Teacher support,growth language mindset,and academic engagement: The mediating role of L2 grit

Engagement as an essential factor for active and meaningful learning of English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) is affected by both learner external (e.g., teacher support) and internal (e.g., growth language mindset and L2 grit) factors. This study examined the relationship between perceived teacher support, growth language mindset, and academic engagement by considering the mediating role of L2 grit. The participants were 295 Iranian EFL learners selected via multi-stage cluster sampling. The SEM results indicated that perceived teacher support and growth language mindset directly and positively predicted academic engagement. Additionally, L2 grit mediated the relationships ‘between perceived teacher support and academic engagement’ and ‘between growth language mindset and academic engagement’. EFL learners receiving more teacher support and endorsing higher levels of growth language mindset can successfully overcome failures and difficulties in their learning process by showing more persistence in dealing with challenges and sustaining their interest, which could considerably enhance their engagement in learning.     

Teacher support and math engagement: roles of academic self-efficacy and positive emotions

The current study assessed 869 elementary school students in China using self-report questionnaires, to examine the multiple mediating effects of academic self-efficacy and positive academic emotions (enjoyment and relief) in the relations between teacher support and academic engagement (cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects) within a math class. The results indicated that teacher support exerted a direct and significant impact on the three aspects of math engagement. Both academic self-efficacy and enjoyment mediated the relations between teacher support and the three aspects of math engagement, whereas relief did not mediate such relations. Moreover, teacher support affected math engagement through multiple paths from academic self-efficacy to both enjoyment and relief. Relief displayed a smaller effect on the three aspects of math engagement than enjoyment did. However, we did not find substantial difference in the underlying mechanisms of different aspects of engagement. Limitations and educational implications were also discussed.     

Developmentally sensitive assistance and development: collaboration between Japanese EFL learners

This study investigates the extent to which Japanese learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are able to offer mediation to their peers while engaging in pair work, and whether that mediation is sensitive to the needs of their partner. Grounded in sociocultural theory, the study assesses the extent to which the study participants identify and respond to a partner’s developmental level, offering appropriate help. Further, evidence in the data of learner development is examined. Six first-year university learners of EFL participated in the study, and were placed in to three pairs. Each pair was given a set of pictures in random order, and was asked to construct a story from the pictures, first orally, then in writing, working together closely with their co-participant. The audio-recorded sessions were transcribed and analysed for instances of developmentally sensitive peer–peer assistance. Numerous examples were found throughout the data showing all study participants being capable and willing to offer such assistance to their peers. Further, evidence was found of the assistance leading to microgenetic development in task performance.     

The role of teachers' instrumental and emotional support in students' academic buoyancy,engagement, and academic skills: A study of high school and elementary school students in different national contexts

In this investigation of high school students (N = 2510) in Singapore (Study 1) and elementary school students (N = 119) in Australia (Study 2), we examined the role of instrumental and emotional forms of teacher support in students' academic buoyancy and academic outcomes (engagement and academic skills). In both studies, perceived instrumental support (but not perceived emotional support) was positively associated with academic buoyancy (moderate effect size in Study 1, large effect in Study 2). In Study 1, academic buoyancy was positively associated with students' academic engagement (specifically, effort and persistence [large effect], perceived importance of school [moderate effect], and feelings of school belonging [moderate effect]). In Study 2 academic buoyancy was positively associated with gains in students' academic skills and engagement (specifically, class participation [large effect] and future aspirations [large effect]). In both studies, there was tentative support for a mediating role of academic buoyancy linking students' perceived teacher support to academic outcomes.     

