Students’ emotions during homework in mathematics: Testing a theoretical model of antecedents and achievement outcomes

The experience of pleasant and unpleasant emotions in academic situations is known to affect students’ learning. The aim of the present study was to extend previous research by examining the antecedents and consequences of student emotions in the homework context. Multilevel analyses of a longitudinal dataset containing 3483 grade 9 and grade 10 students in 155 classes showed that the perceived quality of the homework tasks assigned by the teacher affected students’ experience of unpleasant homework-related emotions. Moreover, the experience of unpleasant emotions during homework sessions was negatively related to homework effort and negatively predicted later achievement in mathematics.     

Differential susceptibility to adolescent externalizing trajectories: examining the interplay between CHRM2 and peer group antisocial behavior

The present study characterized prototypical patterns of development in self-reported externalizing behavior, between 12 and 22 years of age, within a community sample of 452 genotyped individuals. A Caucasian subset (n = 378) was then examined to determine whether their probabilities of displaying discrete trajectories were differentially associated with CHRM2, a gene implicated in self-regulatory processes across a range of externalizing behaviors, and if affiliating with antisocial peers moderated these associations. Findings indicate that relative to a normative "lower risk" externalizing trajectory, likelihood of membership in two "higher risk" trajectories increased with each additional copy of the minor allelic variant at CHRM2, and that this association was exacerbated among those exposed to higher levels of peer group antisocial behavior.     

Antecedents and outcomes of joint trajectories of mother-son conflict and warmth during middle childhood and adolescence

This study investigated the development of mother-son relationship quality from ages 5 to 15 in a sample of 265 low-income families. Nonparametric random effects modeling was utilized to uncover distinct and homogeneous developmental trajectories of conflict and warmth; antecedents and outcomes of the trajectory groups also were examined. Four conflict trajectory groups and 3 warmth trajectory groups were identified. Difficult temperament in early childhood discriminated both conflict and warmth trajectory group membership (TGM), and adult relationship quality in early childhood was related to warmth trajectories. In addition, conflict TGM differentiated youth antisocial behavior during adolescence, and warmth trajectories predicted adolescent peer relationship quality and youth moral disengagement. Implications for socialization processes are discussed.     

Features and strategies of supervisor professional community as a means of improving the supervision of preservice teachers

This article explores whether features associated with effective professional communities among K-12 teachers are relevant and sufficient for improving the practice of supervisors in teacher education programs. Interview and observational data from nineteen supervisors in one teacher education program illuminate what supervisors want in order to improve their professional practices and how their needs could be met through ongoing collaboration. The article proposes five features of professional communities that can help supervisors improve their work: norms promoting collaboration; trust and familiarity; activities deprivatizing practices; access to logistical information and shared expectations about the role of supervisors; and time for collaboration.     

Leading and managing learning and teaching in higher education

This paper outlines the findings of a study that examined the conceptions of academics regarding the nature of ‘leading’ and ‘managing’ learning and teaching in six Australian universities. These data were considered in the light of institutional systems and documentation regarding the leadership and management of learning and teaching and the contemporary literature on leadership and management, particularly in higher education. The research found that there was congruence between academic conceptions of the roles of leaders and managers in HE and those found in other contexts. In contrast, there was considerable variance and significant gaps between these conceptions and HR and professional development practices. The paper reports findings that have significant implications for more systematic and explicit professional development for University leaders and managers of teaching and learning. In addition, it argues that changes are required to the prevailing approaches in the current HR systems and policies in order to effectively develop, support and recognize effective leadership and management practices as they relate to learning and teaching.     

