Competitive comparison in music: influences upon self-efficacy beliefs by gender

This study profiles gender differences in instrumental performance self-efficacy perceptions of high school students (N?=?87) over the course of a three-day orchestra festival in which students competed against one another for rank-based seating and then rehearsed and performed as a group. Reported self-beliefs rose significantly for the sample over the course of the festival. Self-efficacy beliefs of females were significantly lower than those of males before the seating audition and first rehearsal, but were no longer different by the midpoint of the festival. Survey free-response data were coded according to Bandura's (1997 Bandura, A. 1997. Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W. H. Freeman. [Google Scholar]) four sources of self-efficacy. A 52% drop in the frequency of student comments regarding competitive comparison appeared at the same point in which female self-efficacy beliefs were no longer different from those of males. Results support past research to suggest that males and females may respond differently to rank-based competition versus social support.     

Coping with bullying and victimisation among preadolescents: the moderating effects of self-efficacy

Bullying and victimisation may result from ineffective coping with interpersonal stressors. However, little is known about the preadolescents who are most susceptible to dysfunctional coping styles. Self-efficacy beliefs may be one source of individual differences in coping among those involved in bullying and victimisation. The purpose of the present research was to examine whether links between bullying/victimisation and coping were moderated by self-efficacy beliefs. Participants were 262 Greek preadolescents who completed self-report assessments of bullying/victimisation, coping, and self-efficacy. Results indicated that self-efficacy moderated the association between bullying/victimisation and coping, in that greater use of ineffective coping (i.e., resignation, passive avoidance) predicted bullying and victimisation among preadolescents with moderate and low levels of social and emotional self-efficacy, whereas greater use of adaptive coping (i.e., positive self-instructions, social support) was reported by those with higher self-efficacy beliefs. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

The influence of academic self-efficacy on academic performance: A systematic review

This review integrates 12 years of research on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and university student's academic performance, and known cognitive and motivational variables that explain this relationship. Previous reviews report moderate correlations between these variables, but few discuss mediating and moderating factors that impact this relationship. Systematic searches were conducted in April 2015 of psychological, educational, and relevant online databases for studies investigating academic self-efficacy and performance in university populations published between September 2003 and April 2015. Fifty-nine papers were eligible. Academic self-efficacy moderately correlated with academic performance. Several mediating and moderating factors were identified, including effort regulation, deep processing strategies and goal orientations. Given the paucity of longitudinal studies identified in this review, further research into how these variables relate over time is necessary in order to establish causality and uncover the complex interaction between academic self-efficacy, performance, and motivational and cognitive variables that impact it.     

Paradox of student gender: a case study of economic education from China

In many Chinese universities and colleges, female students outperform male students in social science subjects. This paper presents a case study, which examines gender difference in economic education in a Chinese university. We look at a sample of students from the Chinese university and find that holding constant observed student characteristics, female students on average appear to earn higher scores than male students and the gender difference is primarily driven by low achieving students. We further find that the gender difference in exam scores is not because of female students' ability, family background and other unobservable student characteristics. Instead, it is simply a result of female students exerting more effort than male students. We finally explore a wide range of possible explanations for the gender difference in diligence, but find little support for any of the explanations.     

Role of academic self-efficacy in moderating the relation between task importance and test anxiety

Emphasizing task importance, which is regarded as a way of motivating engaged behavior, may increase an individual's anxiety. The present research investigated whether academic self-efficacy could moderate the maladaptive relation between task importance and test anxiety. 1978 and 1670 Grade 9 Singaporean students participated in a survey related to their learning experience and motivational processes in math and English respectively. Results from both samples showed convergent findings that high levels of task importance were related to high levels of test anxiety, whereas high levels of academic self-efficacy were related to low levels of test anxiety. Most importantly, academic self-efficacy moderated the relation between task importance and test anxiety—the maladaptive relation between task importance and test anxiety was significantly weaker when academic self-efficacy was higher. Implications of findings are discussed.     

