Value orientations as determinants and outcomes of conflicts between on-task and off-task actions in the classroom

Off-task behavior in the classroom was conceptualized as a manifestation of students pursuing goals they bring into the classroom aside from achievement goals. Regulation during on-task and off-task behavior in action conflict scenarios was elaborated on using the constructs motivational interference and flow. It was argued that achievement and well-being values that students hold can be determinants as well as outcomes of these conflict experiences. Data from 697 students (mean age 13.43) was collected at two time points within one school year. Results supported a reciprocal model in which value orientations (t1) lead to conflict variables (t2) as well as conflict variables (t1) to value orientations (t2).     

Effect of the flipped classroom model on academic achievement and motivation in teacher education

The present study investigates the effect of the Flipped Classroom (FC) model on the academic achievement and motivation levels of preservice teachers enrolled on the Teaching Principles and Methods (TPM) course, which is a higher education-level knowledge course in the teaching profession. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study, and the opinions of the participants of the course were taken at the end of the implementation process. The experimental group took the 14-week TPM course based on a FC model, while no intervention was made in the control group, which completed the process based on the current curriculum. In the experimental group, an interactive and controlled online learning environment was used to access the FC videos. Based on the findings of the study, it was found that the academic achievement and motivation levels of the preservice teachers in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The preservice teachers expressed that the FC model provided them with the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice, while also improving their teaching skills and ensuring their active participation in the lesson. Their criticisms of the model, on the other hand, related mostly to the technical problems they encountered.

     

Student perceptions of the classroom environment: Relations to motivation and achievement in mathematics

This study examined the relationship of 979 middle school students’ perceptions of their mathematics classroom environment to their motivation and achievement. Structural equation modeling indicated that motivational variables (utility, personal achievement goals, efficacy) mediated the influence of perceived teacher expectations, teacher support and use of reform practices on mathematics standardised test scores. Our study provides empirical evidence that students’ perceptions that their teachers believe that they are capable of learning and understanding mathematics positively relate to their Mastery and Performance Goal orientations and mathematics Utility. Further, we found an interaction between students’ perceptions of the frequency of reform practice use in their mathematics classroom and mathematics efficacy. For students with lower mathematics efficacy, their perceptions of more frequent use of reform practices in their mathematics class related to higher standardised test performance. For students with higher mathematics efficacy, perceived use of reform practices did not significantly relate to standardised test performance. These data suggest that frequent exposure to reform practices is especially critical for students who judge themselves as being less capable in mathematics and who are lower performers. This finding differs from prior research that has suggested that reform practice use benefits higher achievers but not lower achievers. An important implication of our study is the need for coordinated, ongoing professional development that highlights reform pedagogy and beliefs while also focusing on student motivation theories and strategies.     

Mathematically gifted students and high achievement: the role of motivation and classroom structure

One of the most intriguing questions for those who study intellectually gifted students is why some of them reach peak performances at school and others don’t. Moderator theories of giftedness assume that domain-specific gifts are transformed into achievement in a process influenced by non-cognitive and environmental variables. Thus, the current study investigates differences in the non-cognitive construct motivation (achievement goals, interest, self-concept, self-efficacy, implicit theories) and perception of classroom environment (classroom structure, class climate) between mathematically gifted high achievers (n = 66) and mathematically gifted students with non-high achievement (n = 144) using a latent variable approach. Gifted high achievers expressed higher levels of motivation than non-high achievers. Furthermore, they perceived a classroom structure that provides more tasks with a focus on learning and more autonomy.     

The interaction between social goals and self-construal on achievement motivation

The motivational effects of mastery goals and performance goals have been widely documented in previous research on achievement motivation. However, recent studies have increasingly indicated a need to include social goals so as to gain a more comprehensive understanding of achievement motivation. The purpose of the present research was to examine how social goals predicted achievement motivation among students with different self-construals (independent versus interdependent). In Study 1, 134 Chinese 8th graders completed a questionnaire on self-construal, social goals, and avoidance behaviors. In Study 2, the causal effect of self-construal and social goals on students’ willingness to take a course for improvement after failure was examined with experimental manipulation. Participants were 121 Chinese 7th graders. Results demonstrated that social goals yielded higher report of avoidance behaviors (Study 1) and lower willingness to improve after failure (Study 2) for students with independent self-construal, but lower report of avoidance behaviors (Study 1) and higher willingness to improve after failure (Study 2) for those with interdependent self-construal. The research sheds light on the theoretical framework of achievement motivation that goes beyond mastery and performance goals.     

