Achievement Goals and the Hierarchical Model of Achievement Motivation

The achievement goal approach has attained prominence in the achievement motivation literature and has produced a valuable empirical yield. However, the precise nature of the achievement goal construct is in need of scrutiny, as is the issue of how achievement goals and their antecedents combine to produce competence-based self-regulation. In this article, we address these important conceptual issues in the context of the hierarchical model of achievement motivation. The approach–avoidance distinction, which has been an integral part of the achievement motivation literature since its inception, is highlighted throughout.     

Performance of students in project‐based science classrooms on a national measure of science achievement

Reform efforts in science education emphasize the importance of supporting students' construction of knowledge through inquiry. Project‐based science (PBS) is an ambitious approach to science instruction that addresses concerns of reformers. A sample of 142 10th‐ and 11th‐grade students enrolled in a PBS program completed the 12th‐grade 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science test. Compared with subgroups identified by NAEP that most closely matched our student sample, White and middle class, PBS students outscored the national sample on 44% of NAEP test items. This study shows that students participating in a PBS curriculum were prepared for this type of testing. Educators should be encouraged to use inquiry‐based approaches such as PBS to implement reform in their schools. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 410–422, 2002     

Promoting understanding of chemical representations: Students' use of a visualization tool in the classroom

Many students have difficulty learning symbolic and molecular representations of chemistry. This study investigated how students developed an understanding of chemical representations with the aid of a computer‐based visualizing tool, eChem, that allowed them to build molecular models and view multiple representations simultaneously. Multiple sources of data were collected with the participation of 71 eleventh graders at a small public high school over a 6‐week period. The results of pre‐ and posttests showed that students' understanding of chemical representations improved substantially (p < .001, effect size = 2.68‐. The analysis of video recordings revealed that several features in eChem helped students construct models and translate representations. Students who were highly engaged in discussions while using eChem made referential linkages between visual and conceptual aspects of representations. This in turn may have deepened their understanding of chemical representations and concepts. The findings also suggest that computerized models can serve as a vehicle for students to generate mental images. Finally, students demonstrated their preferences of certain types of representations and did not use all types of three‐dimensional models interchangeably. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 821–842, 2001     

Inquiry‐based science in the middle grades: Assessment of learning in urban systemic reform

Science education standards established by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC) urge less emphasis on memorizing scientific facts and more emphasis on students investigating the everyday world and developing deep understanding from their inquiries. These approaches to instruction challenge teachers and students, particularly urban students who often have additional challenges related to poverty. We report data on student learning spanning 3 years from a science education reform collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools. Data were collected from nearly 8,000 students who participated in inquiry‐based and technology‐infused curriculum units that were collaboratively developed by district personnel and staff from the University of Michigan as part of a larger, district‐wide systemic reform effort in science education. The results show statistically significant increases on curriculum‐based test scores for each year of participation. Moreover, the strength of the effects grew over the years, as evidenced by increasing effect size estimates across the years. The findings indicate that students who historically are low achievers in science can succeed in standards‐based, inquiry science when curriculum is carefully developed and aligned with professional development and district policies. Additional longitudinal research on the development of student understanding over multiple inquiry projects, the progress of teacher enactment over time, and the effect of changes in the policy and administrative environment would further contribute to the intellectual and practical tools necessary to implement meaningful standards‐based systemic reform in science. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1063–1080, 2004     

Explaining Privacy Control on Instagram and Twitter: The Roles of Narcissism and Self-Esteem

A growing body of research examines the relationships between psychological traits and privacy behaviors on Social Networking Sites (SNSs) to understand why users control information about themselves. This study investigates how narcissism and self-esteem can explain tendencies to control privacy on two widely used platforms: Instagram and Twitter. Data from an online survey (n = 510) are analyzed using linear mixed models. The exhibitionism component of narcissism tends to be associated with less privacy control on SNSs, i.e., profiles that are publicly accessible. Conversely, the superiority component of narcissism and self-esteem are associated with more privacy control. Across platforms, as self-esteem increases, the likelihood of having public settings on Instagram is significantly lower than on Twitter. The findings are discussed in the context of the different affordances that the two platforms present users with. The results indicate that privacy behaviors may be tied to relatively stable personality traits, suggesting that even as technologies and social norms with regard to privacy change, behaviors that limit the number of people to which individuals disclose personal information may remain the same.     

Moving the Achievement Goal Approach One Step Forward: Toward a Systematic Examination of the Autonomous and Controlled Reasons Underlying Achievement Goals

An important recent development in the achievement goal literature is to define achievement goals strictly as aims. In this overview, we argue that this restrictive definition of achievement goals paves the way for a systematic consideration of the autonomous and controlled reasons underlying individuals’ achievement goals, a distinction central to self-determination theory. To stimulate work in this area, we formulated five propositions, arguing that consideration of the “why” (i.e., type of reasons) in addition to the “what” (i.e., type of aims) of achievement goals (a) provides an account for the regulatory basis of achievement goals, (b) opens the door for other motivation theories to be linked to the achievement goal literature, (c) matters in terms of predicting outcomes, (d) allows for a richer account of contextual forces influencing motivation, and (e) sets the stage for an enriched hierarchical model of achievement motivation. In closing, we discuss various future research directions.     

Youth in a global world: attitudes towards globalization and global citizenship among university students in Hong Kong

Despite the wealth of theoretical literature on globalization and global citizenship, empirical studies on the topic are lacking, especially in the context of pedagogical needs in relation to global citizenship education. In order to address this gap, a study was conducted in Hong Kong to investigate the attitudes of university students towards various dimensions of globalization and global citizenship. The initial results indicate that Hong Kong university students are generally quite aware of globalization's impact on the economy and personal consumption choices and that while there is considerable apathy towards international affairs, there is also a great interest in cross-cultural service learning opportunities that is not being met by the available programmes. Moreover, this study finds almost no association between age, gender, and religion and any of the measured dependent variables on attitudes towards globalization and global citizenship, the only exception being the factor of past intercultural experiences, where a significant difference in measured attitudes was found between respondents who had and respondents who had not participated in such experiences before. Explanations of the findings and the implications of findings for policy and future research are discussed.     

The Australian and American higher education: Key issues of the first decade of the 21st Century

Higher education is critical to the social andeconomic futures of all nations and it is moreso in the case of developed nations. TheAmerican and Australian systems of highereducation originated on the basis of the17th and 19th Century British models,respectively. Later, the Americans developedtheir own unique system, with the introductionof several innovative features, becoming themost diverse, dynamic and dominant system ofthe modern world. The Australian system, whichdeveloped itself maintaining a closerelationship with the British system until the1980s, has now transformed into a unifiednational system, consisting of multi-campus,larger universities with a big push for theexpansion of the private sector, moving towardsthe American model. However, it is observedthat there are more similarities thandifferences in the problems and issuesconfronted by the two systems. Both nationshave made higher education a means of nationaldevelopment and minimisation of socialinequality. This paper addresses some of thekey issues, such as, higher education costs tostudents, technology and instructionaldelivery, faculty roles and rewards and currenttrends that are likely to dominate thesesystems during the first decade of the21st Century.