Relationships among individual task self-efficacy,self-regulated learning strategy use and academic performance in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment

This study investigates relationships between self-efficacy, self-regulated learning strategy use and academic performance. Participants were 96 undergraduate students working on projects with three subtasks (idea generation task, methodical task and data collection) in a blended learning environment. Task self-efficacy was measured with self-reports administered during each subtask. Learning strategies were assessed by counting each instance of strategy use as it occurred in peer-to-peer conversations typed into a computer software system. Results showed that for each subtask, learners with higher task self-efficacy had higher task performance. Those who used more learning strategies on each subtask also had higher performance. In turn, high performance was associated with high self-efficacy on subsequent subtasks. Surprisingly, results showed that task self-efficacy and learning strategy use were not significantly related during any subtask. Overall, results imply that task self-efficacy, learning strategy use and past performance are important predictors of task performance.     

Student evaluations of teaching: perceptions of faculty based on gender,position, and rank

The current study explores the feelings and thoughts that faculty have about their student evaluations of teaching (SET). To assess the perceptions of SETs, all teaching faculty in one college at a western Land Grant University were asked to complete an anonymous online survey. The survey included demographic questions (i.e. gender; rank such as assistant, associate, and full professor; and positions like non-tenure track, tenure track, and tenured) as well as questions related to faculty's feelings while reading their SETs. While minimal differences were found in responses based on rank or position, several differences were found based on faculty gender. Overall, female faculty appear to be more negatively impacted by student evaluations than male faculty. These gender differences support previous research that suggests males and females receive and react differently to personal evaluation. Resultant suggestions include modifying surveys from anonymous to confidential and offering professional development training for faculty.     

The influence of student gender on the assessment of undergraduate student work

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived student gender on the feedback given to undergraduate student work. Participants (n = 12) were lecturers in higher education and were required to mark two undergraduate student essays. The first student essay that all participants marked was the control essay. Participants were informed that the control essay was written by Samuel Jones (a male student). Participants then marked the target essay. Although participants marked the same essay, half of the participants (n = 6) were informed that the student essay was written by Natasha Brown (a female student), while the remaining participants were informed that it was written by James Smith (a male student). In-text and end-of-text feedback were qualitatively analysed on six dimensions: academic style of writing; criticality; structure, fluency and cohesion; sources used; understanding/knowledge of the subject; and other. Analysis of feedback for both the control and target essay revealed no discernible differences in the number of comments (strengths of the essay, areas for improvement) made and the content and presentation of these comments between the two groups. Pedagogical implications pertaining to the potential impact of anonymous marking on feedback processes are discussed.     

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.     

PowerPoint多媒体课件的超链接与Flash插入技巧

与其他多媒体制作软件相比,PowerPoint制作周期短、修改方便、便于呈现,在日常教学中被普遍使用。为增强PowerPoint多媒体课件的交互性和灵活性,掌握PowerPoint制作多媒体课件过程中一些超链接的使用及Flash插入技巧,有利于增强多媒体课件的交互性和灵活性。     

Developing essay writing skills: an evaluation of the modelling behaviour method and the influence of student self-efficacy

Social cognitive learning theory has shown that observational learning positively influences essay writing development in high-school students, and that self-efficacy impacts on motivation. This study investigated the relative contribution of model observation, model evaluation, post-submission feedback, and factors relating to self-efficacy, as measured through academic confidence, in the essay writing development of 142 university students. The research compared students’ essay marks between two semesters in order to explore whether observational learning had an impact on the development of the complex skills involved. The results revealed that all students benefit from traditional feedback and higher levels of self-efficacy when developing their essay writing performance. Underperforming students particularly benefited from actual essay writing. However, contrary to the predictions drawn from the literature, students in this study did not appear to benefit from observational learning when developing their skills. Limits to social learning theory are discussed.     