Predicting high school students' cognitive engagement and achievement: Contributions of classroom perceptions and motivation

Path analysis was used to test predictions of a model explaining the impact of students' perceptions of classroom structures (tasks, autonomy support and mastery and evaluation) on their self-efficacy, perceptions of the instrumentality of class work, and their achievement goals in a particular classroom setting. Additionally, the impact of self-efficacy, instrumentality, and goals on students' cognitive engagement and achievement was tested. There were 220 high school students who completed a series of questionnaires over a three-month period in their English classes. Data strongly supported the model demonstrating that student perceptions of classroom structures are important for their motivation. Also supported was the importance of perceiving the current class work as being instrumental for future success. Implications were discussed.     

The cross-lagged associations between classroom interactions and children’s achievement behaviors

This study examined the cross-lagged associations between the quality of classroom interactions and children’s behaviors in achievement situations. The achievement behaviors in challenging test situations of 166 Finnish children from 70 classrooms were rated by trained testers in grades 1 and 2. The quality of classroom interactions in terms of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support were observed in 25 classrooms (out of 70) in grades 1 and 2. The results of multilevel modeling showed that classroom teachers’ low emotional support predicted children’s subsequent high passive avoidance, whereas high classroom organization and instructional support predicted children’s high social dependence. Furthermore, the more children showed active task avoidance, the more emotional and instructional support and classroom organization teachers showed later on in the classroom. The findings emphasize the importance of warm and supportive classroom interactions for children’s adaptive achievement behaviors. The results also suggest that teachers adapt their classroom interactions with respect to children’s active task avoidance.     

Influencing graduate students' classroom achievement,homework habits and motivation to learn with verbal praise

Identifying factors that influence students' learning in the classroom continues to be an important objective of educators at all levels. To address this issue, researchers have investigated a multitude of instructional variables that impact students' motivation to learn. One instructional variable, verbal praise, has often been identified as an important mediator in the enhancement of students' motivation to learn. However, the lack of consistent findings regarding students' reactions to verbal praise, combined with the lack of research on adult learners, prompted the current investigation. Using an experimental design, this study revealed that graduate students exposed to well-administered verbal praise by a professor performed significantly better on a professor-created examination, spent significantly more time doing homework and exhibited higher motivation to learn in the classroom than did studentswho received no verbal praise. Characteristics of effective verbal praise that contributed to these outcomes, the potential usefulness of verbal praise as a reinforcer of student motivations and directions for future research are discussed.     

Intrinsic motivation,perceived competence and classroom engagement as longitudinal predictors of adolescent reading achievement

This study investigated the effects of intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, classroom engagement and extrinsic motivation on reading development among youth. Using a nationally representative sample of students in the US, the researchers followed students longitudinally from fifth to eighth grade. Reading achievement was measured using composite tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension and sight-word identification. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the effect of students’ perceived intrinsic motivation and competence, as well as teacher rated classroom engagement in the 5th grade, on reading achievement in the 8th grade. Important control variables were utilised such as gender, family SES, race/ethnicity and prior reading achievement. The results showed that intrinsic motivation to read, perceived competence and engagement in 5th grade significantly predict reading achievement in 8th grade. The importance students placed upon grades also predicted reading development. Implications for promoting intrinsic motivation and strong engagement in schools are discussed.     

Student commitment and school organization in relation to on-task behavior and achievement

Three experiments considered student commitment to school, IQ, and school organization type in relation to student task behavior and to school achievement. The first two correlational studies indicated the relationship between student commitment and student task behavior; the third study used student task behavior, student commitment, IQ, and school organization to predict achievement. This prediction equation was quite robust with a final R² = .85. School achievement is predicted by intelligence and academic time on task in traditionally structured schools, and by intelligence and student commitment in open structured schools. Increasing the amount of teacher directed time would increase achievement in traditional schools, but decrease achievement in open schools.     

The contribution of TIMSS to the link between school and classroom factors and student achievement

Worldwide, the interest of policy-makers in participating in studies from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has been growing rapidly over the past two decades. These studies offer the opportunity to relate the teaching and learning context to student achievement. This article presents the results of a systematic review of the research literature on TIMSS. Its main purpose is to find out to what extent TIMSS has contributed to insights into ‘what works in education and what does not’, particularly with regard to school and classroom factors. The review was guided by a generic framework developed within the tradition of educational effectiveness research. The review showed that: (a) since 2000, the number of publications which use TIMSS data for secondary analyses aimed at explaining differences in student achievement has increased strongly; (b) a number of studies, especially older ones, did not take account of the specific sample and test design of TIMSS; and (c) there are large differences between countries in school and classroom factors associated with student achievement. In the light of these results, we discuss the benefits and limitations of country and system comparisons.     

