Achievement Goals During Middle Childhood: Individual Differences in Motivation and Social Adjustment

Person-centered analyses of achievement goals have been scarce in studies of elementary school children. In this investigation, the authors examined the natural combinations of achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) among 3rd grade students (N = 195) and how clusters differed in self-, teacher-, and peer-reported adjustment variables. Cluster analysis revealed four groups of students: mastery (above average in mastery goals, below average in performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals), multi-goal (above average in all three goals), avoidant (above average in performance-avoidance goals, below average in mastery and performance-approach goals), and low motivation (below average in all three goals). Clusters differed in self-reported academic self-efficacy and perceptions of teacher support, teacher-reported academic competence, and peer nominations of social status. Mastery students had the most adaptive profiles; low motivation, the least adaptive. Avoidant boys had more maladaptive profiles than avoidant girls.     

Value Profiles During Middle Childhood: Developmental Processes and Social Behavior

Little is known about how children's value priorities develop over time. This study identifies children's value priority profiles and follows their development during middle childhood. Australian children (N = 609; ages 5–12 at Time 1) reported their values over 2 years. Latent Transition Analysis indicated four profiles: Social-Focus, Self-Focus, Growth-Focus and Undifferentiated. Within person development was characterized by profile stability or transfer to the Social-Focus profile. Younger children were more likely to have an Undifferentiated profile (or Self-Focus among boys) than older ones. Girls were more likely to have a Social-Focus profile or transfer to it, and less likely to have a Self- or Growth-Focus profile than boys. Social-Focus profile membership over time predicted more prosocial and less aggressive behavior.     

成就目标定向对中学生成就动机的影响

中学生成就目标的确立与否、确立的成就目标的类型以及对所设定目标的评价性反应这三个因素都会对中学生的成就动机产生影响。成就目标定向对教育的启示,主要表现为教师应该帮助学生设定个性化的成就且标,以更好地激发中学生的成就动机。     

Conflict and Friendship Relations in Middle Childhood: Behavior in a Closed-Field Situation

Disagreements between school-aged children were examined as a function of friendship status. 66 same-sex dyads were selected, including equal numbers of "best friends" and nonfriends, who were then observed while playing a board game (a closed-field situation). Conflicts occurred more frequently among friends than among nonfriends and lasted longer. Friends did not talk more during their conflicts than nonfriends, but assertions were used selectively according to friendship and sex: With friends, girls used assertions accompanied by rationales more frequently than boys whereas boys used assertions without rationales more frequently than girls. These sex differences were not evident during conflicts between nonfriends. Results are discussed in relation to the social constraints intrinsic to closed-field competitive conditions as these apply to friendship relations in middle childhood.     

The Link Between Middle School Mathematics Course Placement and Achievement

The proportion of eighth graders in United States public schools enrolled in algebra or a more advanced mathematics course doubled between 1990 and 2011. This article uses Early Childhood Longitudinal Study's Kindergarten Cohort data to consider the selection process into advanced middle school mathematics courses and estimate the effects of advanced courses on students’ mathematics achievement (n = 6,425; mean age at eighth grade = 13.7). Eighth‐grade algebra and geometry course placements are academically selective, but considerable between‐school variation exists in students’ odds of taking these advanced courses. While analyses indicate that advanced middle school mathematics courses boost student achievement, these effects are most pronounced in content areas closely related to class content and may be contingent on student academic readiness.     

Early Attachment Organization With Both Parents and Future Behavior Problems: From Infancy to Middle Childhood

Links between children's attachment security with mothers and fathers, assessed in Strange Situation with each parent at 15 months (N = 101), and their future behavior problems were examined. Mothers and fathers rated children's behavior problems, and children reported their own behavior problems at age 8 (N = 86). Teachers rated behavior problems at age 6½ (N = 86). Insecurity with both parents had a robust effect: “Double‐insecure” children reported more overall problems, and were rated by teachers as having more externalizing problems than those secure with at least 1 parent. Security with either parent could offset such risks, and security with both conferred no additional benefits. High resistance toward both parents in Strange Situation may confer “dual risk” for future externalizing behavior.     

Preoccupied and Avoidant Coping during Middle Childhood

Prior research on attachment to caregivers during middle childhood has failed to include assessments of the divergent coping styles that insecure attachment can take. In this study, self-report scales were developed to assess children's preoccupied coping (strong need for mother during stress but inability to be soothed by her) and avoidant coping (denial of need for mother and avoidance of her during stress). The scales were administered to 229 boys and girls in the third through seventh grades (mean age 11.3 years) and were associated in theoretically meaningful ways with peers' reports of the children's adjustment at school. The advantage of including assessments of coping style in studies of attachment-adjustment relations in middle childhood is noted.     

The Family Ecology of Boys'' Peer Relations in Middle Childhood

The association between boys' peer relations, their antisocial behavior, academic skill deficit, and family ecology was examined with 2 cohorts of boys and their families (N = 206) who were interviewed, observed in the home, and assessed in school. Group comparisons revealed that rejected boys experienced poorer family management practices (i.e., monitoring and discipline practices), showed more family stress, were of lower socioeconomic status, and displayed more behavioral and academic problems than did their average peers. Correlational analyses provided similar results and showed good replication across the 2 cohorts. The hypothesis was tested that the effect of poor parent discipline on peer rejection was mediated by the boys' antisocial behavior and academic skill deficits. Structural equation analyses indicated that the mediated effect model provided a better fit to the data than did the direct effect model. The findings were discussed in relation to the need for longitudinally examining the role of parenting processes and child behavior in peer rejection at different points in development.     

