Computing and the social organization of academic work

This article discusses the academic computing movement during the 1980s. We focus on the Faculty Workstations Project at Brown University, where major computing initiatives were undertaken during the 1980s. Six departments are compared: chemistry, cognitive and linguistic sciences, geology, music, neural science, and sociology. We discuss the theoretical implications of our study for conceptualizing the relationship of computing to academic work.An early version of this article was originally published as: Technological Innovation in Higher Education: A Case Study in Academic Computing. In Morell, J. and Fleischer, M. (Eds.), (1991),Advances in the Implementation and Impact of Computer Systems, Vol. 1, JAI Press, Greenwich, Connecticut, pp. 183–209.     

Fear of failure, 2 × 2 achievement goal and self-handicapping: An examination of the hierarchical model of achievement motivation in physical education

In this study, the hierarchical model of achievement motivation [Elliot, A. J. (1997). Integrating the “classic” and “contemporary” approaches to achievement motivation: A hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. In P. Pintrich & M. Maehr (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement (Vol. 10, pp. 143–179). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press] is used to investigate the motivational mechanism behind the relationship between fear of failure and self-handicapping adoption. A cross-sectional design was employed. The participants were 691 college students enrolled in physical education in Taiwan. Students completed the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PEAI-S; Conroy, D. E., Willow, J. P., & Metzler, J. N. (2002). Multidimensional measurement of fear of failure: The performance failure appraisal inventory. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14, 76–90), the Chinese 2 × 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire for Physical Education (CAGQ-PE; Chen, L. H. (2007). Construct validity of Chinese 2 × 2 achievement goal questionnaire in physical education: Evidence from collectivistic culture. Paper presented at the 5th conference of the Asian South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology. Bangkok, Thailand) and the Self-Handicapping Scale (SHS; Wu, C. H., Wang, C. H., & Lin, Y. C. (2004). The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of self-handicap scale for sport. Journal of Higher Education in Physical Education, 6(1), 139–148). Structural equation modeling was conducted. Generally, the results showed that mastery-avoidance and performance-avoidance goals partially mediated the relationship between fear of failure and self-handicapping. The results are discussed in terms of the hierarchical model of achievement motivation, and its implications for physical education are also highlighted.     

Book Review

Higher education, policy, and the global competition phenomenon by Laura M. Portnoi, Val D. Rust, & Sylvia S. Bagley (Eds.), New York: Palgrave Macmillian, 2010. 284 Pp.

Advancing global education: Patterns of potential human progress (vol. 2), by Jane R. Dickson, Barry B. Hughes and Mohammod T. Irfan, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2010, 333 Pp.     

The influence of achievement goal orientation on plagiarism

This investigation considered how undergraduate students with different achievement goal orientation profiles view plagiarism. Thai student volunteers (N = 867) completed an achievement goal survey [Niemivirta, M. (1998). Individual differences in motivational and cognitive factors affecting self-regulated learning — A pattern-oriented approach. In P. Nenninger, R. S. Jäger, A. Frey, & M. Woznitza (Eds.), Advances in motivation (pp. 23–42). Landau, DE: Verlad Empirische Pädagogik] and a “Dimensions of Plagiarism” survey [Koul, R. (2007). Dimensions of Plagiarism. Downloaded April 8, 2008 from http://dimensions-of-plagiarism.wikispaces.com/]. Mixed analysis of variance of attitudes towards plagiarism with goal orientation and gender showed several significant findings: high performance oriented students were substantially stricter than low performance orientated students in evaluating all Dimensions of Plagiarism. Low mastery oriented students were stricter regarding the “motive” dimension of plagiarism while high mastery oriented students were stricter regarding the “source” dimension of plagiarism. Significant differences between females and males were observed across the six factors of the Dimensions of Plagiarism survey. These results are interpreted within the framework of social comparison theory in respect to competitive learning environments.     