The role of classroom differences in achievement changes

A combined criterion involving the regression slopes of pretest-posttest achievement scores and achievement gain scores was used to classify similar types of classrooms. Mathematics achievement differences among 632 fifth graders were analysed in a longitudinal design and explained in a structural equation framework provided by LISREL, separately for four types of classrooms. The results replicated the findings of an earlier study (Schneider & Treiber, 1984) in that the local nature of achievement models could be demonstrated. That is, the structural components of the causal models could not be generalized across the four groups of classrooms. The inclusion of a second grouping criterion (i. e., achievement gain) proved useful in that a better model fit was always obtained for classrooms with high achievement agains. As a global model test ignoring group and classroom membership did mask the differential validity of the achievement model in the various subgroups, the need for multilevel approaches was emphasized.     

A comparison of self-recording and self-recording plus consequences for on-task and assignment completion

The purpose of the present experiment was to compare the effects of providing backup reinforcers for accurate self-recording on both attending and academic output. Twelve behaviorally disordered special education students were randomly placed in one of three groups: self-recording (N = 4); self-recording + backups (N = 4), and a control group (N = 4). The outcomes revealed significantly different performance for on-task behavior and assignment completion. On-task and academic responding was significantly higher for both the self-recording and self-recording + backups groups when compared to a control group. Additional comparisons indicated that the performance of the two groups who self-monitored were not statistically different for either measure. Maintenance of treatment effects was higher for two groups (self-recording and self-recording + backups) than for the control group. These differential outcomes were discussed in terms of (a) accuracy of self-recording, (b) nature of the dependent variables employed, (c) ceiling effects, and (d) possible vicarious effects. The advantages of using self-recording with and without consequences were noted.     

The relationship between students ’ perceptions of classroom environment and their academic achievement in Korea

The classroom has long been recognized as a critical milieu for students ’ educational achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students ’ perceptions of classroom environment and their academic achievement in Korea. For this study, the Classroom Environment Scale (CES), developed by Moos and Trickett (1987), was revised and translated into Korean. The Korean Classroom Environment Scale (KCES), consisting of nine subscales, was used to measure the psychosocial characteristics of the classroom environment. The data was collected from May to June 2001 from a sample of 1,012 students in 10th and 11th grades at the same school district in Seoul, Korea. The results of ANOVA analysis of the data revealed that there were statistically significant differences in classroom environments according to students ’ school and classroom organizations. Additionally, the results of Pearson ’s simple correlation coefficient analysis showed that the seven subscales in the KCES (i.e., involvement, affiliation, competition, task orientation, order and organization, rule clarity, and teacher control) had a significant correlation with students ’ academic achievement. Furthermore, the results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the multiple correlation (R) between the KCES 9 subscales and students ’ academic achievement was 0.27. Based on these results, it was claimed that classroom environment was a good predictor of students ’ academic achievement.     

Scapegoating and conflict in the classroom: A resolution through classroom discussions

Summary As is often the case for the counsellor, initial referrals when explored further lead to other issues. In this paper, a methodology was presented for dealing with scapegoating problems and a negative classroom atmosphere. The methodology involved the use of structured questions designed to help children: explore problem areas, express feelings, understand conflicts and activate the motivation to change and act positively. The sequencing of the format is important in that it allows for movement and transformation of thoughts and feelings. In addition, particular attention was paid to entry and exit stages and to shifts from self to other, facts to problems and problems to solutions. The model is easily understood by teachers and after a few modelling sessins by the counsellor most are able to use it on their own with minimal supervision.University of British ColumbiaThis article will also be published in Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, a journal of APGA.     

The role of cognitive engagement in classroom learning and motivation

The article analyzes the concept of student cognitive engagement, and the manner in which classroom instruction may develop self‐regulated learners. Since theory and research on academic motivation, to date only vaguely define the role of learning processes, and since studies of learning strategies rarely assess motivational outcomes, our analysis integrates these two streams of literature. We also identify specific features of instruction and discuss how they might influence the complex of student interpretive processes focal to classroom learning and motivation. Measurement issues and research strategies peculiar to the investigation of cognitive engagement are addressed.     

The links between pedagogical competence,instructional quality,and mathematics achievement in the lower secondary classroom

Educational Studies in Mathematics - It is widely assumed that teachers play a key role in providing high-quality learning opportunities to students and fostering students’ learning. Yet it...