The impact of science motivation on cognitive achievement within a 3-lesson unit about renewable energies

Our study analyzed the influence of motivation towards science in relation individual cognitive achievement scores. 232 10th graders of college preparatory school level (‘Gymnasium’) completed a cognitive achievement test three times and a questionnaire quantifying motivation towards science once. A three-lesson module dealt with aspects of the topic renewable energies. The knowledge test was applied one week before (T-0), directly after (T-1) and six weeks after (T-2) participation in the learning module. The questionnaire on science motivation was completed at T-0 in order to receive unaffected data. A test-retest group (acting as control group) of 37 students completed the questionnaires with no intervention. Three motivational groups were selected: highly motivated, intermediate and less motivated. The intervention group showed substantial knowledge gain in short- and in long-term perspectives, almost independently of motivational levels. A positive linear relation between motivation and content knowledge was observable for each test schedule. In particular, intrinsic factors are shown to be responsible for this relationship.We recommend implementing appropriately designed educational settings to promote intrinsic aspects in order to foster performance almost independently of pre-existing knowledge and science motivation We presume pre-existing knowledge as well as learning to be influenced by motivation towards science. Also, pre-existing knowledge may influence individual motivation towards science. Consequently, beyond scientific contents, a focus on motivation of adolescents in science may lead to a synergetic effect for life-long learning.     

Bringing the schools back in: the stratification of educational achievement in the Chilean voucher system

This paper analyzes the socioeconomic stratification of achievement in the Chilean voucher system using a census of 4th and 8th graders, a multilevel methodology, and accounting for unobserved selectivity into school sector. Findings indicate that the association between the school's aggregate family socioeconomic status (SES) and test scores is much greater in the private-voucher sector than in the public one, resulting in marked socioeconomic stratification of test scores in the Chilean voucher system. We also find that the amount of tuition fees paid by parents in private-voucher schools has no bearing on test scores, after controlling for the socioeconomic makeup of the school. Implications of these findings for educational inequality in the context of a universal voucher system are discussed.     

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT

Because school learning entails not just accretion of knowledge but the structuring and restructuring of knowledge and cognitive skills, the conception and construction of educational achievement measures must be cast in developmental terms. And because student characteristics as well as social and educational experiences influence current performance, the interpretation and implications of educational achievement measures must be relative to intrapersonal and situational contexts. These points imply a strategy of comprehensive assessment in context that focuses on the processes and structures involved in subject-matter competence as moderated in performance by personal and environmental influences. This article addresses in detail both the nature of developing competence and its measurement in terms of context-dependent task performance. Construct-irrelevant task difficulty that might jeopardize the meaning of test scores as well as construct-irrelevant influences that might jeopardize implications for action are taken into account via the comprehensive measurement of relevant contextual factors. Comprehensive assessment in context thus facilitates valid interpretations of the meaning and implications of ability and achievement scores in particular instances, thereby lightening the interpretive and ethical burdens on test users and enhancing the validity of test use.     

Efficacy of Two Different Instructional Methods Involving Complex Ecological Content

Teaching and learning approaches in ecology very often follow linear conceptions of ecosystems. Empirical studies with an ecological focus consistent with existing syllabi and focusing on cognitive achievement are scarce. Consequently, we concentrated on a classroom unit that offers learning materials and highlights the existing complexity rather than following linear conceptions. We developed an educational unit consisting of 14 individual lessons (”ecosystem lake”) with the aim of increasing pupils’ cognitive achievement in 8th and 9th grade secondary schools. To evaluate our approach, we chose a quasi-experimental design and five teachers with ten classes participated in our study. A matched-pair tandem-design was provided by five German teachers using first his/her conventional approach in one class (instruction-1; control group) and second, our modern ecological approach in their second class (instruction-2). Pupils subjected to the latter performed better, i.e., achieved higher scores, especially in the delayed post-test. Further, we found a teacher effect and an interaction between treatment (i.e., whether treatment or control class) and the teacher regarding the class test. Teachers had a significant influence on the learning outcome irrespective of the educational unit, i.e., some teachers generally produced higher achievement than others. Further, the interaction showed that some teachers coped better with their traditional teaching. Nevertheless, in retention (delayed post-test) all classes of the modern approach scored higher than the traditionally taught ones. Boys and girls benefited equally from our program and pupils from the modern approach rated the educational unit better. Figure 1 Overview over the educational unit “ecosystem lake”     

Developing and testing a model of direct and indirect relationships between individual differences,processing, and multiple-text comprehension