Classroom Behavior,Intelligence, and Achievement

In general terms, the problem under investigation is that of determining whether selected teacher characteristics can be used as predictors for the commitment of teachers to a certain approach to the teaching of high school chemistry (Chemical Bond Approach). Teachers attending a summer institute were initially surveyed to determine these characteristics; included in this group were expectations of role related groups, innovativenes characteristics, and personal characteristics. At the completion of the institute, the participants were tested regarding their attitudes toward and their willingness to use the approach. Employing the stepwise regression technique of analysis, two characteristics (perceived disposition of reference group and innovativeness) were found as strong predictors. Pre-institute characteristics were also shown to account for a significant portion of the commitment of teachers to the approach.     

Down Syndrome Temperament: The Stereotype at Middle Childhood and Adolescence

MOTHERS AND TEACHERS of 94 children (53 boys) with Down syndrome, between 8 and 14 years of age, rated the children on a temperament scale and provided an overall impression as to whether the child was difficult in comparison with other children. Maternal ratings on the Middle Childhood Questionnaire showed significant differences from standardization scores. Children with Down syndrome were given ratings as less active, more predictable, of more positive mood, less persistent, and more distractible. Some of these dimensions favour the amiable personality stereotype for the syndrome but low persistence was associated with maternal impressions of difficulty. There was little agreement between mothers and teachers regarding the individual children who were rated as being significantly easier or more difficult than other children. Results with a subgroup (n = 32) showed that externalizing behaviours were significantly related to both mother and teacher impressions of difficulty and that mothers also found intense, active, distractible behaviour difficult.     

儿童中期依恋的变化及其测量

作为一种生命全程的现象,依恋一直是心理学研究者关注的焦点之一,但近半个世纪的依恋研究文献却相对鲜有儿童中期依恋的深入分析。与婴幼儿时期相比,儿童中期的依恋呈现出依恋行为频率、引发条件、依恋对象范围等多方面的变化,这些变化给这个阶段的依恋研究带来诸多挑战,最后介绍了儿童中期依恋测量的现状并对未来研究进行了展望。     

补习与中学生英语学业成绩的相关性研究

基于文献综述和问卷调查,本文就补习对中学生英语学业成绩的相关性进行了探讨。结果表明,补习与英语学业成绩的提高并没有必然关联,真正与学业成绩相关的因素是学习者可控因素——英语学习信念：高低分组在学习焦虑、信心、兴趣和态度方面表现出显著差异,高分组学生比低分组学生更积极。研究表明,对英语补习应持理性判断,更应谨慎行事。     

Longitudinal Analyses of Classroom Behavior and School Achievement

Third-, sixth-, and ninth-grade teachers in a Wisconsin county nominated 982 children as consistently displaying socially approved behavior and 568 as consistently displaying aggressive-disruptive behavior in the classroom. Five years after the original nominations teacher grades in English, science, mathematics, and social studies; rank in graduating class for original ninth graders; and STEP scores were obtained. Analyses of covariance (ANACOVA) were made with IQ as the covariate and behavior, grade, sex, and home location as the independent variables. The results indicate clearly that the children whose behavior was aggressive and disruptive in the classroom achieved at significantly lower levels than their socially approved peers.     

The Relation Between Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement Across Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-Analysis

This research synthesis explores how academic achievement relates to two main components of self-regulated learning for students in elementary and secondary school. Two meta-analyses integrated previous findings on (1) the defining metacognitive processes of self-regulated learning and (2) students’ use of cognitive strategies. Overall correlations were small (metacognitive processes, r?=?0.20; cognitive strategies, r?=?0.11), but there was systematic variation around both of them. Five moderator analyses were conducted to explain this variation. Average correlations significantly differed based on the specific process or strategy, academic subject, grade level, type of self-regulated learning measure, and type of achievement measure. Follow-up tests explored the nature of these differences and largely support the hypotheses. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

儿童孤独症的行为治疗

儿童孤独症是一种广泛性发育障碍 ,孤独症患儿存在着社会交往、言语发育、生活自理能力的缺陷 ,感知觉异常及一些问题行为。在对孤独症的治疗中 ,行为疗法是一种运用最普遍的疗法。常用的行为疗法有 :塑造法、锁链法、示范学习法、奖励与惩罚疗法、消退法、暂时隔离法、消极练习法和放松疗法。在治疗中遵循发展正常行为、个别化、个体治疗和集体治疗相结合、父母亲参与的原则。     

初中生数学成就动机与自我调节学习及学业成就之关系研究

一些学者对初中生数学成就动机与自我调节学习及学业成就之间的关系进行了相关研究,但研究多有片面之处,因此,对这3个方面进行整合的实证研究是十分必要的.成就动机是取得成功或实现一个渴望的目标的倾向性或内部动因.数学自我效能感与数学学业成就存在显著正相关,对数学学业成就有显著的回归效应.自我调节学习行为对数学学业成就存在显著的回归效应.认知策略的使用与自我调节学习行为的关系是十分显著的.数学成就动机的各个方面都和自我调节学习存在一定关系.     

The Structure and Coherence of Competence from Childhood through Adolescence

The structure and coherence of competence from childhood (ages 8–12) to late adolescence (ages 17–23) was examined in a longitudinal study of 191 children. Structural equation modeling was utilized to test a conceptual model and alternative models. Results suggest that competence has at least 3 distinct dimensions in childhood and 5 in adolescence. These dimensions reflect developmental tasks related to academic achievement, social competence, and conduct important at both age levels in U.S. society, and the additional tasks of romantic and job competence in adolescence. As hypothesized, rule-breaking versus rule-abiding conduct showed strong continuity over time, while academic achievement and social competence showed moderate continuity. Results also were consistent with the hypothesis that antisocial behavior undermines academic attainment and job competence.