The decline of academic motivation during adolescence: an accelerated longitudinal cohort analysis on the effect of psychological need satisfaction

Adolescents typically exhibit a marked decline in academic intrinsic motivation throughout their school careers. Following self-determination theory, it is hypothesised that traditional school environments insufficiently satisfy three basic psychological needs of youths during maturation, namely the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. As a consequence, insufficient need satisfaction might account for the decline in intrinsic academic motivation during adolescence. This hypothesis was tested in an accelerated longitudinal cohort design on N = 600 students (286 girls) between 11 and 16 years of age. The results showed that students exhibited a marked decline in intrinsic motivation during adolescence. Moreover, differences in need satisfaction predicted the decline in motivations. These results support the notion that an adequate satisfaction of three basic psychological needs in school is crucial for the maintenance of intrinsic academic motivation during adolescence.     

Introduction to the Issue

Journal of Science Education and Technology -     

Estimation performance and strategy use of Mexican 5th and 8th grade student sample

What computational estimation skills and strategies do Mexican students possess? Does the theoretical model based on interviews with a select United States sample accurately describe the Mexican sample? These were questions studied based on interviews with 8 eighth graders (those scoring in the top 5%) out of a sample of 177 eighth graders from twelve different Mexican schools representing a range of social and economic backgrounds. Preliminary screening data collected by administering a computational estimation test revealed that estimation was very difficult for the Mexican students (mean 4.0, range of 0 to 18 on the 38-item open-ended test). The interviews revealed that the Mexican students as a whole did employ the three general cognitive processes outlined in the theoretical model, namely reformulation, translation, and compensation. The most common strategy employed was the front-end technique. Similarly, a frequent strategy used to “estimate” was mentally applying a paper/pencil algorithm. In contrast to data collected under similar conditions in Japan and the United States, rounding was a strategy only occasionally used in the interviews. The use of benchmarks (key reference points used as bounds in forming an estimate) as a strategy for estimating problems involving percent was common and may reflect students' “out-of-school” experience with mathematical applications. Consistent with parallel investigations with Japanese and United States students, these Mexican strudents rarely reflected on their estimates through their own initiative and rarely recognized unreasonable estimates.     

Who succeeds? II. Perceptions of graduates and inactive students of a nontraditional bachelor of arts degree program

A questionnaire was returned by 241 (79%) graduates and 75 (31%) of the inactive students of a nontraditional BA degree program. A profile of each type of adult learner was presented and differences between the profiles in age and ethnic affiliation are discussed. The two groups did not differ in primary reason for seeking a degree or a nontraditional program, but graduates gave more reasons in each case. Graduates were more likely to perceive dispositional, communication, and program variables as assets. Inactive students were more likely to perceive time to study and cost of courses as problems. Results are compared to the concept of educational barriers.Dr. Losty is Associate Dean of the Faculty at Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri. She has served as Associate Director and Director of Stephens College Without Walls. Ms. Kreilick is a graduate of Stephens College.     

Teaching for independence

If learning how to learn is the most important subject matter of 20th Century schools, then the time has come to encourage the widespread development of undergraduate reading degree programs for future teachers. Ten years ago, Eastern Washington University began offering Reading Education as an undergraduate major for elementary teaching candidates, and as an undergraduate minor for secondary teaching candidates. The availability of a reading major has created a positive cycle of benefits for EWU students, the districts that hire our students, the department of education and the university. This paper explains the rationale behind the establishment of the reading major and this university's findings following 10 years of successful teacher education in the discipline of reading.She is a specialist in reading and elementary education. Formerly a public school teacher, she has served as a reading consultant and program developer.A position he has held for 13 of the 18 years he has been there. Barbara de Michele, a former public school teacher and magazine editor, is the internal communications coordinator for the Spokane Washington Public School District.     

STEM‐focused high schools as a strategy for enhancing readiness for postsecondary STEM programs

The logic underlying inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs) posits that requiring all students to take advanced college preparatory STEM courses while providing student‐centered, reform‐oriented instruction, ample student supports, and real‐world STEM experiences and role models will prepare and inspire students admitted on the basis of STEM interest rather than prior achievement for postsecondary STEM. This study tests that logic model by comparing the high school experiences and achievement of students in ISHSs and comparison schools in North Carolina. After identifying ISHS and non‐STEM comparison high schools serving students who were similar in terms of socioeconomic status and academic achievement prior to high school entry, we employed propensity‐score weighting and HLM modeling to estimate the impact of attending an ISHS on a set of outcome measures obtained from student surveys and from the state's longitudinal student data system. Analyses of student survey data found that attending an ISHS raises the likelihood that a student will complete pre‐calculus or calculus and chemistry in high school, leads to increased involvement in STEM extracurricular and out‐of‐class activities, and enhances interest in science careers and aspirations to earn a master's or higher degree. Analyses of student outcome data from state administrative records revealed a positive impact of inclusive STEM high school attendance on grade point average (GPA) but not on ACT scores. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 709–736, 2016

     

Ethnicity and Psychosocial Factors in Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Adolescence

Research on ethnic group differences has suggested that (a) adolescents from various groups differ on a number of dimensions that have been related to risk for substance use initiation, and (b) adolescents of different groups choose different substances. However, there is little consensus regarding the reasons for such differences. There is an especially high rate of alcohol use among Hispanic adolescents, and Hispanics are at high risk for alcohol abuse. In light of ethnic group differences in both substance use and the precursors of substance use in adolescence, this study examined differences among black, Anglo, Puerto Rican, and Dominican adolescents in the relation between cigarette and alcohol use and psychosocial functioning. Comparisons between the Puerto Rican and Dominican subjects were of special interest due to preexisting differences between these groups that may be attributed to acculturation. Results provided evidence of the importance of acculturation in modifying psychosocial vulnerability, especially for alcohol use, with the Dominican group at highest risk.