Feedback-seeking behavior in second language writing: motivational mechanisms

Focused on the effects of different type of feedback on learners’ written products, research on written corrective feedback (WCF) has cast second language writers as passive recipients rather than proactive agents in the feedback process. Revisiting the notion of WCF, this study introduces the notion of feedback-seeking behavior (Ashford & Cummings, 1983) to the field of second language writing and examines its motivational mechanisms using Dweck’s (1999) theory of mindsets and an overarching cost-value analysis framework (e.g., Ashford & Cummings, 1983; Anseel et al., 2015). Questionnaire data were collected from 128 foreign language writers from a major public university in the United States. Multiple regression and mediation analyses showed that a growth language mindset predicted the value of feedback, which, in turn, was a strong predictor of both feedback monitoring and feedback inquiry. A fixed language mindset, on the other hand, predicted the cost of feedback seeking, which, in turn, negatively predicted feedback monitoring. The findings offer new venues for second language writing research and pedagogy.

     

Rough winds do Shake: Higher education in transition

The Management of Change: universities, state and economy in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, HENRY D.R. MILLER, 1995, Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education/Open University Press. viii + 183pp, ISBN 0-3355-19089-8 (hardback)

The Postmodern University? Contested Visions of Higher Education in Society, ANTHONY SMITH & FRANK WEBSTER (Eds), 1997, Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education/Open University, Press. xi + 125pp. ISBN 0-335-19958-5 (paperback), ISBN 0-335-19959-3 (hardback)     

Book Reviews

Book Reviewed in this article: Teacher to Teacher Learning from Each Other , Eleanor Duckworth And The Experienced Teachers Group The Making of the Inclusive School Gary Thomas David Walker & Julie Webb Restructuring Schools, Restructuring Teachers: responding to change in the primary school Peter Woods Bob Jeffrey Geoff Troman & Mari Boyle Testing: friend or foe? Theory and practice assessment and testing Paul Black The Book Club Connection: literacy learning and classroom talk Susan I. Mcmahon & Taffy E. Raphael (Eds) Mathematics Teachers in Transition Elizabeth Fennema & Barbara Scott Nelson (Eds) Researching Race and Social Justice in Education: essays in honour of Barry Troyna Pat Sikes & Fazal Rizvi (Eds) Art and Art Education J. Jagodzinski Changing Multiculturalism Joe L. Kincheloe & Shirley R. Steinberg     

Book Review

The following book is reviewed.

Research with Children: perspectives and practices PIA CHRISTENSEN & ALLISON JAMES (Eds) (2000) London: Falmer Press. 275 pp., ISBN 0 750 70974 X (pb) £16.99, ISBN 0 750 70975 8 (hb) £55     

Individual differences in study processes and the Quality of Learning Outcomes

This paper is concerned with the relationship between students' study processes and the structural complexity of their learning. Study processes are conceived in terms of three independent dimensions — utilising, internalising and achieving — each of which has a cognitive (strategic) and an affective (motivational) component; these are assessed by the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ). Learning quality is expressed in terms of the complexity of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome by applying the SOLO Taxonomy described below. A preliminary study involving 60 undergraduates' responses to education research abstracts is described, in which SOLO levels and short and long term retention of factual material are related to their study processes.     

Is effort praise motivational? The role of beliefs in the effort–ability relationship

In two studies, we investigated how beliefs in the effort–ability relationship moderated the effects of effort praise on student motivation. Study 1 showed that the more the participants believed that effort and ability were related positively (the positive rule) versus related negatively (the inverse rule), the more they would have positive self-evaluation and intrinsic motivation after effort praise. Study 2, with participants’ beliefs manipulated by a priming procedure, showed that the participants in the positive rule condition had better self-evaluation and more intrinsic motivation after effort praise than their counterparts did in the inverse rule condition. The results of the two studies converged to indicate that the motivational effects of effort praise depend on beliefs in the effort–ability relationship.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Nobody Ever Told Us School Mattered: Raising the Educational Attainments of Children in Care Sonia Jackson (Ed.) Learning from Comparing: new directions in comparative educational research Volume 1: Contexts, Classrooms and Outcomes Robin Alexander , Patricia Broadfoot & David Phillips (Eds) Volume 2: Policy, Professionals and Development Robin Alexander , Marilyn Osborn & David Phillips (Eds) Early Childhood Educational Research Carol Aubrey , Tricia David , Ray Godfrey & Linda Thompson Reframing the Early Childhood Curriculum Jane M. Page Case Study Method Roger Gomm , Martyn Hammersley & Peter Foster (Eds) Successful Writing for Qualitative Researchers Peter Woods Starting School in England William Stephens Research with Children: perspectives and practices Pia Christensen & James Allison (Eds)     