The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model that specified direct and indirect linkages between the individual difference variables of epistemic beliefs, need for cognition, individual interest, and prior knowledge, the processing variables of effort, deeper-level strategies, and situational interest, and multiple-text comprehension. Using a path analysis approach with a sample of 279 Norwegian upper secondary school students, results indicated that students' effort and deeper-level strategies predicted their multiple-text comprehension, with the individual difference variables indirectly affecting multiple-text comprehension through their influence on effortful, adaptive multiple-text processing. In addition, students' prior knowledge about the topic of the texts seemed to affect their multiple-text comprehension directly as well as indirectly. Both theoretical and educational implications of the results are discussed.     

Situational interest and academic achievement in the active-learning classroom

The aim of the present study was to investigate how situational interest develops over time and how it is related to academic achievement in an active-learning classroom. Five measures of situational interest were administered at critical points in time to 69 polytechnic students during a one-day, problem-based learning session. Results revealed that situational interest significantly increased after the problem stimulus was presented. Subsequently, situational interest gradually decreased but at the end of the day increased again. Testing a path model relating the situational interest measures showed strong (directional) interrelations. Moreover, situational interest was highly predictive for observed achievement-related classroom behaviors. The latter, in turn, proved to be a significant predictor of academic achievement. Aggregating situational interest over the day led to less accurate predictions of achievement-related classroom behaviors and academic achievement. Implications of these findings for situational interest research are discussed.     

Student‐oriented versus Teacher‐centred: The effect of learning at workstations about birds and bird flight on cognitive achievement and motivation

The study investigated cognitive and motivational effects of two educational interventions, a conventional versus a student‐oriented approach. We monitored the impact on the cognitive achievement outcome and the motivation of students. Both approaches dealt with the subject of birds and bird flight; the student‐oriented approach consisted of a unit based on workstations, and the conventional one was taught in a more teacher‐centred manner. A total of 326 secondary school pupils of the highest stratification level participated in this study. By using a pre‐test, post‐test and retention‐test design, both approaches were evaluated with the same empirical batteries (by applying a cognitive item set and the “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory”). The conventional approach provided higher achievement scores whereas the student‐oriented approach showed a higher motivational rating. Comparing the student‐oriented approach with and without introduction, the group with introduction attained higher achievement scores. The results are discussed in terms of general expectations about the cognitive outcome in open learning environments and self‐determination theory. Educational implications are drawn concerning the implementation of learning at workstations in school curricula.     

Parental Involvement,Instructional Expenditures,Family Socioeconomic Attributes,and Student Achievement

Abstract

The influence of parental involvement, socioeconomic status of parents, and instructional supplies expenditures on mathematics achievement scores of Grade 4 students in a low-income county in North Carolina were examined. An educational production function framework was used to analyze the influence of educational resources on mathematics achievement scores. Pearson product-moment correlation and ordinary least squares regression were used to determine the overall strength of each relation and the variables with the greatest impact on mathematics achievement. Results indicated that instructional supplies expenditures per pupil and parental volunteer hours were not statistically significant in explaining mathematics test scores. Furthermore, results showed that the percentage of students in free/reduced-price lunch programs was related negatively to students' academic performance in mathematics. This finding supports the notion that economic circumstances are correlated with academic achievement.     

Value added based on educational positions in Dutch secondary education

Estimating added value as an indicator of school effectiveness in the context of educational accountability often occurs using test or examination scores of students. This study investigates the possibilities for using scores of educational positions as an alternative indicator. A number of advantages of a value added indicator based on educational positions of students can be formulated, such as: (a) the societal significance of educational position as output measure; (b) the fact that a single indicator can be estimated for an entire school in a differentiated educational system, where not all schools provide education in all tracks; and (c) the expectation that value added based on educational positions leads to other incentives for schools than value added based on test scores. Empirical analysis of Dutch cohort data (VOCL'99) for secondary education showed considerable differences in effectiveness between schools in the positions of students. Furthermore, differential school effects were found for both socio‐economic status and prior achievement. The phenomena of differential school effects for socio‐economic status and prior achievement are linked to differences between schools in the kind of tracks in which the schools provide schooling.     