Envisioning a meaningful future and academic engagement: The role of parenting practices and school‐based relationships

In contrast to the focus on short‐term, extrinsic goals in our society (e.g., wealth, prestige), positive youth development scholars have highlighted the need for parents and schools to help youths cultivate and plan for long‐term, intrinsic, and meaningful goals (i.e., envisioning a meaningful future), arguing that envisioning a meaningful future is potentially inspiring and associated with better outcomes for youths. Envisioning a meaningful future includes being future‐oriented and planful and having a sense of purpose, a life focus that provides deep meaning to life and contributes to the good of society. This study used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect effects of parental and school relationships on envisioning a meaningful future and academic engagement in a diverse sample of adolescents (n = 624). Parental and school‐based relationships were positively associated with academic engagement, and this association was partially mediated by envisioning a meaningful future. Analyses revealed the importance of parental and school relationships in engaging youths in developing a vision for a meaningful future toward the goal of academic engagement. Variations between African‐Americans and Whites, and across grade and parental education levels are discussed.     

The role of motivation between perceived teacher support and student engagement in science class

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among the middle school students’ perceptions of science teacher support, students’ motivation and students’ engagement in learning science. Student motivation was addressed with task value and academic self-concept while student engagement included aspects of agentic, behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement. In the study, survey method was used and the data were collected though previously validated self-report questionnaires. Valid data were obtained from 1006 middle school students enrolled in one of the nine public schools in Turkey. The path analysis revealed that perceived science teacher’s support positively predicted students’ task value and academic self-concept in science. Furthermore, students who reported high levels of task value and academic self-concept showed higher levels of engagement in science. Accordingly, it seems important for science teachers to listen to the students, behave fairly and help them to solve their problems in order to motivate them for learning science and increase their engagement in science class.     

Personal and collective perceptions of social support: Implications for classroom engagement in early adolescence

The present study uses multilevel modeling to understand early adolescents’ individual and class-level perceptions of social support in relation to their behavioral and emotional engagement in math and science. To capture individual relationships, we examined students’ self-perceptions of classroom social satisfaction, best friend quality, and teacher-student relatedness. Between classrooms, we considered collective perceptions of peer and teacher support. Participants were 761 fifth (n = 412) and sixth grade (n = 349) students nested within 44 classrooms who were 52% female and ethnically diverse. Results indicated that both peer and teacher relationships are important for early adolescents’ behavioral engagement, but teachers play a primary role in shaping emotional engagement toward subject-area content. Moreover, both individual and classroom-level indicators of perceived support explained variation in children’s engagement outcomes, highlighting the complex nature of classroom social relationships that necessitate teachers’ consideration.     

Parent involvement and academic outcomes among urban adolescents: examining the role of school engagement

The present study examined the extent to which parent involvement in education was directly and indirectly (via school engagement) related to academic outcomes in an effort to more fully understand the school experiences of urban adolescents. Participants (80% racial/ethnic minority; n = 108) were in grades 6, 7 or 8. In the Fall and subsequent Spring youth completed in-school surveys with items on parental involvement in education, school engagement (affective, behavioural, cognitive engagement) and perceived academic competence. Grades were obtained from official school records. Findings showed that parental involved was positively associated with behavioural and cognitive engagement, which in turn contributed to academic competence and achievement. Results underscore the importance of parental involvement in adolescents’ engagement and academic success and highlight the importance of examining the multiple components of school engagement simultaneously, as we found differential effects for affective, behavioural, and cognitive engagement on academic competence and achievement.     

From autopsy to biopsy: A metacognitive view of lesson planning and teacher trainees in ELT

Lesson planning and implementation of those plans are complex and cognitively demanding for English Language Teacher trainees preparing for the profession. Many find it difficult to develop a lesson holistically and to maintain alignment across aims, procedural steps, and evaluation when planning and implementing a lesson. We attempted to address this problem by establishing a model of trainees’ action that included their deliberate metacognitive structuring of a lesson both in planning and review phases. Data from a first exploration of student thinking elicited by the model indicate positive shifts in trainees’ holistic thinking and a student-centeredness in the critical perspectives they took in both planning and review.     

Memories of a fledgling teacher: a beginning teacher's autobiography

By evoking the concept of memory pictures, the author recalls her early years as a teacher. Rather than calling herself a beginning teacher, she characterizes herself as a fledgling teacher to capture the insecurity associated with the first years of teaching. This experience is narrated through five memory pictures: (1) the new school's many rooms; (2) the staff‐room as an arena for curriculum interpretation; (3) the reading road; (4) solving mathematical problems in the classroom; and (5) the assembly hall. These five memory pictures are related to theories of learning, teacher education, visions for child‐centred education and the author's current practice as a teacher educator.     

