Perceiving school performance as instrumental to future goal attainment: Effects on graded performance

Three studies examined the perception among college students that school performance is instrumental to future goal attainment. Study 1, an exploratory study involving free report goal assessments, indicated that perceived instrumentality (PI) is a subjectively salient aspect of college students’ achievement motivation. Study 2 provided evidence for the structural distinctiveness of PI from self-efficacy, task value, and the achievement goals, and also demonstrated that PI prospectively predicts unique variance in graded performance beyond that accounted for by these motivational variables. Study 3 demonstrated that PI prospectively predicts unique variance in graded performance independently of future time orientation. We argue that a comprehensive understanding of the purposes underlying classroom achievement behavior requires consideration of how school performance may be perceived as instrumental to the attainment of valued life goals.     

Student achievement and education system performance in a developing country

The global spread of national assessment testing activities, and the growing pressure to move beyond basic measures of participation in educational monitoring, means that student achievement measures are likely to become increasingly relevant indicators of systemic progress in the developing world. Using data from the CESSP project in Cambodia, this paper incorporates a standard decomposition framework to go beyond simple comparisons of average achievement levels over time in order to better understand the underlying dynamics of change. The results show that recent improvements in student achievement in Cambodia are attributable in part to changes in the composition of student cohorts, although there is some evidence of a tradeoff between increasing participation rates and average achievement. There is also some encouraging evidence that school quality is improving, especially in lower grades where the leveling off of participation is creating a policy window of opportunity. The framework can be easily applied to a growing body of assessment data in the developing world to aid both inter- and intra-national monitoring of education system progress.     

Examining the Relationship Between Teacher Evaluation and Student Assessment Results in Washoe County

In this article, we describe findings from an analysis of the relationship between scores on a standards-based teacher evaluation system modeled on the Framework for Teaching (Danielson, 1996) and student achievement measures in a large Western school district. We apply multilevel statistical modeling to study the relationship between the evaluation scores and state and district tests of reading, mathematics, and a composite measure of reading and mathematics. Using a value-added framework, the teacher evaluation scores were included at the 2nd level, or teacher level, of the model when other student and teacher-level characteristics were controlled. This study provided some initial evidence of a positive association between teacher performance, as measured by the evaluation system, and student achievement. The coefficients representing the effects of teacher performance on student achievement were positive and were statistically significant in 4 of 9 grade-test combinations studied.     

A Framework for Evaluating and Planning Assessments Intended to Improve Student Achievement

Assessments labeled as formative have been offered as a means to improve student achievement. But labels can be a powerful way to miscommunicate. For an assessment use to be appropriately labeled "formative," both empirical evidence and reasoned arguments must be offered to support the claim that improvements in student achievement can be linked to the use of assessment information. Our goal in this article is to support the construction of such an argument by offering a framework within which to consider evidence-based claims that assessment information can be used to improve student achievement. We describe this framework and then illustrate its use with an example of one-on-one tutoring. Finally, we explore the framework's implications for understanding when the use of assessment information is likely to improve student achievement and for advising test developers on how to develop assessments that are intended to offer information that can be used to improve student achievement.     

Alignment of Human Resource Practices and Teacher Performance Competency

In this article, we argue that human resource (HR) management practices are important components of strategies for improving student achievement in an accountability environment. We present a framework illustrating the alignment of educational HR management practices to a teacher performance competency model, which in turn is aligned with student achievement goals. We identify and illustrate the various HR practices that could be aligned to the performance competency model and to each other. These HR practices include recruitment, selection, induction, mentoring, professional development, compensation, performance management, and instructional leadership. We then describe HR practices in 2 districts where empirical links between teacher competency and student achievement were shown (Cincinnati and Washoe County) and evaluate how much alignment was in place. We discuss the importance of HR alignment analysis for diagnosing districts' teacher quality improvement efforts, and we present suggestions for future research on the strategic use of HR management in K-12 educational organizations.     