New Avenues for History in Mathematics Education: Mathematical Competencies and Anchoring

The paper addresses the apparent lack of impact of ‘history in mathematics education’ in mathematics education research in general, and proposes new avenues for research. We identify two general scenarios of integrating history in mathematics education that each gives rise to different problems. The first scenario occurs when history is used as a ‘tool’ for the learning and teaching of mathematics, the second when history of mathematics as a ‘goal’ is pursued as an integral part of mathematics education. We introduce a multiple-perspective approach to history, and suggest that research on history in mathematics education follows one of two different avenues in dealing with these scenarios. The first is to focus on students’ development of mathematical competencies when history is used a tool for the learning of curriculum-dictated mathematical in-issues. A framework for this is described. Secondly, when using history as a goal it is argued that an anchoring of the meta-issues in the related in-issues is essential, and a framework for this is given. Both frameworks are illustrated through empirical examples.     

Pigeons learn to answer the question “where did you just peck?” and can report peck location when unexpectedly asked

If pigeons are trained on matching-to-sample with differential responding required to the two samples, there is evidence that the differential responding can control comparison choice. We asked whether similar responding required at two different locations could also serve as the basis for comparison choice. Pigeons were pretrained to report the location that they had pecked. To reduce the likelihood that they could use the presence of differential proprioceptive cues at the time of their report, a common response was required between the location response and the comparison choice. They were then given experience with a conditional discrimination in which location of the comparison response varied randomly and was incidental to the choice of comparison. On test trials, after the pigeons had made their comparison choice, they showed a significant tendency to choose the appropriate test comparison when they were unexpectedly asked to report the location of their previous pecking response. These results have implications for the demonstration of episodic-like memory in pigeons because they suggest that pigeons have the capacity to recall, unexpectedly, specific details about their past experiences. 2007 Psychonomic Society, Inc.     

Effects of naturally existing peer groups on changes in academic engagement in a cohort of sixth graders

This study examined the effects of peer groups on changes in academic engagement in 11- to 13-year-old children. From the entire cohort of 366 sixth graders in a town, 87% participated at the beginning and end of the school year. Peer groups were assessed using socio-cognitive mapping; as an indicator of motivation, teachers reported on students' classroom engagement. Peer groups were homogeneous in terms of engagement, and despite considerable member turnover across time, their motivational composition remained fairly intact. Peer group engagement levels in the fall predicted changes in children's motivation across time. Although the magnitude of effects was relatively small, evidence for group influences persisted when controlling for peer selection and the influence of teacher and parent involvement.     

QuickSmart: a basic academic skills intervention for middle school students with learning difficulties

QuickSmart is a basic academic skills intervention designed for persistently low-achieving students in the middle years of schooling that aims to improve the automaticity of basic skills to improve higher-order processes, such as problem solving and comprehension, as measured on standardized tests. The QuickSmart instructional program consists of three structured, teacher- or teacher aide-directed, 30-minute, small-group lessons each week for approximately 26 weeks. In this study, 42 middle school students experiencing learning difficulties (LD) completed the QuickSmart reading program, and a further 42 students with LD took part in the QuickSmart mathematics program. To investigate the effects of the intervention, comparisons were made between the reading and mathematics progress of the intervention group and a group of 10 high-achieving and 10 average-achieving peers. The results indicated that although the standardized reading comprehension and mathematics scores of QuickSmart students remained below those of comparison students, they improved significantly from pretest to posttest. In contrast, the standardized scores of comparison students were not significantly different from pretest to posttest. On measures of response speed and accuracy gathered using the Cognitive Aptitude Assessment System (CAAS), QuickSmart students were able to narrow the gap between their performance and that of their high- and average-achieving peers. Implications are drawn regarding the importance of interventions that emphasize the automaticity of basic academic skills for students with learning difficulties.     

International Student Support Groups: Learning from Experienced Group Members and Leaders

A multisite qualitative study investigated the experiences of six group leaders and 10 group members who participated in seven different university counseling center international student support groups. Analyses of interview data using hermeneutic interpretation resulted in nine major themes and 10 subthemes organized into four sections: (a) recruitment and group design, (b) experiences of group members, (c) experiences of group leaders, and (d) additional considerations.