching. Ability-avoidance and relational goals were found to be positively related not only to teacher-focused approaches but to student-focused approaches to teaching as well. In addition, teacher engagement was found to significantly mediate the effects of ability-approach, mastery and work-avoidance goals on teacher-focused intention, student-focused intention and student-focused strategy. These results have significant implications for Chinese higher-education institutions in light of their transition from teacher-focused to student-focused approaches to teaching.     

Are university students' component reading skills related to their text comprehension and academic achievement?

Among developing and poor readers, text comprehension is strongly related to word decoding accuracy and reading fluency. However, among relatively skilled adult readers, these aspects of reading skill are largely independent of one another. The reading of 193 second- and third-year students enrolled in an educational psychology course at a public research university was described well by three orthogonal principal components: Word Decoding Accuracy, Reading Speed, and Text Comprehension Accuracy. Furthermore, component reading skills were not associated with individual differences in the extent to which students in this sample had succeeded in postsecondary education. Decoding Accuracy was most related to spelling accuracy and phonemic awareness. Only Text Comprehension Accuracy was associated even minimally with grade-point average. A subgroup of 15 students who reported various reading problems did not have a low mean grade-point average.     

Does classroom matter? - A longitudinal multilevel perspective on students' achievement goal orientation profiles during lower secondary school

The present study adds to earlier person-oriented research by investigating differences in students' achievement goal orientation (AGO) profiles and their development using a simultaneous consideration of classroom patterns with longitudinal multilevel methods. The sample of almost 10,000 lower secondary school students, representing over 600 classrooms, was surveyed on their AGOs in the 7th and 9th grade. Multilevel latent profile analyses (MLPAs) and transition analysis (MLTA) revealed similar student profiles in AGOs in both grades: success-oriented, moderate multiple goals and avoidance-oriented, as well as two classroom types: success-oriented and mixed orientation classrooms with varied relative proportions of different student-level profiles and patterns of likely transitions. Stability of profiles was more typical than change. Maladaptive transitions were related to lower, and stable and adaptive transitions to higher GPA in the end of 9th grade. In success-oriented classrooms, it was more common to maintain or adopt the success-orientation across lower secondary school compared to the other classroom type.     

Classroom management and students' mathematics achievement: The role of students’ disruptive behavior and teacher classroom management

Establishing a well-organized classroom conducive to learning is a key element of high-quality teaching. However, less is known about the degree to which the classroom management process is affected by the specific students in the classroom. Using two large-scale datasets of German secondary school students, the present two studies examined the effectiveness of teachers' classroom management in mathematics while taking into account students' disruptive behavior in the classroom. When controlling for the average level of disruptions in the classroom, both students' disruptive behavior and teachers' monitoring activity were negatively associated with students' mathematics achievement, whereas no associations occurred for teachers' structure and rule clarity. The results suggest that teachers' monitoring activity needs to take into account students’ disruptive behavior in the classroom, highlighting the complexity of effective classroom management.     

Exploring students’ reflective thinking practice,deep processing strategies,effort, and achievement goal orientations

Recent research indicates that study processing strategies, effort, reflective thinking practice, and achievement goals are important factors contributing to the prediction of students’ academic success. Very few studies have combined these theoretical orientations within one conceptual model. This study tested a conceptual model that included, in particular, deep processing strategies, effort, mastery and performance‐approach goals, reflection, and critical thinking. We used causal modelling procedures to explore the direct and mediating effects of these theoretical orientations on students’ academic achievement and learning. Second‐ and third‐year undergraduates (n = 347; 151 women and 196 men) completed a number of inventories (e.g., the Reflective Thinking Questionnaire). LISREL 8.72 indicated an a posteriori model with direct effects of reflection and critical thinking on academic achievement and learning. Performance‐approach goals exerted a negative effect on academic achievement. Both mastery and performance‐approach goals also directed affected reflection, whereas deep processing strategies were directly affected by mastery goals and effort. Importantly, both reflection and effort were found to act as potent mediators. A one‐way MANOVA revealed no statistical difference between men and women in this theoretical framework.     

The effect of tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching on their commitment: the mediating role of teacher engagement

This study explored the effect of tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching on their commitment, with a particular focus on the mediating role of teacher engagement. The results of a survey of 597 Chinese tertiary teachers indicated that teacher commitment was positively predicted by ability approach, mastery and relational goals, but was negatively predicted by work avoidance goals. Ability avoidance goals positively predicted teacher commitment to institution and to students, but negatively predicted teacher commitment to profession. Moreover, teacher engagement mediated the effect of ability approach, mastery and work avoidance goals on teacher commitment. The mediation effect of teacher engagement between teachers’ ability avoidance and relational goals and teacher commitment was not significant. The results of this study have implications for understanding the nature of teachers’ psychological state and attitudes towards teaching and for the enhancement of teacher commitment.     

How invariant and accurate are domain ratings in writing assessment?