Co-analysis of work in the triadic supervision of preservice teachers based on neo-Vygotskian activity theory: Case study from a French university institute of teacher training

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of the joint training activities of a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor during an advisory visit on (a) the professional development of a preservice teacher's activity and (b) the reorganization of mentoring activity following this visit. The results are considered from a theoretical perspective based on cultural-historical psychology (Leontiev, A. (1984). Activity, consciousness, personality. Moscow: Progress Editions.; Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. In: M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner & E. Souberman (Eds.), Mind in society (pp. 79–91). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.; Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). Thought and language. Paris: La Dispute.; Vygotsky, L. S. (2003). Consciousness, the unconscious, emotions. Paris: La Dispute.) and the clinical study of activity (Clot, Y. (2003). Vygotsky, consciousness as liaison. In: Vygotsky, consciousness, the unconscious, emotions. Paris: La Dispute, pp. 7–59.; Clot, Y. (2004). Work between functioning and development. Bulletin de Psychologie, 57(1), 5–12.; Clot, Y. (2008). Work and the power to act. Paris: PUF.; Clot, Y., & Faïta, D. (2000). Types and styles in work analysis. Concepts and methods. Travailler, 6, 7–43.). The discussion focuses on the conditions that led to the greater effectiveness of the advisory visit, which is an integral part of teacher training programs that alternate classroom work with co-analysis of the work. Proposals are also made for new directions in training supervisors and cooperating teachers with a view to building a training team.     

REVIEWS

Book Reviewed in this article:
Ludwig Wittgenstein: A Memoir. norman malcolm; with a Biographical Sketch by georg henrik von wright. Oxford University Press .
Goethe's Faust: A Literary Analysis. stuart atkins . Harvard University Press and Oxford University Press .
A Centenary History of the University of Melbourne. geoffrey blainey . Melbourne University Press .
Thinking: An Experimental and Social Study. sir frederic bartlett . Allen & Unwin .
An Analysis of Knowing. john hartland - swann . Allen & Unwin .
Trends in English Adult Education. Edited by s . g . raybould , Heinemann. .
People and Parliament. nigel nicolson . Weidenfeld & Nicolson .
Commonwealth Universities Yearbook 1959. The Association of Universities of the British Commonwealth .     

Relating aspects of motivation to facets of mathematical competence varying in cognitive demand

The author investigated the relationship between aspects of student motivation and performance on mathematical tasks varying in cognitive demand relevant to meeting the expectations of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M). A sample of 479 primarily Latino middle school students completed established survey measures of motivation and a constructed response assessment of two facets of mathematical competence. The assessment measured students' progress toward performing a procedure and demonstrating understanding by providing a written critique of a peer's work, a more cognitively demanding facet. As predicted, higher interest and efficacy in mathematics, lower performance-avoidance goals, and fewer experiences of negative emotions related to performance levels for both facets, while utility and mastery-approach goals (i.e., focusing on understanding mathematics) related only to the more cognitively demanding facet. Implications of these findings for preparing students to be successful mathematical learners, especially in the many states implementing the CCSS-M, are discussed.     

Empirical identification of the major facets of Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is often found to predict academic outcomes, but is defined differently by different models of personality. High school students (N = 291) completed a large number of Conscientiousness items from different models and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the items uncovered eight facets: Industriousness, Perfectionism, Tidiness, Procrastination Refrainment, Control, Cautiousness, Task Planning, and Perseverance. Correlations between these facets and the BFI revealed that all facets related strongly to Conscientiousness. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by relationships between facets and academic outcomes such as grade-point-average, disciplinary infractions, and attainment of academic honors. Compared to BFI Conscientiousness, Industriousness and Perfectionism showed significantly stronger prediction of absenteeism and cognitive test scores, respectively. Results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of facet scores, the interpretation of personality scores for selection, and the development of intervention programs.     