The effects of cooperative learning on peer relations,academic support,and engagement in learning among students of color

Abstract

Despite Brown vs. Board of Education, prejudice still exists in the American school system. These attitudes can give rise to negative social experiences for students of color (i.e., discrimination), negatively impacting their mental and physical health and creating disparities in educational outcomes. Rather than seeking to ameliorate these negative experiences, our approach attempts to address the underlying prejudices and, in so doing, reduce these disparities. Using 4 waves of data from a cluster randomized trial (N?=?15 middle schools, 1,890 students, 47.1% female, 75.2% White), we hypothesized that cooperative learning, which has been shown to reduce prejudice in previous research, would create positive gains in peer relatedness, perceptions of academic support, and engagement in learning, and that gains would be larger for students of color; our results confirmed these hypotheses. Our findings highlight the potential role of cooperative learning in reducing disparities and creating greater equity in education.     

Improving Writing Skills of Thai EFL Students by Recognition of and Compensation for Factors of L 1 to L2 Negative Transfer

In this study, we examined the likelihood of a TAME （extended technology acceptance model）, in which the interrelationships among computer self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, intention to use and self-reported use of computer-mediated technology were tested. In addition, the gender- and age-invariant of its causal structure were evaluated. The data were collected from a self-reported questionnaire administered to 477 administrative staff of a public university in Malaysia. The results of structural equation modeling supported the adequacy of TAME. Although the TAME＇s causal structure was applicable to both male and female staff, age group appeared to moderate the structural relationships among the constructs of interest.     

The Role of First Language Transfer in Second Language Writing and Pedagogical Implications

The influence of first language(L1) involvement in second language(L2) writing has been a theme widely discussed since the research on L2 writing process thrived in the early 1980 s. So far extensive studies have indicated that L2 writing is a bilingual event and the use of L1 is a fairly common strategy among L2 writers. In light of this cognitive characteristic of L2 writing process,a wide range of studies have been carried out,seeking to further reveal what role L1 plays in L2 composing process and how L1 assumes its role during the process. However,there seems to be no consensus reached by the L2 writing researchers so far on whether L1 involvement facilitates or interferes L2 writing,which results in a lot of confusion and frustration in L2 writing teaching practices. Therefore,this paper tries to examine the conflicting views on the role of L1 transfer in L2 writing process and analyze the reasons and theories that may underlie this phenomenon for an attempt to elicit some pedagogical implications for future L2 writing teaching.     

The in-between spaces of capital and wealth: creating and sustaining academic success for English learners in middle school

Yosso’s community cultural wealth (CCW) shifted conversations about educational inequality from deficit perspectives to those that acknowledge the assets People of Color bring to school. CCW represents the accumulation of students' unique forms of capital, many of which have historically gone unrecognized by schools. This study applies CCW to the schooling experiences of bilingual middle school students who achieved English proficiency and enrolled in advanced coursework. Observations and in-depth interviews with students and their teachers revealed that merely possessing and identifying forms of capital is not enough to guarantee academic success. While students in this study benefitted from some forms of capital, they also possessed resources that lie dormant. Activating capital to transform into wealth required both student agency and support from outsiders. Implications from this study call for educators and researchers to work in spaces between capital and wealth.     

Ecological and intercultural citizenship in the primary English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom: an online project in Argentina

This article describes an online intercultural citizenship project concerning the environment in the primary English-language classroom carried out in 2013/2014 between Argentina and Denmark. It is part of a network of projects coordinated by Michael Byram that involves teachers and researchers in Europe, the US and East Asia. The project is framed within the theory of intercultural citizenship in the foreign-language classroom and it is the only study set in the primary school context. Furthermore, developments in Latin America in this field are scarce and the study intends to fill an empirical gap. Although the comparative perspective is ingrained in the project, the article describes mainly the Argentinian standpoint.

