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Recent research has mapped the ways social identification and normative influence affect students' self-reported learning approaches and course experience, and also, the ways in which social identification and learning approach impact directly on grades. However, there is no evidence for a model incorporating both of these processes. The current paper aims to address this in a dataset drawn from a range of courses and disciplines at a mid-size Australian university. The data capture student demographics, social identification with the field of study, perceived learning norms and learning approaches, and examine how these map onto end of semester academic outcomes. Findings indicate support for the Bliuc identification-to-grade, through learning approach model. Further, we find support for the Smyth identification-by-norm moderation model of predicting learning approaches. Added to which, we find support for a combined moderated mediation model, where the identification-by-norm interaction moderates the indirect effect of identification predicting grades through learning approach. Implications for course design are discussed.

This paper reports work in progress investigating gender differences and styles in the use of digital games amongst advanced level biology students. It is an elaboration on previous work exploring the relationship between cognitive style and academic performance in Maltese students taking biology at advanced level. In this previous work the cognitive style of 581 (212 male and 369 female) advanced biology students was correlated with their academic performance in five different subjects. Pearson's correlation showed that the wholist-analytic dimension, the verbal-imagery dimension, and gender were not correlated. Regression analysis showed that none of the style dimension combinations had a significant effect on performance in any of the subjects. However, gender proved to be a stronger determinant of performance. These results were interpreted from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Numerous studies have consistently found gender differences in language and visuospatial skills. Female superiority is seen on tests of both receptive and productive language, and on more complex tasks such as making analogies and creative writing. Males have an advantage in visuospatial reasoning, being more adept at performing disembedding and internal spatial transformations. In view of these results and the constantly reported gender difference in the use of digital games, this paper describes the initial stage of an investigation about gender-determined propensities to digital media. Different studies claim that males dedicate more time than female students to playing digital games. A marked emphasis on the use of particular game genres by the different sexes is also reported. This reported phenomenon is investigated within the context of Maltese students taking advanced biology. Through a questionnaire, data were collected about the time students spend playing digital games, their preferred platform, and their preferred games. Data were analysed to establish gender differences in the time spent on playing digital games, the preferred platform, the most popular digital games amongst males and female students, and the preferred game genre. The results are interpreted from neurocognitve and psychosocial perspectives. Suggestions are made for possible integration of digital games in learning.

The aim of this paper is to report outcomes of a school-based programme aiming to promote achievement, attendance and positive perceptions towards the school climate and social-emotional adaptation among students with disabilities (SWD). The programme included a series of training and social activities for school staff, parents and children followed by implementation of the knowledge gained through these activities. The programme lasted one school year and data were collected through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results of the study indicated enhanced student attendance and achievement, social-emotional development, and positive perceptions about the school climate. In addition, parents and teachers were mostly content with development of students and the attempts of their schools to prompt student learning. Findings of this research indicate the significance of the holistic approach in educating SWD in mainstream schools and confirm that schools can make progress relying on their internal structures and planned action.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships between pre-service teachers' conceptions of assessment and their intended approaches to classroom instruction and assessment. We operationalised approaches to instruction and assessment according to Achievement Goal Theory, postulating that pre-service teachers approach instruction and assessment from either a mastery or performance perspective. The results from a correlational study of 344 Canadian pre-service teachers showed that intended instruction and assessment practices were separated according to mastery and performance approaches. However, there was also alignment between the concepts such that pre-service teachers who had a mastery approach to instruction were more inclined towards a mastery approach to assessment. Approaches to assessment were also related to pre-service teachers' conceptions: beliefs that assessment holds students and schools accountable were positively related to a performance approach to assessment. In contrast, a belief that assessment improves teaching was positively related to a mastery approach to assessment and negatively to a performance approach. We discuss relationships between conceptions of assessment, approaches to classroom instruction and assessment as conceptualised from an Achievement Goal Theory perspective.

The development of effective self-regulated learning strategies is of interest to educationalists. In this paper, we examine inherent individual difference in self-regulated learning based on Motivated Learning for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) using the cluster analytic approach and examine cluster difference in terms of self-determination theory related variables. The sample of the study consisted of 238 junior college students from 12 intact classes. Two adaptive clusters and two maladaptive clusters were uncovered based on the MLSQ, with the adaptive clusters showing better academic grades. Results from the one-way MANOVA showed that the four clusters differed significantly in terms of their needs satisfaction, behavioural regulations, enjoyment, effort and value. The findings supported the importance of needs satisfaction in the development of self-regulated learning behaviour.

