The transitional stages in the PhD degree in mathematics in terms of students’ motivation

This paper presents results of a longitudinal study in the transition to independent graduate studies in mathematics. The analysis of the data collected from 24 students doing a PhD in mathematics revealed the existence of three transitional stages within the PhD degree, namely Adjustment, Expertise and Articulation. The focus is on the first two transitional stages, since the data collection focused mainly on these. Based on the first two transitional stages and the students’ ways of dealing with them, which were called ‘survival strategies’, three types of students were identified. The importance of motivation for each transitional stage and the successful transition overall are considered as well.     

‘It’s the most important thing – I mean,the schooling’: father involvement in the education of children with autism

Father involvement in education has been shown to result in a range of positive outcomes for typically developing children. However, the nature of paternal involvement in the education of children with disabilities and especially autism has been under-researched and is little understood. This study aimed to explore the nature of the involvement of 25 UK fathers in the education and their children with autism, aged up to 19 years through the use of semistructured interviews. Findings showed that fathers were highly engaged both directly and indirectly across several dimensions of their children’s education and schooling. Key areas of indirect engagement were involvement in administrative processes necessary for securing an appropriate educational placement; facilitating daily access to school and general support of children’s progress through attendance at school-based meetings and events. Direct support for learning occurred through homework assistance and working on school-related goal. Findings are discussed in relation to diversity and generative models of fatherhood. Implications for greater father inclusion in the education of children with autism are explored with reference to a gender-differentiated approach.     

In the eyes of the beholder: students’ and teachers’ judgments of students’ motivation

This study was designed to examine the nature and accuracy of teachers’ judgments about students’ motivation related to mathematics. Seventeen fourth- through sixth-grade teachers and 100 of their students participated in this study. Teachers were asked to rate six target students’ motivation four times during the school year. At each of these times students also rated their own motivation. Teachers’ ratings were more stable over time and across mathematics topics and were less differentiated across motivation dimensions than were students’ ratings. The findings suggest that teachers need to pay careful attention to evidence related to children's motivation that might contradict their perceptions and therefore support more effective interventions.     

ESL students’ perceptions and experiences of standardized English writing tests

The present study interviewed 16 international students (13 from Mainland China and 3 from Taiwan) in a Canadian university to explore their perceptions and experiences of two standardized English writing tests: the TWE (Test of Written English) and the essay task in LPI (English Language Proficiency Index). In Western Canada, TWE is used as an entrance test for international students who speak English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) whereas LPI is required, in many post-secondary institutions, for all incoming ESL/EFL students and some native-English-speaking students whose final English mark from high school is below a certain level. As international students, all participants in the study passed TWE but many took LPI repeatedly before passing it. At the time of the interviews, five still had not passed LPI. Relevant findings illustrate that many participants passed TWE by relying on memorization of writing samples whereas they failed LPI because they lacked skills in constructing their own texts. The participants’ complaints about culturally biased essay prompts in LPI and a lack of understanding of what is expected of LPI also raise questions about the validity of the test from the students’ perspectives. The study generates pedagogical implications for standardized writing tests involving ESL undergraduates from various cultural backgrounds.     

Longitudinal reciprocal effects between teachers’ judgments of students’ aptitude,students’ motivation,and grades in math

We investigated whether teachers’ judgments of students’ aptitude had reciprocal effects on students’ motivation and math grades. We expected that teachers’ judgments of students’ aptitude would predict students’ grades and motivation, and that teachers’ judgments would also be predicted by these two aspects. A sample of N = 519 elementary school students was investigated at four measurement occasions from the end of third until the end of fourth grade. Students reported their self-concepts and intrinsic task values in math. Teachers (N = 27) judged students’ aptitude in math and provided students’ math grades. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that students’ prior grades and prior self-concepts (but not intrinsic task values) had positive effects on teachers’ subsequent judgments of student aptitude. Also, teachers’ prior judgments of student aptitude predicted students’ subsequent grades but not motivation. The findings underscore the importance of teachers’ judgments for students’ achievement development and give insights into which students’ motivational variables influence teachers’ perceptions of students’ aptitude.     

Teachers’ perceptions of students’ additional support needs: in the eye of the beholder?

Nowadays, teachers are regarded as key players in the process of identifying and catering to students’ additional support needs within mainstream primary classrooms. However, teachers’ professional judgements regarding students with special needs have been found to be contextually influenced (e.g. by school context, student population, level of achievement). It is unclear whether teachers’ perceptions of their students’ actual support needs are also influenced by their personal and professional characteristics. Hence, a better understanding of the value of teachers’ perceptions regarding students’ needs is needed. Therefore, this study explored perceptions of 109 Dutch mainstream primary teachers regarding four dimensions of students’ additional support. It addressed whether these teacher-perceived students’ needs are affected by teachers’ years of experience, level of training, personality traits and self-efficacy beliefs. It was found that teachers’ perceptions of students’ needs were relatively unbiased by their personal and professional characteristics.     