Learner self-efficacy,goal orientation,and academic achievement: exploring mediating and moderating relationships

ABSTRACT

Within the context of Pintrich’s self-regulated learning model, recent reviews of the literature show that motivational factors are the strongest predictors of academic performance. Even so, gaps remain in terms of which goal orientation constructs area most strongly related to performance, and whether academic self-efficacy is involved in such relationships, either as mediator or moderator. This study addresses these gaps using a sample of 478 university students; 409 females aged 17–62 (M?=?23.28, SD?=?7.22) and 69 males, aged 18–47 (M?=?22.5, SD?=?6.31). Analyses revealed that academic self-efficacy (ASE) mediated relationships between both mastery and performance-approach goal orientation with achievement, though the mediation effect was larger for the relationship involving mastery approach goal orientation. ASE did not moderate the relationship between performance-approach goal orientation and achievement. Findings suggest teaching programmes should foster learning environments that encourage persistence and effort when learning, and consider how course delivery and feedback can enhance academic self-efficacy, regardless of the goal orientation adopted by students.     

Encouraging mathematics participation through improved self-efficacy: a school counseling outcomes study

This article presents findings from a study investigating the effects of a middle school counseling intervention, using a specially designed curriculum, on participating students' attitudes, self-efficacy, and performance in mathematics. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test for main effects between condition and sex and condition x sex interaction effects on all outcome measures across 3 time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up. At pre-intervention, boys were significantly higher than girls on all variables except for performance in math. Models for growth indicated that students in the experimental group improved at a significant rate compared to girls in the control group on motivation, value, enjoyment, and confidence in mathematics. Implications of the findings are therefore particularly relevant for girls, who may benefit from interventions designed to increase their attitudes and self-efficacy for mathematics.     

Student perceptions of assessment and student self-efficacy in competence-based education

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the interplay between student perceptions of competence-based assessment and student self-efficacy, and how this influences student learning outcomes. Results reveal that student perceptions of the form authenticity aspect and the quality feedback aspect of assessment do predict student self-efficacy, confirming the role of mastery experiences and social persuasions in enhancing student self-efficacy as stated by social cognitive theory. Findings do not confirm mastery experiences as being a stronger source of self-efficacy information than social persuasions. Study results confirm the predictive role of students’ self-efficacy on their competence outcomes. Mediation analysis results indicate that student’s perceptions of assessment have an indirect effect on student’s competence evaluation outcomes through student’s self-efficacy. Study findings highlight which assessment characteristics, positively influencing students’ learning, contribute to the effectiveness of competence-based education. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are indicated.     

Playing under surveillance: gender,performance and the conduct of the self in a primary school playground

This article offers interpretations of play, in a school playground, where adult regulation and surveillance framed its enactment. Children, well aware of being watched, negotiated this through various forms of play, circumscribed by, but also playing with, adult supervision. The children were also subject to the rules governing particular age cohorts and both age and gender figured significantly in the patterns of play observed. The article argues further that, with a strong institutional emphasis on the divisions of the school day and of playtime itself, children also learnt the habits of shifting – from participation to non-participation and between modes of self-conduct. They thus became accustomed to the demands of frequent emotional and behavioural transitions and to the rhythms of the school’s organisation of time.     

Example-based learning: Effects of different types of examples on student performance,cognitive load and self-efficacy in a statistical learning task

Previous research has indicated the disconnect between example-based research focusing on worked examples (WEs) and that focusing on modeling examples. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effect of four different types of examples from the two separate lines of research, including standard WEs, erroneous WEs, expert (masterly) modeling examples, and peer (coping) modeling examples, on student performance (knowledge retention, near transfer, and far transfer), cognitive load, and self-efficacy. One hundred and sixteen students participated in the study by undergoing computer-based instruction in one of the four versions differing in how examples were provided. The results showed that, overall, expert modeling examples were most effective in promoting knowledge retention, near transfer, and far transfer, while peer modeling examples were shown to be superior in fostering self-efficacy among the four different types of examples.     