Schools, school quality and achievement growth: Evidence from the Philippines

A broad literature seeks to assess the importance of schools, proxies for school quality, and family background on children's achievement growth using the education production function. Using rich data from the Philippines, we introduce and estimate a model that imposes little structure on the relationship between intake achievement and follow-up achievement and evaluate school performance based on this estimated relationship. Our methods nest typical value-added specifications that use test score gains as the outcome variable and models assuming linearity in the relationship between intake and follow-up scores. We find evidence against the use of value-added models for our data and show that such models give very different assessments of school performance in the Philippines. Using a variety of tests we find that schools matter in the production of student achievement, though variation in performance across schools only explains about 4.4–5.3% of the total (conditional) variation in follow-up achievement. Schools providing basic facilities—in particular schools providing electricity—are found to perform much better in the production of achievement growth.     

Testing a reciprocal causation model between anxiety,enjoyment and academic performance in postsecondary organic chemistry

Affective factors such as the achievement emotions are considered critical for students’ academic performance in STEM degree programmes and careers. In this study, a reciprocal causation model was tested between two affective factors: enjoyment and anxiety, and organic chemistry course performance. Each variable was measured three times in four sections of a first semester organic chemistry course. This study investigates a reciprocal causation relationship between anxiety, enjoyment and achievement as measured by exam performance compared to unidirectional structures of performance and affect relationships. Results show that the reciprocal causation model with an exam snowballing effect best fits data among the alternative models. There is a small and significant negative relationship between anxiety and performance contrasted with a positive relationship between enjoyment and performance throughout the semester. The evidence of the reciprocal relationship between anxiety, enjoyment and achievement indicates that instructors of organic chemistry can work to eliminate factors associated with low performance. Gathering information regarding anxiety and enjoyment along with performance can inform educators about the emotional state of their classrooms. Future research should consider achievement emotions in light of educational reforms to ensure that innovative curricula or pedagogies are functioning in the classroom as intended.     

Globalised student achievement? A longitudinal and cross-country analysis of convergence in mathematics performance

ABSTRACT

With the aid of longitudinal country-level data from five IEA TIMSS assessments (1995–2011), the current study addresses the issue of the globalisation of curricula and achievement. To explore the hypothesis of global convergence, we study performance in four subdomains of mathematics. Using regression with fixed effects for countries, we consider whether the variation of subdomain scores decreases globally over time. Additionally, we explore qualitative differences in performance profiles using latent class analysis. Our results provide little evidence for a global harmonisation of student achievement. Rather, for regions with a similar language and culture, we observe similar strengths and weaknesses in mathematics content areas. Furthermore, these patterns remain stable over time. Directions for future research include the exploration of global trends in aspects of attained curricula for other subjects, and the use of information on school achievement.     

Staying at the top: playing position and performance affect career length in professional sport

In an effort to understand the process of skill acquisition and decline, researchers have largely neglected a critical aspect of this development – maximizing time at the highest levels of achievement. This study examined length of career for professional athletes in basketball, football, ice hockey, and baseball and considers whether career length differed by position and player performance (standardized career performance). Results revealed career length differences among positions in baseball and football but not basketball and ice hockey. In all sports, longer careers were associated with superior performance, reinforcing the notion that performance is a critical indicator of career length and suggesting positional demands influence career length. Results highlight the need for further work on this important stage of development.     

Student engagement as a mediator of the effects of socio-economic status on academic performance among secondary school students in Australia

In this article, we contribute to understanding of the mechanisms through which students’ socio-economic family background can translate into academic performance by focusing on the concept of student engagement. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from disciplines across the social sciences, and a major nationally representative dataset from Australia, which links survey responses with administrative records on school performance, we conduct a series of multiple regression models to investigate the mediating role of student engagement on the relationship between students’ socio-economic status (SES) and academic achievement. We find that, first, low-SES students show lower levels of engagement than other students, particularly in terms of behavioural and cognitive aspects; they also have lower achievement levels as measured by standardised test scores. We further find that lower engagement is associated with lower achievement levels, and that the effects of SES on achievement are partially mediated through student engagement. Although there are clearly other mechanisms in place that operate at the same time, it is important to focus on student engagement since it can be directly influenced by teachers and school leaders, as well as curriculum choices and school resources. This makes it a ripe target for government policies aimed at improving educational outcomes for students from low-SES families, compared with approaches targeting the influences of family environment or peer groups.     

