Understanding the dynamics of motivation in socially shared learning

The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the dynamics of motivation in socially shared learning from both individual and group perspectives. Higher education students’ motivation was analysed in the context of collaborative learning tasks, applying quantitative and qualitative methods. The research questions were: (1) what kind of motivations and task-specific goals do individual students have and (2) how do they combine their motivations as a group in socially shared learning? Three- to five-member groups of university students (n = 99) were observed as they worked with three different collaborative learning tasks in an educational psychology class. The experiment included differently organised conditions for collaboration, ranging from face-to-face situations to virtual collaboration situations which were perceived as motivationally and emotionally challenging. Self-reports and video-tapings were collected. The results show that the students who studied in face-to-face settings reported significantly more learning goals and fewer performance goals during the collaborative tasks than the students in the virtual group. Therefore, the collaborative process of volunteer face-to-face groups was analysed qualitatively and an attempt was made, by observing their shared motivation, to uncover the reasons why they achieved their learning goals.     

What is implied when researchers claim to use a theory?

The focus of this article is on the use of theories and on what we imply when we in research claim to use a theory. In this article, diverse uses of one theory will be illustrated with reference to 10 different studies. The aim is not to evaluate or judge how the theory is used in these studies, but to discuss how the diverse uses of one and the same theory may infer very different things in research. Questions are raised about what happens with the hierarchy and the coherence of an argument and what conclusions can be drawn when only some parts of a theory are used.     

Predicting writing skill development with word recognition and preschool readiness skills

In this longitudinal study, the writing skill development of154 Finnish-speaking children was followed from preschool to thethird grade. The focus was on predictive associations betweenpreschool writing readiness skills and later mechanics ofwriting, as well as between word recognition skill, mechanics ofwriting, and composition coherence. In addition, comparisons weremade between boys and girls to see to what extent writing skilldevelopment is gender-specific. Multi-group structural equationmodeling was used for statistical analysis. The results indicatedthat both mechanics of writing and composition coherence could bepredicted from performance on the same skill at an earlier pointin time. Preschool measures of phonological and visual-motorskills predicted later mechanics of writing. Word recognitionworked as a predictor of later mechanics of writing andcomposition coherence, but only starting from second grade, whenthe development of the word recognition skill had becomestabilized at a high enough level. Furthermore, first grademechanics of writing predicted second grade compositioncoherence, but only at this early stage of productive writingwhen there were still difficulties in the mechanics of writing.Girls were better at tasks measuring mechanics of writing andwrote more coherent stories than boys. The gender difference inthe mechanics of writing at the first grade level was explainedby the presented model. Educational implications were discussed.     

Student teachers’ feelings of anxiety and exhaustion: can self-regulated learning skills function as an antidote?

This study examines first-year student teachers’ (N?=?310) self-evaluated, study-related anxiety and exhaustion, and self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. Our presumption is that feelings of anxiety and exhaustion can be reduced with cognitive and motivational SRL skills. The association of cognitive and motivational SRL skills with feelings of anxiety and exhaustion were analysed with multiple multivariate regression analysis. The results indicate that high time- and study-environment management strategies and high self-efficacy beliefs reduced experienced feelings of anxiety and exhaustion. In addition, effort regulation had a reducing effect for anxiety. However, high extrinsic goal orientation predicted higher levels of anxiety and exhaustion and high task value predicted higher anxiety among student teachers. Particularly, female students had a stronger tendency to experience anxiety and exhaustion. The implications of the results for higher education and for teacher education are discussed.     

Group differences in test-taking behaviour: an example from a high-stakes testing program

This study investigated whether different groups of test-takers vary in their reported test-taking behaviour in a high-stakes test situation. A between-group design (N = 1129) was used to examine whether high and low achievers, as well as females and males, differ in their use of test-taking strategies, and in level of reported test anxiety and motivation. The results showed differences between high and low achievers on a number of test-taking strategies, where high achievers reported using successful strategies to a higher extent. There were also gender differences: females, for example, reported using random guessing to a higher extent than males. Further, low achievers, especially females, reported significantly higher levels of test anxiety than high achievers, and high achievers reported slightly higher levels of motivation when compared to low achievers. To conclude, test-taking behaviour might bring additional variance to test scores, whether or not this is irrelevant variance is discussed.     

Does athletic training in volleyball modulate the components of visual evoked potentials? A preliminary investigation

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigated visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in 11 young female volleyball players who participated in extensive training for 2 years. The control group consisted of 7 age-matched female students who were not involved in any regular sports activity. Recordings of VEPs were performed twice: baseline recording (i.e., before training began) and after 2 years of systematic, volleyball-specific athletic training. The effect of athletic training on visual signal conductivity was assessed by recording the latency of N75, P100 and N135 components of the VEPs waveform. Extensive experience with volleyball training reduced signal conductivity time through visual pathway. Specifically, the latency of P100 was reduced on average by 2.2 ms during binocular viewing. Moreover, athletes had reduced N75 latency (difference of 3.3 ms) for visual stimuli that generated greater response from peripheral retina. These results indicate that sport training can affect very early sensory processing in athletes.     

Recycling,crafting and learning – an empirical analysis of how students learn with garments and textile refuse in a school remake project

Creative remake assignments using garments and textile refuse are common educational projects to promote environmental and sustainability actions. However, very little empirical research has been carried out on the learning processes of remake projects. In this article, the aim is to examine how students learn with garments and textile refuse when engaging in a remake project. The exploration is conducted in a Swedish crafts class, educational sloyd, as a case. Practical epistemological analysis and the concept of transactant are used to analyse and be attentive to the learning process. The findings show how students transact with the idea of a product, the material’s capabilities and the remake techniques. Further, the transactants show what participates and makes the learning process turn in specific directions, which is further discussed in the paper. Based on this empirical research, we may increase our understandings of how the learning processes is made in the remake project, and that knowledge can help us understand, and thus improve the quality of remake projects in relation to the environmental and sustainability aims.     

Skill and will: test‐taking motivation and assessment quality

An achievement test score can be viewed as a joint function of skill and will, of knowledge and motivation. However, when interpreting and using test scores, the ‘will’ part is not always acknowledged and scores are mostly interpreted and used as pure measures of student knowledge. This paper argues that students’ motivation to do their best on the assessment – their test‐taking motivation – is important to consider from an assessment validity perspective. This is true not least in assessment contexts where the assessment outcome has no consequences for the test‐taker. The paper further argues that the quality of assessment of test‐taking motivation also needs attention. Theoretical and methodological issues related to the assessment of test‐taking motivation are presented from a validity perspective, and findings from empirical studies on the relation between test stakes, test‐taking motivation and test performance are presented.