A Longitudinal Analysis of Elementary School Students'' Achievement Goals in Literacy Activities

The authors examined the temporal stability of elementary school students' (N = 432) motivation goals (task-mastery, performance, and work-avoidant) for literacy activities in the classroom. Task-specific assessments of students' goals were collected in the fall and spring of Grades 3, 4, and 5. Stability coefficients indicated a reasonable degree of consistency in students' goal responses over time, even though goals were initially assessed in relation to a specific learning assignment. However, there were also significant mean-level changes in students' goals within the school year and significant linear declines in task-mastery and performance goals over time. Changes were consistent across gender groups and across ability levels. Additionally, changes in task-mastery goal ratings explained variations in students' reported use of active learning strategies in reading and writing activities. The important implications of this study for future research are discussed.     

Predicting Foreign Language Reading Achievement in Elementary School Students

This study examined whether factors affecting first language reading acquisition also affect English Foreign Language (EFL) reading acquisition. Hebrew (L1) and EFL reading related measures were administrated to 145 fourth graders from the north of Israel who were beginning their first year of English instruction. Results from a Linear Structural Equational Analysis (LISREL) showed that the Hebrew independent variable consisting of morphological and phonological awareness, orthographic ability, and word reading (accuracy and speed) predicted EFL knowledge of letter sounds and names, word attack and reading comprehension. In addition to the Hebrew independent variable, English word recognition (accuracy and speed) predicted English reading comprehension. These results support the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), which argues for core linguistic abilities that influence first and subsequent language reading acquisition.     

Relation between Achievement Goals and Self-Beliefs of Middle School Students in Writing and Science

Two studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between achievement goals (task, performance-approach, performance-avoid), motivation constructs, and gender in the areas of middle school writing (N = 497) and science (N = 281). In both studies, task goals were associated positively with self-efficacy, self-concept, and self-efficacy for self-regulation and negatively with apprehension; performance-approach goals were associated positively with self-concept; and performance-avoid goals were associated negatively with self-concept and self-efficacy for self-regulation and positively with apprehension. In writing, performance-approach goals also related positively with self-efficacy, whereas performance-avoid goals related negatively and girls had stronger task goals. Findings related to performance-approach goals suggest that a developmental component may be at work in determining whether these goals serve a facilitative function in fostering motivation. Task goals and performance-approach goals were related, suggesting that they are each grounded in self-regulatory practices that lead to positive outcomes.     

Longitudinal Relations Among Parents' Reactions to Children's Negative Emotions,Effortful Control,and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

Panel mediation models and fixed‐effects models were used to explore longitudinal relations among parents' reactions to children's displays of negative emotions, children's effortful control (EC), and children's math achievement (N = 291; M age in fall of kindergarten = 5.66 years, SD = .39 year) across kindergarten through second grade. Parents reported their reactions and children's EC. Math achievement was assessed with a standardized achievement test. First‐grade EC mediated the relation between parents' reactions at kindergarten and second‐grade math achievement, beyond stability in constructs across study years. Panel mediation model results suggested that socialization of EC may be one method of promoting math achievement in early school; however, when all omitted time‐invariant covariates of EC and math achievement were controlled, first‐grade EC no longer predicted second‐grade math achievement.     

The Effect of Item Response Changes on Scores on an Elementary Reading Achievement Test

Abstract

The effect of changing item responses on scores of elementary school children on a standardized achievement test was studied. Previous research, primarily involving non-standardized instruments and adult samples, indicates that changed responses are more likely to be correct than not. Subjects were 165 third grade students using the Metropolitan Reading Tests. Students received no special instructions regarding changing responses. Changes were identified visually and were independently verified. While frequency of response changes was low, such changes generally improved scores. Sex differences in number and success of changes were non-significant. The relationship between frequency of response change and test score was minimal. Responses to difficult items were changed more frequently with less success than changes on easy items. High scorers made more successful changes than did low scorers. Within the limits of the methodology, results clearly indicated that response changes of elementary students on multiple-choice items tend to improve test scores.     