Achievement goals and classroom goal structures: Do they need to match?

Abstract

It is often assumed that students’ personal achievement goals are most beneficial when they match the goal structures of the classroom, but interaction between achievement goals and goal structures is not well researched. In this study, we aim at providing a nuanced picture of the direct, interaction, and nonlinear effects of achievement goals and goal structures on test performance and autonomous motivation. We used multiple linear regressions, including interaction and quadratic terms, in combination with response surface methodology to analyze questionnaire data from students in Grades 6-10. We found no evidence for a general match effect, and only weak indications of interactions between achievement goals and goal structures. Thus, the match between classroom goal structures and students’ personal goals may be less important for students’ motivation and achievement than previously assumed. Still, based on our results we recommend a focus on mastery structures in the classroom.     

The reciprocal relationship between motivation and self-regulation: A longitudinal study on academic performance

While previous studies have examined the single directional effects of motivation constructs in influencing students' use of self-regulatory strategies, few attempts have been made to unravel their interrelationship in a unified framework. In this study we adopt the social cognitive perspective and examine the reciprocal interplay between motivation and self-regulation constructs (as measured by the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory) in influencing academic performance. Based on two waves of measurements obtained from a large sample of undergraduates from a university in Hong Kong, a cross-lagged structural equation model identified significant reciprocal effects whereby students' self-regulation predicted their subsequent motivation. After controlling for prior academic achievement, student motivation was also found to be the strongest predictor of academic performance. The findings from this study have major implications for the importance placed on motivation and self-regulation as means of facilitating academic success.     

The Role of Domains in the Conceptualization of Talent

In this article we present research concerning important aspects of domain-specific giftedness. Specifically, we address the evidence regarding the relationship between specific abilities and achievement. Empirical evidence suggests that specific abilities have been used widely and validly for identification of exceptional talent in performance domains, and mathematical and spatial reasoning ability have demonstrated predictive validity for achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. We note that domains of talent have unique trajectories and discuss four critical aspects of domain-specific giftedness. These include the developmental nature of giftedness (giftedness moves from potential to competency to expertise and possibly to eminence over time); the temporal nature of giftedness (that domains vary in their starting, peak, and ending points); the contextual aspect of giftedness (societal value of some domains over others, changing of domains and emergence of new domains, and the environmental influences in fostering domain-specific achievement); and the relative nature of giftedness (childhood giftedness is advancement relative to age peers, and adult giftedness is exceptional achievement relative to other domain experts). Finally, we present some implications of a domain perspective on giftedness for educational practice.     

Sampling Variability of Performance Assessments

In this article, performance assessments are cast within a sampling framework. More specifically, a performance assessment is viewed as a sample of student performance drawn from a complex universe defined by a combination of all possible tasks, occasions, raters, and measurement methods. Using generalizability theory, we present evidence bearing on the generalizability and convergent validity of performance assessments sampled from a range of measurement facets and measurement methods. Results at both the individual and school level indicate that task-sampling variability is the major source ofmeasurment error. Large numbers of tasks are needed to get a reliable measure of mathematics and science achievement at the elementary level. With respect to convergent validity, results suggest that methods do not converge. Students' performance scores, then, are dependent on both the task and method sampled.     