At the same time, and more generally (beyond language education), it will be argued, and shown, that the project can also be framed within the notion of ecological citizenship, understood as a new form of citizenship that presents new challenges to educators. While the notion of citizenship in formal education usually assumes nationalist and patriotic mindsets, in this project ecological citizenship offers a new framework that introduces an international, transnational or global perspective. Furthermore, citizenship education tends to be reserved to secondary civics and social studies classrooms and in this sense the focus on the primary school context and on the foreign-language classroom is innovative in this project.     

跨语言学习心理测评——来自中英文阅读动机和阅读水平的证据

在跨语言学习测评研究中,目前尚未有学者探究同一群体的中国学生的中英文学习心理是如何相互影响,并最终影响语言能力。为弥补这一研究空白,本研究调查了中国北京267名初中生中英文阅读动机,并同时测试他们的和中英文阅读能力。在八个维度的阅读动机中,对中文作为母语和英文作为外语的阅读动机进行量化对比,中文阅读动机在自我效能感、好奇心、投入度、消遣娱乐性、社会伙伴态度五个维度上的表现高于英文阅读动机;而在学业成绩、工具性、社会家庭态度三个维度上,两者没有差异。同时,相关分析表明工具性与英文阅读水平密切相关;消遣娱乐性与中文阅读水平密切相关。此外,多元线性回归分析显示,不同维度的阅读动机分别解释中英文阅读水平的差异。这些研究结果验证了阅读动机的跨语言性迁移特征,不同的阅读动机对中英文阅读水平起着不同作用。文章最后对中英文阅读教学提出了指导意见。     

Make or break: the role and support needs of academic advisors in work-integrated learning courses

ABSTRACT

The role of academic advisors in work-integrated learning courses is crucial to student success, yet poorly understood. This research aimed to understand the role and support needs of academic advisors by conducting interviews, a survey, and a focus group within a service learning program in Queensland, Australia. Participants identified rewards in observing student transformation and supporting students to contribute to social justice causes. However, the role had high demands in terms of pastoral support. Although academic advisors reported strong support mechanisms, they identified gaps in supporting them to meet the needs of international students and students with mental health issues. Academic advisors need strong mentoring or supervisory support to deal with diverse student issues, clear processes for tracking and managing students, training and resources to deal with special needs students, and opportunities for team building and bonding. Supporting academic advisors could help to better support students to successfully complete internships.     

How teacher emotional support motivates students: The mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness,autonomy support,and competence

Multilevel mediation analyses test whether students' mid-year reports of classroom experiences of autonomy, relatedness with peers, and competence mediate associations between early in the school year emotionally-supportive teacher-student interactions (independently observed) and student-reported academic year changes in mastery motivation and behavioral engagement. When teachers were observed to be more emotionally-supportive in the beginning of the school year, adolescents reported academic year increases in their behavioral engagement and mastery motivation. Mid-year student reports indicated that in emotionally-supportive classrooms, adolescents experienced more developmentally-appropriate opportunities to exercise autonomy in their day-to-day activities and had more positive relationships with their peers. Analyses of the indirect effects of teacher emotional support on students' engagement and motivation indicated significant mediating effects of autonomy and peer relatedness experiences, but not competence beliefs, in this sample of 960 students (ages 11–17) in the classrooms of 68 middle and high school teachers in 12 U.S. schools.     

严肃游戏在尼日利亚小学非母语英语课程教学中的应用研究

该研究旨在探讨在尼日利亚拉各斯市的小学里将在线严肃游戏《Mingoville》与英语作为第二语言的教与学的整合应用。研究采用个案研究法,对202位小学生和9位教师进行采访、观察、记录和录像。研究发现：学生认为将严肃游戏运用于自己的学习能够激发自己的学习兴趣;严肃游戏增强了学生的英语语言技能;应用严肃游戏的课堂上不同的因素可能会使学生受激励或失去动力;教师是游戏整合于教学的关键角色等。研究结论为严肃游戏进入课堂教学的相关实践提供借鉴。