小学高年级阅读教学中如何渗透写作技巧

作为小学高年级语文教学的重要环节,阅读教学具有着不可替代的作用,然而在以往的教学中教师往往忽视了对写作技巧的渗透,导致学生写作能力不强,写作素材匮乏,语言表述模糊,之于学生语文素养的培养极为不利。本文将对小学高年级语文教学中读写结合的必要性加以探讨和分析,并论述阅读和写作教学的有效结合方法,全面提高语文阅读教学的实效性,从而促进学生读写能力的协调发展。     

A Longitudinal Study of Visual Perceptual Training and Reading Achievement

Abstract

The authors lamemt the fact that there does not seem to be much agreement as to the proper method of scoring tests The use of the scoring formula is advocated by some and criticized by others. Literature is reviewed showing that the basic assumptions behind the scoring formula (namely that all wrong answers are due to chance guessing) are false. Arguments are presented for and against the continued use of the formula, with the conclusion that its use cannot be justified. A new aspect of this question, that use of the formula may create behavior patterns detrimental to ingenuity and creativity, is also presented.     

Foreign Language Study in Elementary Schools: Benefits and Implications for Achievement in Reading and Math

Educators and policy makers in many countries have been expressing concern about how to improve students’ achievement in reading and math. This article explores and proposes a solution: introduce or increase foreign language study in the elementary schools. Research has shown that foreign language study in the early elementary years improves cognitive abilities, positively influences achievement in other disciplines, and results in higher achievement test scores in reading and math. Successful foreign language programs for elementary schools include immersion, FLES, and FLEX programs.     

Exploration of the Developmental Components Contributing to Elementary School Children's Reading Comprehension

The purpose of this study was to compare rauding theory (Carver, 1995) to our own evolving model of reading acquisition, which supports stage and phase theories of reading development. The relations among rauding variables--cognitive power, auditory-accuracy level, word-recognition level, comprehension-accuracy level, reading-rate level, and reading-comprehension-rate level-were examined using structural equation modeling. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement subtests were used to operationalize the various constructs. Carver's (1993) model was assessed at each grade in two parts, with overlapping paths allowing cross-validation of some coefficients. For Grades 1 and 2, the fit indices were above. 95, indicating a good model fit. One additional path was supported-from word recognition to reading comprehension rate. The fit indices for Grades 3 and 4 were above. 95, supporting the modified Carver model. Analyses for Grades 5 and 6 produced fit indices above. 90, indicating drops in the level of association among the variables compared to earlier grades. The results of this study offer support to Carver's (1993) rauding theory and further advance the theories that children go through stages or phases of reading development. Although word recognition is a notable component of reading development throughout the elementary grades, its contribution to comprehension begins to lessen at Grades 5 and 6. There is, however, an increase with grade of the influence of cognitive power on reading comprehension, which is greater for crystallized (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised) intelligence than for global (fluid and crystallized) or fluid intelligence.     

阅读对写作意味着什么——语文阅读水平、阅读投入对写作成绩影响的实证研究

阅读与写作之间关系密切,但目前国内相关研究多数停留在感性经验或理论思辨层面。研究以Z地区八年级46646名学生为研究对象,分析不同阅读能力水平、阅读投入程度与学生写作成绩之间的关系。研究发现:其一,学生阅读能力与写作成绩存在显著的正相关,与较低层次阅读能力相比,较高层次阅读能力对写作成绩的预测作用往往更加明显,与阅读高分组学生相比,高层次阅读能力对阅读低分组学生写作成绩具有更好的预测作用;其二,学生阅读兴趣、策略与习惯等内在因素对其写作成绩的影响作用比阅读数量、阅读时间等外在因素更为显著;其三,网上阅读方式与阅读多样性对写作成绩影响甚微,甚至产生负向影响。基于此,教师在读写教学实践中应进一步提升读写整合意识,加强对学生读写分层指导与内容选择,培养学生良好的读写策略。     

Comparative Mathematical Language in the Elementary School: A Longitudinal Study

This paper examines the change in young children’s understanding of ‘equal’, ‘more’, ‘less’, and ‘between’, words commonly used in equivalent and non-equivalent situations, over a 3-year period. Seventy-six children participated in the longitudinal study. Each year they were asked to share their understanding of these four words. Past research has indicated that many children have limited understanding of ‘equal’ as quantitative sameness. The results of this research suggested that many children also have limited understanding of ‘more’ and ‘less’ and that these understandings did not significantly change over the 3-year period.     