How students understand, feel about and respond to assessment might contribute significantly to learning behaviour and academic achievement. This paper reviews studies that have used a relatively new self-reported survey questionnaire ("Students' Conceptions of Assessment"--SCoA) about student perceptions and understandings of assessment. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling results have shown, consistent with self-regulation theory, that the SCoA inventory has meaningful relations with academic performance among New Zealand high school students. Further, German, Hong Kong, American, and New Zealand studies have shown that the SCoA has relations to motivational constructs (e.g. effort, learning strategies, interest, self-efficacy and anxiety) that are also consistent with self-regulation. The SCoA inventory extends our understanding of how student conceptions of assessment are an integral part of self-regulation and provide a warrant for use in research studies investigating test-taker responses to assessment practices and innovations at both university and high school levels. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The present paper aims to examine the relationship between first grade children's performance-approach goal orientation, task-avoidant behaviours, conceptual knowledge and their achievement in maths and literacy. The sample consisted of 174 first grade children and their class teachers. Children's self reports of their performance-approach goals and avoidant behaviours as well as teacher-reports of children's avoidant behaviours were used. Our results indicate that performance-approach goal orientation positively predicts children's self-reported task-avoidant behaviours which in turn have a negative effect on children's achievement outcomes. The negative effect of teacher-rated avoidant behaviours on children's achievement outcomes was even greater than the positive influence of children's conceptual knowledge. These results suggest that the relationships between goal-orientations, achievement behaviours and achievement outcomes start to form early in children's school career (or even before that) and that children's self-report of their achievement goals and behaviours provide a valuable knowledge already in this early age. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

This paper focuses on family involvement in the education of teenagers at risk of dropping out from compulsory secondary school. A questionnaire was completed by 131 Spanish and Cypriot families with children at six schools--three in each country. The questionnaire investigated: (1) parental perceptions of their children's activities in their free time; (2) academic expectations for their children; (3) parental concern regarding their children's education; and (4) parent-teacher interactions. Descriptive measures and t-test comparative analyses between Spain and Cyprus were undertaken. Results show that these families have an encouraging attitude towards their teenagers. Nonetheless, significant statistical differences between Spanish and Cypriot parents suggest that the Spanish families have a more protective parenting style than the Cypriot families. The study points to the lack of support for these families as regards advice and stimulation for their children at home, and to the need to promote school-family partnerships. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)

A sample of 48 college students prepared for in-class examinations using two web-based study conditions. The A condition used web-based study groups and the B condition used web-based quizzes. The Index of Learning Styles positioned students on four dimensions of learning style (active-reflective, visual-verbal, sequential-global, and sensing-intuitive). Students who were more active than reflective expressed a preference for face-to-face study groups rather than online study groups and for online quizzes rather than pencil-and-paper quizzes. Students who were more visual than verbal expressed a preference for online quizzes rather than online study groups. Such preferences were validated by decreased achievement in the less-preferred study condition. At college level, students are aware of their learning style and understand the conditions that facilitate their mastery of course content. Instructional applications of web-based technology may provide mechanisms for more consistently accommodating student learning style in higher education. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)

The link between academic performance in secondary education and the subsequent performance of students studying architecture at university level is commonly questioned by educators and admissions tutors. This paper investigates the potential for using measures of cognitive style and spatial ability as predictors of future potential in architectural design education. The research investigates the relationship between the academic performance of three cohorts of architectural students and their cognitive style (as measured by the Cognitive Style Analysis), spatial ability (measured by the redrawn Vandenberg mental rotation test), and performance in secondary education (measured by the make-up of their portfolio of secondary qualifications). The results from the research provide little evidence to suggest that any of the measurements were good predictors of eventual performance. Neither were there any significant interactions between the test scores, performance, and gender. Nevertheless, there was evidence suggesting that students with certain cognitive styles were less likely to complete the course, particularly those with a verbaliser cognitive style. Furthermore, a significant proportion of female, wholist students also failed to complete the course. (Contains 1 figure and 7 tables.)