Interest, motivation and learning: An educational-psychological perspective

Within the last few years, researchers have shown a renewed interest in “interest”. Especially in the field of educational psychology many studies have been conducted to analyze how learning and achievement are influenced by motivational and cognitive factors, which are connected with individual and/or situational interests. In this paper, results from empirical research will be presented besides theoretical considerations concerning the interest-construct. Interest has typically been studied as an independent variable. Dependent variables have been either some aspects of learning outcome (knowledge structure, academic achievement) or hypothetical mediators, which probably can be used to explain the interest effects (e.g., learning strategies, attention, emotional experiences). There is also a growing number of studies which try to explore the conditions of interest development within educational settings. Future lines of research will be discussed in light of the demands of educational theory and practice.     

Motivation,Meta-Cognition and Self-Regulation as Predictors of Long Term Educational Attainment

In a longitudinal study, long term educational attainment in secondary education was predicted by motivation, meta-cognition and self-regulation as well as student background variables and prior achievement. The dependent variables were: (1) the position in the fifth grade of the two highest tracks; (2) the choice of examination subjects; and (3) the mean achievement in the fifth grade in the chosen subjects. The position-variable correlates most strongly with the prognosis given at the end of primary education, and with the combined score on three progress tests taken during the first grade of secondary education. There was a large gender difference in the choice of examination subjects with boys choosing the three science subjects (pure mathematics, physics, chemistry) 30% more often. The choice of these subjects also correlates with the scores on the arithmetic progress test in the first grade and a mathematics test taken in the third grade. Achievement motivation and fear of failure are prominent predictors of the mean achievement in grade 5, as is prior achievement. Surprisingly meta-cognitive and self-regulation variables are hardly related to mean achievement.     

Commentary: Student Cognition, the Situated Learning Context, and Test Score Interpretation

Although it is assumed that student cognition contributes to student performance on achievement tests, it may be that current testing models lack the degree of specification necessary to warrant such inferences. With test score interpretations as the referent, the authors in this special issue address the role of student cognition in learning and educational measurement. The practicality of their recommendations is viewed through the filter of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) testing requirements. Commentary on the broader learning context is also shared. Although a focus on student cognition is an important one, the situational context within which learning occurs and tests are administered warrants consideration of a variety of social factors in order to fully specify the measurement construct and to interpret test scores meaningfully.     

Evidence for a positive relation between interest and achievement: Examining between-person and within-person variation in five domains

We examined the incremental effect of academic interest on achievement beyond general cognitive ability and students’ background characteristics in five domains (math, German, biology, chemistry, and physics). We analyzed a nationally representative German dataset of 39,192 ninth-grade students and found a unique effect of interest over and above the other predictors across the five domains, both for class grades and standardized test scores. The effect was present between persons (in a given domain, students with higher interest showed higher achievement) and within persons (the same student showed a higher achievement in domains she/he was more interested in). The effects were stronger for grades than test scores and stronger in math than in other domains. The results emphasize the positive relation between interest and academic achievement in different domains. Furthermore, they expand the literature by emphasizing the role of the achievement measure and the domain as moderators of the interest–achievement relation and by showing that interest can predict both inter- and intraindividual variation in achievement.     

Predictors and outcomes of situational interest during a science learning task

In this study we examined change in students’ situational interest as a function of student and task characteristics. Fifth- and sixth-graders (n = 52) were assigned to one of two task conditions that used a different version of a science simulation. The versions differed in how concrete vs. abstract the simulation elements were. Students’ prior knowledge, achievement goal orientations, and subject-specific interest were assessed before the task and situational interest was measured repeatedly in different phases of the task. Post-task performance was assessed 1 day after the task. The results showed different mean-level changes in situational interest in the two task conditions; students working with the more concrete version of the simulation reported increase in their interest while the opposite was true for students working with the more abstract version. The ratings of situational interest were nevertheless rather stable over time, regardless of the task condition. Students’ situational interest at the beginning of the task was predicted by mastery-intrinsic goal orientation and subject-specific interest. Post-task performance was predicted by prior knowledge and the task condition; students working in the more concrete task condition performed better. The importance of acknowledging both individual characteristics and task elements in the emergence of students’ situational interest is discussed.     

Teaching Ecosystems and Matter Cycles with Creative Drama Activities

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of creative drama-based instruction on seventh graders’ science achievements in the ecology and matter cycles unit and their attitudes toward science. The study is an experimental study carried out in one of the public elementary schools in Turkey during 2005–2006 schooling year. An ecological concept achievement test was developed and administered to 45 students in two classes (as control and experimental group) of an elementary school before and after the treatment. The experimental group received creative drama-based instruction and the control group received traditional instruction. A guiding instruction material which contains six lesson plans in the subject was constructed for the teacher to administer creative drama-based instruction. The topics of ecosystems and matter cycles were taught to the both of groups for 3 weeks. A science attitude test was administered to both groups before and after the treatment. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the both groups with respect to achievement in the ecology concepts and median of the attitudes toward science in favour of the experimental group after the treatment.     