Visual-Motor Integration,Executive Functions,and Academic Achievement: Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations in Late Elementary School

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Using data from a short-term longitudinal study of 343 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students, we investigated visual-motor integration (VMI) skills as a predictor of direct assessments of executive functions (EFs) and academic achievement. This is the first study to investigate relations among these three constructs in late elementary school. VMI predicted change in EFs from fall to spring. EFs and VMI were independently associated with math and English/language arts standardized test scores. When controlling for earlier achievement test scores, EFs—but not VMI—remained a significant predictor of later academic achievement. Results indicate that VMI may help support the continued development of EFs in late elementary school, but EFs appear to be comparatively more important as a direct predictor of continued academic development during this age period. Practice or Policy: VMI is a complex ability that combines fine motor coordination (an aspect of school readiness) and visual-spatial reasoning skills. VMI has been identified as an influential predictor of early academic development, but it has been neglected in middle childhood studies. Our results suggest that VMI remains important through the end of elementary school for the continued development of children’s EFs and therefore merits more attention from researchers and educators.     

谈凡目章法之读写教学及其美感——以小学阶段为考察范围

从章法与读写互动的角度,切入小学语文教育,主要选以常见而基本的凡目章法为考察重心。首先,先就阅读教学,探讨凡目法之理论,并举小学课文作实例分析。其次,再就写作教学,锁定所欲培养的语文能力,透过限制式写作之题型,设计"凡目法概念网"教学单元,以见章法运用于小学读写教学之一斑。最后再结合读写,提出凡目章法"集中美"、"整齐美"与"多样的统一"等美感效果。     

儿童书面言语的因果表达及逻辑思维特征研究——一项基于1800名小学生作文的分析

书面言语是最精心组织的言语形式,要求儿童进行深思熟虑的分析,是一种复杂而又真实的思维活动。本研究以我国1800名小学生的作文为研究样本,使用人工标注、信息自动检索技术和描述统计等方法,分析了儿童的因果表达特征,并以此探究儿童因果逻辑思维的发展特点。研究发现:第一,儿童的因果复句表达虽然整体上随年级递增呈上升趋势,但各年级具有不同的阶段性特征;第二,面对不同认知复杂度的因果表达,儿童在书面言语中倾向于说明性因果表达;第三,儿童在因果表达上存在"五年级现象",即五年级儿童对因果逻辑表达更为敏感。在此基础上,对我国小学生的语言教学提出了系列可供参考的建议。     

Effect of a Combined Repeated Reading and Question Generation Intervention on Reading Achievement

Research was conducted to ascertain if a combined repeated reading and question generation intervention was effective at improving the reading achievement of fourth through eighth grade students with learning disabilities or who were at risk for reading failure. Students were assigned to a treatment or control group via a stratified random sampling. Instructional components and training were based on best practices reported in the literature. Students receiving intervention significantly improved their reading speed and ability to answer inferential comprehension questions on passages that were reread. Compared to the control group, students in the intervention group also made significant gains in oral reading fluency on independent passages.     

Roscoe Elementary School: Cultivating a Caring Community in an Urban Elementary School

The cultivation of a caring community within an urban neighborhood public elementary school is viewed by some educators as an impossibility, by others as being in conflict with academic effectiveness, and by still others as unnecessary for the successful achievement of students. Nevertheless, a significant group of educators advocates schools as caring communities, particularly in meeting the needs of low-income urban students of color. The research reported in this article is grounded in the assumption that there is a relationship between school culture and student achievement. An ethnographic case study of one urban public elementary school that exhibited both a strong caring community and a push toward academic excellence resulted in an analysis of the underlying characteristics that existed in the school. The findings suggest that a climate of mutual trust and respect, fluid boundaries centered around an ethic of caring, and a schoolwide sense of ownership and responsibility for students were central to the cultivation of the school' s caring community. Adapted school structures also fostered an ethos of community and ownership. In addition, the school expanded the definition of effectiveness beyond standardized test scores by focusing broadly on student learning, the link between the success of the individual and the success of the group, and the role of affect in promoting student achievement.     

Changes in the Relation Between Competence Beliefs and Achievement in Math Across Elementary School Years

Math competence beliefs and achievement are important outcomes of school‐based learning. Previous studies yielded inconsistent results on whether skill development, self‐enhancement, or reciprocal effects account for the interplay among them. A development‐related change in the direction of their relation in the early school years might explain the inconsistency. To test this, 542 German elementary school students (M = 7.95 years, SD = 0.58) were repeatedly investigated over 24 months from Grade 2 to Grade 4. Math competence beliefs declined and had a growing influence on subsequent math grades. This suggests changes in the dominant direction of the relation from a skill development to a reciprocal effects model during elementary school. Findings are discussed with regard to their theoretical and practical implications.