Predictors of students’ intrinsic motivation in school physical education

The aim of the present study was to examine the relations of students’ intrinsic motivation in physical education lessons with factors such as perceived locus of causality, perceived competence and outcome expectancies. Five hundred sixteen students of grades 7–12 participated in the study. The students were randomly selected from three schools located in a medium sized town in Greece. Perceived locus of causality was examined using Ryan and Connell’s (1989) motivational orientation scales, while intrinsic motivation was assessed by means of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Ryan, 1982). Outcome expectancies for ten possible outcomes of school physical education were assessed by means of two different scales, namely outcome evaluation and outcome likelihood. Causal modelling analysis showed that intrinsic motivation was mainly influenced by perceived usefulness which in turned was influenced by outcome expectations. Moreover, outcome expectations also influenced perceived locus of causality. These results show that students’ outcome expectancies for their participation in school physical education is an important factor influencing their intrinsic motivation.     

‘It doesn’t seem like work,it seems like good fun’: perceptions of primary students on the use of Handheld Game Consoles in mathematics classes

A Chinese proverb suggests ‘Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.’ How to involve or engage today’s learner is at the forefront of much educational research and was the impetus for the study reported herein. This study explored the perceptions of Year 4/5 students from nine separate schools in Western Australia about the use of the Handheld Game Console (HGC) Nintendo DS to develop mental mathematics skills. It revealed that students perceived the use of the HGCs as both fun and engaging. Further, students identified that they were challenged, developed strategies for success and made independent choices during these classes. These discussions are presented as a framework of factors that impacted on the participating students’ self-improvement, self-determination and self-esteem.     

Impact of multimedia on students’ perceptions of the learning environment in mathematics classrooms

We investigated (1) whether the learning environment perceptions of students in classes frequently exposed to multimedia differed from those of students in classes that were not, (2) whether exposure to multimedia was differentially effective for males and females and (3) relationships between students’ perceptions of the learning environment and student engagement in classes that were exposed to multimedia. The sample involved 365 high-school students in 16 classes, nine that were frequently exposed to multimedia and seven that were not. Two instruments were administered to students: one to assess students’ perceptions of the learning environment and another to assess student engagement. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups for all of the learning environment scales, as well as statistically significant interactions between exposure to multimedia and sex for three learning environment scales (Involvement, Task Orientation and Equity). Finally, the learning environment in mathematics classes that involved multimedia was related to student engagement. These results offer potentially important insights into how student exposure to multimedia could promote more positive learning environments and improve student engagement in mathematics.     

‘It's the best job in the world,but one of the hardest,loneliest, most misunderstood roles in a school.’ Understanding the complexity of the SENCO role post-SEND reform

In schools, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) could be considered a key policy implementer of special educational needs and inclusive policy. Issues related to time, status and the effective facilitation of the SENCO role have been reported on extensively, yet literature has predominantly focused on the role prior to the introduction of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms in 2014. This paper reports on research which explored the SENCO role post-reform. The research aimed to understand how widely the role varied across differing educational settings and phases, whilst also exploring the breadth and depth of the role, post-SEND reform. The research design was mixed methods and had two phases: online focus groups (n = 15), followed by a national online survey (n = 1903). The findings suggest that the facilitation of the SENCO role remains problematic post-reform. Constraints include the time to undertake responsibilities, the increasing breadth of the role and how the role is understood by others. This combined with increased external bureaucracy, budgetary constraints and a lack of consistency nationally has led to a situation where only approximately one-third of SENCOs intend to remain in the role in five years’ time.     

The effects of an active learning intervention in biology on college students’ classroom motivational climate perceptions,motivation, and achievement

This study examined differences in students’ classroom motivational climate perceptions and motivational beliefs between those enrolled in undergraduate Biology courses that implemented an innovative, active learning intervention and those enrolled in traditional Biology courses (control group). This study also sought to determine whether students’ classroom motivational climate perceptions and motivational beliefs mediated the effect of the intervention on course grades. Participants were 962 college students attending a large US public university. Students self-selected into one of the biology courses were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Multiple regression analyses indicated that students receiving the intervention reported greater instructor support, a perception of higher expectations for understanding (academic press), and a greater feeling that the course was interesting (situational interest). They also held higher self-efficacy and value for their biology course at completion compared to their counterparts in traditional biology classrooms. Moreover, mediation analyses indicated that the effect of the intervention on course grades was better explained through students’ classroom motivational climate perceptions and motivational beliefs. Results gained from this intervention may be useful to other campuses interested in enhancing student motivation and success even when faced with large enrolments and minimal faculty and staff support.     