The influence of performance-based management on teaching and research performance of Finnish senior academics

Despite the widespread use of performance-based management in higher education, empirical research on its actual impact has remained scarce, particularly in Europe. With agency theory as a framework, our study utilised survey data collected from Finnish universities in order to explore the influence of performance management on perceived teaching and research performance of senior academics. Our findings suggest that, although academics hold a quite positive view of performance measurement as such, this attitude does not correlate with perceived high performance in either teaching or research. Moreover, our results suggest that perceived high performance among academics still relates primarily to acknowledgement from the academic community and academic achievement rather than to measurement and financial incentives.     

Class Size and Student Performance at a Public Research University: A Cross-Classified Model

This study addresses several methodological problems that have confronted prior research on the effect of class size on student achievement. Unlike previous studies, this analysis accounts for the hierarchical data structure of student achievement, where grades are nested within classes and students, and considers a wide range of class sizes across various disciplines. Based on data from undergraduate class sections at a single institution, the study provides consistent evidence of a negative effect of class size on grade performance, most substantially affecting the achievement of “A” grades with lesser effect on grades of “C” or higher. Because models with logarithmic specification show superior fit, this study also demonstrates that the effect of class size on students’ final grades diminishes as the class size increases. These findings suggest that a larger impact on student performance could be attained by further trimming enrollment in small classes than by reducing class size overall.     

Comparing opportunity to learn and student achievement gains in southern African primary schools: A new approach

A popular explanation for low student achievement in many developing countries’ primary schools is that students have relatively little opportunity to learn (OTL) the skills needed for academic success. However logical this explanation may be, surprisingly little empirical evidence has been presented to support it. In this paper we address this gap by estimating the effect of OTL on students’ academic performance using rich data we gathered on the teaching process in a large number of South African and Botswana Grade 6 classrooms. We use an innovative classroom fixed effects approach to estimate the impact of OTL on students’ mathematics achievement gains. We found statistically significant but very different results for our South Africa and Botswana samples. The discussion of those results in the context of differences in the two school systems gives us insights into the importance and limits of OTL as an explainer of student learning in low achievement schools.     

Academic Self-Handicapping: What We Know, What More There is to Learn

Some students put off studying until the last minute, fool around the night before a test, and otherwise reduce effort so that if their subsequent performance is low, these circumstances will be seen as the cause rather than lack of ability. These strategies are called self-handicapping because they often undermine performance. In this paper, we begin with a definition of academic self-handicapping. Next, we review our research in which we used achievement goal theory as a framework for examining academic handicapping among elementary and middle school students. We discuss the implications of the recent conceptualization of approach and avoidance components of performance goals for handicapping. We conclude with a consideration of some potentially fruitful future directions for research on academic self-handicapping, focusing particularly on individual differences in handicapping, contextual influences, and the methods used to study handicapping.     

Effects of performance objectives on achievement

The purpose of this investigation was to determine (1) the effects of performance objectives on the achievement level of low achieving black inner city pupils and (2) the effects of giving the students performance objectives prior to beginning instruction The population used in this study was selected from four predominantly black inner city schools. The results of the study show that training teachers to use performance objectives had a significant effect on student cognitive achievement. Although providing students copies of the objectives prior to study did not significantly affect their cognitive achievement, performance objectives, as an instructional technique, seem as effective as traditional methods of instruction currently used with low achievers.     

On Subject Variations in Achievement Motivations: A Study in Business Subjects

Student achievement motivations are crucial in learning in two ways: as a determinant and an aim of learning. In this study, we focus on two related questions with regard to achievement motivations: to what extent are they subject-specific, and to what extent are they malleable? Answers to both questions are especially important when aiming to influence motivations. Malleability of motivation is studied by designing structural equation models that explain achievement motivation out of the most stable student characteristics one can think of: gender, and personality traits. Subject matter variability is studied by estimating these models for five main subject areas in a business program. The motivation construct we use is based on the expectancy-value model and distinguishes four different facets: cognitive competence, difficulty, task-value and affect. We find evidence for strong subject-specificity and considerable non-malleability of achievement motivation; part of that last aspect is a remarkably constant over-confidence gender gap present in the data of the calibration of competency beliefs and performance in all subject areas.