The use of evidence to guide policy and practice in education (Cooper, Levin, & Campbell, 2009) has included an increased emphasis on constructed-response items, such as essays and portfolios. Because assessments that go beyond selected-response items and incorporate constructed-response items are rater-mediated (Engelhard, 2002, Engelhard, 2013), it is necessary to develop evidence-based indices of quality for the rating processes used to evaluate student performances. This study proposes a set of criteria for evaluating the quality of ratings based on the concepts of measurement invariance and accuracy within the context of a large-scale writing assessment. Two measurement models are used to explore indices of quality for raters and ratings: the first model provides evidence for the invariance of ratings, and the second model provides evidence for rater accuracy. Rating quality is examined within four writing domains from an analytic rubric. Further, this study explores the alignment between indices of rating quality based on these invariance and accuracy models within each of the four domains of writing. Major findings suggest that rating quality varies across analytic rubric domains, and that there is some correspondence between indices of rating quality based on the invariance and accuracy models. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Can self-efficacy and self-confidence explain Iranian female students' academic achievement?

Official statistics from several resources in Iran indicate that female enrollment and achievement in Iranian universities has recently exceeded that of male students. Despite the fact that a religious government has been ruling the country for three decades, and despite many regulations against women, Iranian women have managed to overcome social, cultural, and political barriers. They have also been able to pass a highly competitive entry exam to enter the university at higher performance rates than male students. In this study it was proposed that this increasing enrollment and graduation rate might be attributed to their gender-based self-confidence and their self-efficacy. The results showed that female students scored higher on collective, gender-based self-confidence but their personal feeling about their gender was more negative and their general self-efficacy was not different from the self-efficacy of male students.     

Are teacher effects larger in small classes?

Teachers spend most of their time in school in classrooms, and their instruction and teaching practices may be affected by classroom context such as class size. We examine whether teacher effects interact with classroom context such as class size. Specifically, we seek to determine whether teacher effects are more pronounced in small classes than in regular size classes in early grades. The results point to some evidence that teacher effects are more variable in small classes than in regular size classes. However, the pattern does not seem to be systematic.     

Do teacher characteristics matter? New results on the effects of teacher preparation on student achievement

Research fairly consistently demonstrates that teachers are an important measurable factor in student learning, yet few teacher characteristics are shown to be consistently related to student achievement. Using a state administrative dataset that matches individual students to their teachers over time, I find that math teachers’ undergraduate performance, as measured by GPA (overall, math, and math education) and course hours (math and math education), is predictive of 5th grade math achievement. The effects of the teacher characteristics are mediated by years of experience and vary according to student types.     

The appreciation and realisation of research‐based teacher education: Finnish students' experiences of teacher education

Finnish pupils have scored well on international comparative students' achievement tests. Apparently, this is the main reason for the current wide international interest in the Finnish teacher education system and its research‐based approach. The aim of this article is to describe student teachers' perspectives on the research‐based approach. We will report their attitudes towards the approach and what kinds of experiences they have concerning the realisation of the research‐based approach in their studies. The subjects of the research were part of a special group of students, who all had worked as teachers without being officially qualified to do so before they entered teacher education. The research was carried out as a web‐based survey (n = 113). The questionnaire was based on the structure of the curriculum of the teacher education programme, including items from each part of the curriculum. The subjects were asked about both attitudes and experiences. According to our results, the students appreciate the research‐based approach as the main organising theme of teacher education. They presume that this approach is detectable in every part of their studies, as was the case in most of the courses.

Les étudiants finlandais ont obtenu de bons résultats dans les comparaisons internationales de résultats scolaires. Ceci doit être la raison principale de l'intérêt international aujourd'hui répandu pour la formation des enseignants basée sur la recherche. Cet article traite des vues des futurs enseignants finlandais sur l'approche basée sur la recherche. Plus précisément il s'agit de l'appréciation qu'ils portent à cette approche et de sa mise en ?uvre durant leurs études. Les personnes interrogées sont des étudiants en formation multiforme qui ont travaillé comme enseignants sans qualification avant de commencer la formation et dont la plupart travaillent comme enseignants à côté de leurs études. Le matériel a été obtenu par le moyen d'un questionnaire électronique (n = 113). Les parties du questionnaire étaient basées sur la structure du plan d'études et contenaient des thèses sur chacun des modules d'études. L'étude a porté sur les appréciations et les expériences. D'après les résultats, les étudiants apprécient l'approche basée sur la recherche et en général l'attendent également de leur formation.

Die finnischen Studenten haben gute Resultate in den internationalen vergleichenden Schulleistungstesten (PISA). Vermutlich ist dies die Ursache für die heutige weltweite Interesse für die finnische Lehrerausbildungssystem, das auf der wissenschaftliche Research beruht. Die Ursache für dieses Artikel ist, dass wir finden wollten, welcherlei Aspekte die Referendaren/Innen zu ihrem Studium auf der wissenschaftliche Betonung (research‐based) haben. Wir wollen berichten, welcherlei Einstellungen die Studenten zu diesen Betonung der Studium haben und welcherlei Erfahrungen sie in ihren Studium bekommen haben. Die Studenten in diesem Erforschung sind eine speziale Gruppe. Sie haben alle als unqvalifizierte Lehrer vor ihrem Lehrerstudium gearbeitet. Diese Erforschung wurde als einem Survey in Internet verwirklicht (n = 113). Der Survey war auf den Strukturen des Unterrichtsprogramms für die Lehrerstudenten/Innen begründet. Beinhaltet waren auch Thesen aus allen Teilen des Unterrichtsprogrammes. Es wurden sowohl Bewertungen als auch Einstellungen befragt. Nach unserem Resultaten die Studenten bewerten wissenschaftliche Betonung des Studiums und das erwarten sie auch von dieser Ausbildung. So war es in den meisten Fällen der verschiedenen Kursen.