Prevalence,stability, and functionality of achievement goal profiles in mathematics from third to seventh grade

This study examined the longitudinal trajectories of achievement goal profiles in mathematics from third to seventh grade in a sample of 302 German students. Latent profile analyses were conducted separately for each school year and revealed three subgroups of students with distinct goal profiles labeled high multiple goals, moderate multiple goals, and primarily mastery-oriented. Only about one third of the students held the same goal profile across all school years. The amount of students pursuing moderate multiple goals increased over time, which supplements previous findings and theorizing about an ongoing differentiation of achievement goals during early adolescence. There were remarkably few differences in educational outcomes (interest, effort, achievement) between students from distinct goal profile groups. However, high multiple goal students showed the lowest test scores in sixth and seventh grade. Moreover, if students showed low performance during one school year, they were more likely to adopt a high multiple goals profile in the following year. Results are discussed in relation to individual cognitive developments, changes in school environments, and special characteristics of educational systems.     

Measuring emotions in students’ learning and performance: The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ)

Aside from test anxiety scales, measurement instruments assessing students’ achievement emotions are largely lacking. This article reports on the construction, reliability, internal validity, and external validity of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) which is designed to assess various achievement emotions experienced by students in academic settings. The instrument contains 24 scales measuring enjoyment, hope, pride, relief, anger, anxiety, shame, hopelessness, and boredom during class, while studying, and when taking tests and exams. Scale construction used a rational-empirical strategy based on Pekrun’s (2006) control-value theory of achievement emotions and prior exploratory research. The instrument was tested in a study using a sample of university students (N = 389). Findings indicate that the scales are reliable, internally valid as demonstrated by confirmatory factor analysis, and externally valid in terms of relationships with students’ control-value appraisals, learning, and academic performance. The results provide further support for the control-value theory and help to elucidate the structure and role of emotions in educational settings. Directions for future research and implications for educational practice are discussed.     

An Investigation of the Effects of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring on Achievement,Self-Efficacy,and Test Anxiety

Reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) is a cooperative learning strategy which capitalizes on the benefit students receive from preparing to tutor one another. In these experiments we investigated the effects of RPT on the academic achievement, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety of undergraduate students. Undergraduate education majors enrolled in either human growth and development or educational psychology participated in the study. Students developed a series of test questions, used these questions to quiz each other prior to unit examinations, and provided corrective feedback to the questions. Statistically significant findings were inconsistent across the experiments. In short, RPT appears to have, at best, inconsistent effects on achievement, test anxiety, and academic self-efficacy.     

The Effects of Effort Monitoring With Proctor Notification on Test-Taking Engagement,Test Performance,and Validity

When we administer educational achievement tests, we want to be confident that the resulting scores validly indicate what the test takers know and can do. However, if the test is perceived as low stakes by the test taker, disengaged test taking sometimes occurs, which poses a serious threat to score validity. When computer-based tests are used, disengagement can be detected through occurrences of rapid-guessing behavior. This empirical study investigated the impact of a new effort monitoring feature that can detect rapid guessing, as it occurs, and notify proctors that a test taker has become disengaged. The results showed that, after a proctor notification was triggered, test-taking engagement tended to increase, test performance improved, and test scores exhibited higher convergent validation evidence. The findings of this study provide validation evidence that this innovative testing feature can decrease disengaged test taking.     

Feeling good,learning better? Effectivity of an emotional design procedure in multimedia learning

Emotional designing describes the elicitation of positive affect during learning through specific design elements of the learning environment to enhance learning. This experimental study examined the effectivity of an emotional design procedure on learning performance. Moreover, the learner’s affective states before learning were taken into consideration as possible moderators. 145 university students learned for 20?min either in a multimedia positive affect inducing learning environment (n?=?85) or a neutral multimedia learning environment (n?=?60). The Affect was measured before, during, and after learning. Performance was tested afterwards. To control for possible confounding effects, achievement motivation, emotion regulation, and situational interest were measured. In contrast to earlier findings, no superiority effect of the emotional design procedure was found. Furthermore, the effectivity of the emotional design procedure was not moderated by student’s prior effective states. However, there was a main influence of student’s positive affect on transfer performance.