Empathy in history. Understanding a past institution (ordeal) in children and young adults when description and rationale are provided

A total of 150 students, from 8 to 25 years, were interviewed about ordeal¹ in the Middle Ages, after reading a shorter and simplified version of a text used in previous research on this topic (e.g., [Lee, P. J., & Ashby, R. (2001). Empathy, perspective taking, and rational understanding. In O. L. Davis, Jr., S. Foster, & E. Yaeger (Eds.), Historical empathy and perspective taking in the social studies (pp. 21–50). Lanham: Rowman and Littleffeld]). Unlike previous studies, at all ages nearly all students understood that ordeal involved the intervention of God, and was related to religious beliefs different from the present. With age, there was an increase in the number of students also referring to the backwardness of the Middle Ages, or stating that at least some Medieval peoples did not expect ordeal to be decisive about the guilt or innocence of an accused, using it instead to find a culprit in any case, or as a punishment or deterrent.     

Collaboration and self-regulation in teachers’ professional development

This paper describes a professional development model with promise for supporting meaningful shifts in practice. We begin by introducing the theoretical principles underlying our professional development model, with a focus on explicating the interface between collaborative inquiry in a learning community (Lave, 1991, In L.B. Resnick, J.M. Levine, S.D. Teasley (Eds.), Perspectives on Socially Shared Cognition, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC; Lave, & Wenger, 1991, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge) and teachers’ self-regulated learning. Next, we report on successes and challenges within a 2-year collaborative research partnership. We recount how participating teachers reflected on practice, constructed conceptual knowledge about teaching, and made important instructional shifts. We also detail features of our model that teachers found most effective. We close by discussing our implications for theory and in-service professional development.     

Fulfilment of the basic psychological needs of student teachers during their first teaching experiences

This study focuses on an under-researched area, namely the fulfilment of basic psychological needs of student teachers during their first teaching experiences. Based on the Self-determination Theory of Ryan and Deci [(2002). Overview of self-determination theory: An organismic dialectical perspective. In E.L. Deci, R.M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3–33). Rochester: The University of Rochester Press] and the work of Epstein [(1998a). Cognitive-experiential self-theory: A dual-process personality theory with implications for diagnosis and psychotherapy. In R.F. Bornstein, J.M. Masling (Eds.), Empirical perspectives on the psychoanalytic unconscious (pp. 99–140). Washington, DC: APA; (1998b). Constructive thinking: The key to emotional intelligence. Westport: Praeger], it could be demonstrated that need fulfilment has a strong influence on student teachers’ teaching experiences, especially in a non-rational way, for instance through feelings and images. Thwarting of the needs appears to be correlated with images showing fight, flight, and freeze tendencies, whereas need fulfilment concurs with flow tendencies. The fulfilment of the need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy in student teachers is considerably less than in experienced teachers. We discuss the consequences for research in this field, and recommendations for teacher education.     

Impairments in learning due to motivational conflict: situation really matters

Although many theories mention distractions by conflicting alternatives as a problem for self-regulation, motivational conflicts are rarely considered when explaining impairments in learning. In two studies, we investigate the assumption of motivational interference theory that students show different amounts of impairments in learning depending on the presence and motivational strength of conflicting alternatives. In Study 1 (N?=?221), the subjective value attributed to a respective alternative in a study–leisure conflict scenario partially accounted for differences in self-regulated learning while controlling for interindividual differences. Study 2 (N?=?112) demonstrated that this pattern applies to both when the respective alternatives refer to ‘liking to’ (want conflicts) and ‘having to’ (should conflicts) do something. Moreover, it is demonstrated that impairments due to motivational conflict are higher than impairments inherent in the studying activity itself (baseline). The results emphasise the importance of concurring action alternatives for explaining difficulties in self-regulated learning.