En comparaciones internacionales sobre resultados escolares, los estudiantes finlandeses han obtenido buenos resultados. Ésta es, con toda probablidad, la razón principal por la cual la formación pedagógica finlandesa basada en la investigación es, actualmente, objeto de gran interés a nivel internacional. En este artículo se estudian las opiniones de alumnos de formación de profesores sobre el enfoque investigador de la formación. Con más exactitud, se trata de saber si los alumnos valoran esta orientación y cómo, según sus experiencias personales, se cumple el enfoque investigador durante sus estudios. Los encuestados son alumnos de la formación multimodal de profesores. Han trabajado como profesores no titulados antes de empezar estos estudios, y la mayoría continúa trabajando como profesores también durante la formación. Los datos fueron obtenidos a través de una encuesta virtual (n = 113). Las diversas partes de la encuesta se basaban en la estructura del plan de estudios de la formación de profesores y contenían afirmaciones sobre cada uno de los componentes del plan. Se estudiaron tanto las valoraciones como las experiencias de los alumnos. Según los resultados, los alumnos valoran el enfoque investigador de la formación y, por regla general, también esperan que sea un aspecto importante de sus estudios.     

The impact of teacher immediacy on students' motivation: Is it the same for all students?

This study investigated the impact of teachers’ use of immediacy behaviors on students’ reported motivation to study over the course of a semester. Students’ state and trait motivation to study for a class was measured at three points during a semester. Reports of teachers’ use of verbal and nonverbal immediacy were collected at two points in a semester. It was hypothesized that not all students would respond similarly to a teacher low in immediacy. Support was found for this hypothesis. Students beginning the semester with either low or moderate state motivation to study were found to have increased levels of motivation later in the semester when exposed to a highly immediate teacher. Students beginning the semester with high motivation maintained high motivation regardless of the level of immediacy they reported their teacher of having.     

Children’s academic achievement and goal orientations: does the ethnic membership matter? / Rendimiento académico y orientación a las metas: el papel de la etnicidad

This study explored how ethnic membership relates to children’s academic achievement and goal orientations and whether there are ethnic differences in how goal orientations are linked to academic achievement. Further, we investigated whether these relations vary based on the geographical region where ethnic groups live. The sample included 361 children (179 girls), age 12–15 years, from two regions in Romania, Banat (n = 237) and Moldavia (n = 124). Ethnic differences in academic achievement were found only between majority and Hungarian minority ethnic groups who live in different areas, whereas ethnic differences in goal orientations were found between minority and both groups of majority children (living in the same and in different geographical regions). The strengths of the associations between goals and academic achievement were not significantly different based on ethnic and regional background. The findings highlight the importance of cultural (i.e., ethnicity) and contextual (i.e., regional area) factors in relation to children’s achievement and motivation (i.e., goal orientations). Additionally, our findings show that the relations between academic achievement and goal orientations are similar across the analysed ethnic and regional groups.     

Is experience the best teacher? A multilevel analysis of teacher characteristics and student achievement in low performing schools

The study investigated several teacher characteristics, with a focus on two measures of teaching experience, and their association with second grade student achievement gains in low performing, high poverty schools in a Mid-Atlantic state. Value-added models using three-level hierarchical linear modeling were used to analyze the data from 1,544 students, 154 teachers, and 53 schools. Results indicated that traditional teacher qualification characteristics such as licensing status and educational attainment were not statistically significant in producing student achievement gains. Total years of teaching experience was also not a significant predictor but a more specific measure, years of teaching experience at a particular grade level, was significantly associated with increased student reading achievement. We caution researchers and policymakers when interpreting results from studies that have used only a general measure of teacher experience as effects are possibly underestimated. Policy implications are discussed.

Perceived parent goals and student goal orientations as predictors of seeking or not seeking help: Does age matter?

To study the contribution of perceived parent achievement goals to students' attitudes towards academic help seeking, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 9th grade students in Greece (n = 712) reported perceptions of their parents' achievement goals, personal achievement goal orientations, and help-seeking beliefs and intentions. Students' mastery goal orientation positively predicted their help-seeking attitudes (perceived benefits and intentions to seek help) and negatively predicted their help-seeking avoidance attitudes (perceived costs and intentions to avoid seeking help), whereas performance-avoidance orientation directly predicted their help-seeking avoidance attitudes. Multiple-group path analysis indicated that perceived parent goals predicted student help seeking and help avoidance attitudes through students' own achievement goal orientations. Further, the pattern of relations varied by grade level. Results are discussed in light of current theory and research on the developmental phases of parental influence on student motivation and self-regulated learning.