Examining how parent and teacher enthusiasm influences motivation and achievement in STEM

Abstract

Parents and teachers play an important role in stimulating student motivation. The aim of this study was to examine if both parent and teacher enthusiasm could predict intrinsic motivation toward STEM activities, and if motivation would be associated with improved STEM achievement over one year in a one-year prospective examination of 288 Swedish students in their final year of a Science High School program (143 females and 145 males). Surveys of parent and teacher enthusiasm were collected at baseline, and student intrinsic motivation and GPA in STEM were assessed at baseline and at the end of the year. Baseline GPA and intrinsic motivation as well as follow-up intrinsic motivation were significantly associated with later GPA. Finally, intrinsic motivation mediated the relation between teacher and parent enthusiasm and change in GPA. Findings show the importance of parent and teacher enthusiasm for adolescent’s intrinsic motivation and achievement in STEM.     

Self-Confidence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Competitive Anxiety Intensity and Interpretation

The aim of this study was to examine whether self-confidence mediated the relationship between competitive anxiety intensity and direction. Elite (n = 102) and nonelite (n = 144) participants completed the self-confidence subscale of the Competitive Trait Anxiety Inventory-2 and the worry and somatic subscales from the Sport Anxiety Scale. Consistent with procedures recommended by Baron and Kenny (1986), linear regression analyses were used. The findings for elite athletes revealed worry intensity to significantly predict self-confidence and worry direction. However, when self-confidence was controlled, worry intensity did not predict worry direction over that which was significantly predicted by self-confidence. Within the analysis for somatic symptoms, only self-confidence was found to predict somatic symptom direction. For the nonelite athletes, worry and somatic symptom intensity predicted both self-confidence and direction, and direction when self-confidence was controlled. The findings for the elite athletes suggest self-confidence mediates the relationship between performers' worry symptoms and subsequent directional interpretations. However, the findings suggest that high levels of self-confidence and low symptom intensity are needed for nonelite athletes to demonstrate a less debilitative interpretation.     

Developmental Changes in Attention and Comprehension Among Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Changes in visual attention and story comprehension for children (N = 132) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comparison peers were examined. Between the ages of 7 and 9 (Phase 1) and approximately 21 months later (Phase 2), children viewed 2 televised stories: 1 in the presence of toys and 1 in their absence. Both groups of children showed developmental increases in visual attention and stable group differences over time. Deficits in comprehension among children with ADHD, however, increased over time. Whereas comparison children’s recall of factual and causal information increased over time in both viewing conditions, children with ADHD showed no developmental improvement in recall of factual information in the toys‐present condition and no improvement in recall of causal relations in either viewing condition.     

French secondary school students' perceptions of the education-labor market link

A survey was conducted to examine the strength of beliefs among French school pupils in three perceptions of the education-labor market link traditionally studied in the economy of human capital: ‘productivity’, ‘screening’ and ‘credentialism’. 247 male and female French students aged between 14 and 24 years responded to a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. The purpose of the study is by means of introducing the concepts of ‘productivity’, ‘screening’ and ‘credentialism’ into the field of psychology of education to identify on the one hand the relative dominance of these three conceptions, and on the other hand to study each in relation to classical demographic variables and psychosocial variables such as academic self-evaluation, self-assessment of the range of vocational options and type of education and training sought by the pupils. Results indicate that students are more inclined to believe that the achievement of academic degrees acts more as a ‘screening’ device and as evidence of achievement than a factor enhancing productivity in the workplace. It seems that the variability of the role assigned to education as regards employability depends on the students' social and academic standing and on the way they deal with it.     

Development of Hybrid Courses Utilizing Modules as an Objective in ATE Projects

ABSTRACT

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) has been awarded two National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) grants since 2011 that have the development of module-based hybrid courses in Engineering Technology and Mechatronics as objectives. In this article, the advantages and challenges associated with module-based hybrid courses are discussed. The courses that have been developed deal specifically with alternative energy and robotics. Through modularizing the courses, instructors throughout OCtech may elect to use materials from these courses to supplement face-to-face courses or offer the entire course in a hybrid format. In addition to being used in the college’s traditional curriculum, these courses have been utilized in the Middle College and the Flex/Evening College for working adults with great success. The courses and the included modules are housed on a Learning Management System hosted by OCtech that is available to all the colleges and high schools in the state.     

Spanish-Speaking Children's Social and Language Development in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms

The current study examined the social and language development of 345 Spanish-speaking pre-kindergartners who attended pre-kindergarten programs that varied widely in how much Spanish was spoken in the classroom by the teacher. Previous studies on English language learners have focused on how the language of instruction impacts children's language proficiency, ignoring the context in which children are learning. The current study found better social skills and closer teacher—child relationships in classrooms where teachers spoke some Spanish. Teacher ratings of children's peer social skills and assertiveness were positively associated with increased amounts of Spanish being spoken. More Spanish language use in the classroom was also related to a decrease in children's likelihood of being victims of aggression as rated by independent observers. The findings have implications for better understanding how policy decisions regarding language of instruction impact children in the social domain. As early education programs are faced with the challenging task of developing best practices for English language learners, it is essential that programs are attentive to the social implications of language.     

Re-victimization patterns in a national longitudinal sample of children and youth

OBJECTIVE: To understand to the degree to which a broad variety of victimizations, including child maltreatment, conventional crime, peer, and sexual victimizations, persist for children from 1 year to the next. DESIGN: A national sample of 1467 children aged 2-17 recruited through random digit dialing and assessed via telephone interviews (with caretakers and youth themselves) about a comprehensive range of victimization experiences in the previous year, and then re-assessed (72.3% of baseline sample) after a 1-year interval. RESULTS: The risk for re-victimization in Year 2 was high for children victimized in Year 1, with risk ratios ranging from 2.2 for physical assault to 6.9 for sexual victimization. Victimization of any one type left substantial vulnerability even for different types of subsequent re-victimization (e.g., property crime victimization was associated with higher risk of sexual victimization the next year). Children with four or more types of victimization in Year 1 ("poly-victims") were at particularly high risk of persisting poly-victimization. Persisting poly-victimization was more likely for children who scored high on anger/aggression and who had recent life adversities. Desistence from poly-victimization was associated with having more good friends. Onset of poly-victimization in Year 2, in contrast to persistence from Year 1, was associated with violent or maltreating families, family problems such as alcohol abuse, imprisonment, unemployment and family disruption. Having more older siblings acted as both a risk factor and a protective factor for different groups of youth. CONCLUSION: Children previously victimized in 1 year are at higher risk of continued victimization, and the poly-victims are at particular risk. These findings suggest the potential merit of identifying these high-risk children and making them priority targets for prevention efforts.     

The incidence and nature of letter orientation errors in reading disability

Letter orientation confusions (reversals) in the reading and writing of 10-year-old children with and without reading disability were investigated to determine whether reading disability is associated with letter orientation errors and to identify the nature of the errors. In a variety of tasks measuring letter orientation confusions in reception (reversal detection and recognition) and production (controlled writing, copying), individuals with reading disability made more orientation confusions than average readers. Orientation errors were more frequent for reversible than for nonreversible items in tasks involving long-term memory processes. The results did not appear to be related to group differences in attention or speed of motor responding. Possible sources of orientation confusions, including deficient magnocellular system processing, mislabeling, and overreliance on visual strategies, are discussed.