Teachers’ estimates of their students’ motivation and engagement: being in synch with students

Being aware of, monitoring and responding constructively to students’ signals of motivation and to students’ signals of engagement represent two important teaching skills. We hypothesised, however, that teachers would better estimate their students’ engagement than they would estimate their students’ motivation. To test this hypothesis, Korean high-school teachers rated three aspects of motivation and four aspects of engagement for each student in their class, while students completed questionnaires to provide referent self-reports of these same aspects of their motivation and engagement. Multi-level analyses showed that, after statistically controlling for the potentially confounding information of student achievement, teachers’ engagement estimates corresponded significantly to their students’ self-reports while their motivation estimate did not. These findings validate teachers’ skill in inferring their students’ classroom engagement and lead to the recommendation that teachers monitor classroom engagement to be in synch with their students during instruction.     

Secondary school students’ perceptions of, and the factors influencing their decision-making in relation to, VET in schools

This paper addresses the issue of Vocational Education and Training in Schools — an issue that has recently attracted significant political attention particularly in light of current national skills shortage in Australia. Specifically, it investigates secondary school students’ perceptions of VET in Schools [VETiS]. It also explores the factors influencing their decision-making in relation to VETiS — that is, why one might choose, or choose not, to enrol in a VETiS course of study. In view of the findings presented, the paper argues that VET, and more particularly VETiS, is experiencing an “image problem” — one underscored by the need for curriculum design and delivery reform — and suggests that there is much work still to be done on the VET agenda.     

‘Certified to make a difference’: the motivation and perceptions of newly qualified early years teachers in England

The last 20 years have brought numerous workforce reforms to the early years sector, enacted in the name of professionalisation, including the recent introduction of a new postgraduate qualification, the Early Years Teacher Status. This article features data from interviews with 22 participants who had just completed this award and situates their views in the relevant policy context and alongside a discussion of what it means to professionalise the early years sector and create a graduate led workforce. The data support findings from similar studies of Early Years Professionals, namely that the interviewees are passionate about working with young children. They view the sector as in need of change, and themselves as potential leaders and agents of change. The participants endorse the view that up-skilling the workforce is essential to the professionalisation of the sector and improving the quality of early years education.     

Seeing the ‘new’ in light of the ‘old’: evolving interpretations of a new national English curriculum

This 2‐year longitudinal study explores the process by which three populations of practitioners (mentors, co‐ordinators, and teachers) interpreted a national curriculum involving a change in policies for teaching English as a foreign language. The analysis revealed that the process of managing the changes brought about by the new curriculum yielded ‘dialogues of practice’ between ‘old’ and ‘new’. These dialogues engaged mentors, co‐ordinators, and teachers alike in mediating between new understandings and old ones. It addresses the ways in which they made sense of the terminology of the new curriculum in light of the old curriculum, negotiated between new pedagogical content knowledge and ingrained conceptions of subject‐matter teaching, adapted old understandings of testing to new conceptions of performance‐assessment processes, and mediated between their need to preserve a sense of professional competence while feeling destabilized as ‘novices’ as they confronted innovative curricular practices. Participants' strategic need to ‘survive’ the changes resulted in the development of networks to support professional exchange and assist teachers in managing their way through the uncertainty of curricular change.     

Parents’ perceptions of secondary school students’ motivation and well-being before and during the COVID-19 lockdown: the moderating role of student characteristics

During the COVID-19 lockdown of spring 2020, Dutch children were being homeschooled. We examined how parents’ (n = 470) perceptions of secondary school students’ (M_age = 14.23 years) need satisfaction, academic motivation and well-being differed before the lockdown (assessed retrospectively) and during the lockdown. Furthermore, we examined the differential impact of the lockdown for different groups of children based on parental educational level, academic track, gender and special educational needs (SEN). Results indicated that students’ motivation and well-being as perceived by parents decreased during the lockdown and this could be explained by decreases in need satisfaction. Most student characteristics did not moderate the effects of the lockdown, except for SEN. The lockdown effects were less negative for children with SEN, especially gifted children and children with behavioural disabilities, than for children without SEN. Results are discussed with regard to their practical implications after the lockdown and for future lockdowns.     

Temporal stability of teachers’ judgment accuracy of students’ motivation,emotion, and achievement

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Numerous studies have focused on the significance and consequences of teacher judgment; the development of teachers’ judgment accuracy over time,...     

‘I assume they don't think!’: teachers’ perceptions of Normal Technical students in Singapore

Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about students in a particular grouping hierarchy are shaped by their ideological views. Within education systems that have high international profiles, such as Singapore, what has been less explored is how teachers think about and interact with students who are seemingly positioned as being ‘low-ability’ or ‘low achieving’ within disadvantaged education contexts. This paper accordingly examines teachers’ perceptions of ‘Normal Technical’ students in Singapore. The findings underscore the need to understand teachers’ interpretations and thinking about teaching and learning processes that influence classroom practice. This is a necessary starting point for pedagogical innovation and change in schools.