Teacher-student relationship and mathematical problem-solving ability: mediating roles of self-efficacy and mathematical anxiety

Abstract

This study investigated the mediating roles of self-efficacy and anxiety on the effects of teacher–student relationship on mathematical problem-solving ability. A total of 1667 fifth graders from central China participated in the large-scale survey. The findings indicated that (1) teacher–student relationship had a direct and positive effect on students’ mathematical problem-solving ability; (2) the positive link between teacher–student relationship and mathematical problem-solving ability was partially mediated through self-efficacy; (3) the teacher–student relationship affected students’ mathematical problem-solving ability through self-efficacy and maths anxiety, but the effect of self-efficacy on mathematical anxiety was smaller. Implications for the importance of teacher–student relationships in education as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Correlations,trends and potential biases among publicly accessible web-based student evaluations of teaching: a large-scale study of RateMyProfessors.com data

Student evaluations of teaching are widely adopted across academic institutions, but there are many underlying trends and biases that can influence their interpretation. Publicly accessible web-based student evaluations of teaching are of particular relevance, due to their widespread use by students in the course selection process and the quantity of data available for analysis. In this study, data from the most popular of these websites, RateMyProfessors.com, is analysed for correlations between measures of instruction quality, easiness, physical attractiveness, discipline and gender. This study of 7,882,980 RateMyProfessors ratings (from 190,006 US professors with at least 20 student ratings) provides further insight into student perceptions of academic instruction and possible variables in student evaluations. Positive correlations were observed between ratings of instruction quality and easiness, as well as between instruction quality and attractiveness. On average, professors in science and engineering disciplines have lower ratings than in the humanities and arts. When looking at RateMyProfessors as a whole, the effect of a professor’s gender on rating criteria is small but statistically significant. When analysing the data as a function of discipline, however, the effects of gender are significantly more pronounced, albeit more complex. The potential implications are discussed.     

The effect of phubbing,a behavioral problem,on academic procrastination: The mediating and moderating role of academic self-efficacy

Our preoccupation with smartphones affects our attitudes. Our changing attitudes also create disruptions in our daily routines. Smartphones, the most common technological device we use, have exposed individuals to phubbing behavior. The behavioral problem we define as phubbing causes disruptions and procrastination in our academic responsibilities. In this study, the relationship between phubbing frequency and academic procrastination tendencies of students and the effect of academic self-efficacy on this relationship were performed. For this purpose, in this study, the mediator and moderator role of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between academic procrastination and phubbing was examined. The study group of the research consisted of 518 students in late adolescence from Turkey. 323 (62.4%) of the participants were females and 195 (37.6%) of them were males (Mage = 19.4 years). They completed questionnaires measuring phubbing tendency, academic procrastination, academic self-efficacy, and personal information form. It was found that academic self-efficacy was a partial mediator in the relationship between academic procrastination and phubbing. In addition, academic self-efficacy also had a moderator effect. According to these results, it can be said that the acquisition of academic self-efficacy can reduce the negative effects of phubbing, which is a behavioral problem, and the tendency to academic procrastination.     

Predicting self-efficacy in test preparation: Gender,value, anxiety,test performance,and strategies

Considerable evidence indicates that self-efficacy, task value, anxiety, and the use of language learning strategies are related. However, there is currently an insufficient understanding about their relations in high-stakes testing contexts. The author aimed to investigate how well social factors, test value, anxiety, test performance, and learning strategies predict high school students' self-efficacy in preparing for the English listening test as part of the University Entrance Examination in Taiwan. This research involved a large-scale questionnaire survey and a collection of students' English test scores. The participants were 636 students in Grade 12 of high school in Taiwan. A quantitative analysis of the questionnaire was conducted via hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that students' recent English test performance and test anxiety were two strong predictors of self-efficacy in preparing for the high-stakes test. In addition, resource management and metacognitive listening strategies had better predictive power over prior English level and test value.