This paper reports the results of a two-year longitudinal study of the relationship between self-assessed intelligence (SAI) and academic performance (AP) in a sample of 184 British undergraduate students. Results showed significant correlations between SAI (both before and after taking an IQ test) and academic exam marks obtained two years later, even when IQ scores were partialled out. Several continuous assessment indicators (notably attendance, oral expression, and motivation) were also significantly correlated with SAI, even when IQ scores were controlled. A series of hierarchical regressions indicated that although exam grades were best predicted by IQ, SAI showed significant incremental validity in the prediction of AP, accounting for an additional 3% of exam, 9% of continuous assessment, and 2% of essay grades. Results are discussed with regard to current trends to integrate individual differences underlying AP. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether variations exist in child and parent attributions in predicting child academic achievement within a culture and between cultures. Participants were 158 students and their parents from three different primary schools in Hong Kong, including one British international school consisting of students who are predominantly from a British background and two Chinese public schools each with a distinct SES profile. This paper extends the findings of previous research whereby Western parents attribute their child's success to ability and Chinese parents attribute their child's success to effort. Additionally, this study found that the Chinese children's attributions differed according to the SES catchments of their schools; children from higher SES were inclined to attribute success to effort. The results are discussed in terms of parent and child attributions' prediction of child's academic achievement within Hong Kong's family demographic. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)

Given the psychometric limitations of existing measures of Kolb's experiential learning model (ELM), two new scales of learning styles have been developed. The validity of these scales has been supported in samples of undergraduate and MBA students in the USA. This paper provides evidence of some psychometric properties of scores yielded by these scales using samples of undergraduate students in the UK. Only limited support is found for the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of scores produced by the scales. However, an item attrition exercise identifies a two-factor solution providing an acceptable fit to the data. The scales are reported as being positively correlated with academic performance and prior academic achievement. Despite the mixed evidence, we suggest further development of the scales is warranted to create a psychometrically sound measure of the ELM.

The article introduces papers featured in the April 2006 issue of "Educational Psychology," which is focused on affective and social outcomes of schooling. Most of the papers use longitudinal studies which measure the attribution, academic interest, cognitive habits and other affective outcomes of the same group of students repeatedly over time. Some of the studies focus on students' attributional beliefs about their academic success and failure, on sophomores' academic motivation, on students' views on constructive relationships with others and on learning environments.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including motivation in education, academic achievement, and self-estimation bias in mathematics competence.

Recent research has mapped the ways social identification and normative influence affect students' self-reported learning approaches and course experience, and also, the ways in which social identification and learning approach impact directly on grades. However, there is no evidence for a model incorporating both of these processes. The current paper aims to address this in a dataset drawn from a range of courses and disciplines at a mid-size Australian university. The data capture student demographics, social identification with the field of study, perceived learning norms and learning approaches, and examine how these map onto end of semester academic outcomes. Findings indicate support for the Bliuc identification-to-grade, through learning approach model. Further, we find support for the Smyth identification-by-norm moderation model of predicting learning approaches. Added to which, we find support for a combined moderated mediation model, where the identification–norm interaction moderates the indirect effect of identification predicting grades through learning approach. Implications for course design are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sense of interdependence, in terms of relations with other individuals, groups, and institutions, is at the heart of the social outcomes of schooling. This paper investigates the views of school students in late primary and middle secondary school about the importance to them of relating constructively with others, commitment to community well‐being, and adherence to rules and conventions. It describes scales to measure these orientations, investigates relationships with age, gender, and other student characteristics, and examines the extent to which individual student orientations are related to school environments. Data are from a survey of nationally representative Australian samples of approximately 8,000 students in Years 5 and 10 from more than 500 schools as well as 2,600 teachers from those schools. Multilevel regression analyses indicate that differences in student orientations are associated with age, gender, and educational aspirations as well as a number of other school and individual factors. Differences among schools account for approximately 11% of the variance in student scores and school environments and practices are found to be associated with differences in student responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports work in progress investigating gender differences and styles in the use of digital games amongst advanced level biology students. It is an elaboration on previous work exploring the relationship between cognitive style and academic performance in Maltese students taking biology at advanced level. In this previous work the cognitive style of 581 (212 male and 369 female) advanced biology students was correlated with their academic performance in five different subjects. Pearson's correlation showed that the wholist-analytic dimension, the verbal-imagery' dimension, and gender were not correlated. Regression analysis showed that none of the style dimension combinations had a significant effect on performance in any of the subjects. However, gender proved to be a stronger determinant of performance. These results were interpreted from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Numerous studies have consistently found gender differences in language and visuospatial skills. Female superiority is seen on tests of both receptive and productive language, and on more complex tasks such as making analogies and creative writing. Males have an advantage in visuospatial reasoning, being more adept at performing disembedding and internal spatial transformations. In view of these results and the constantly reported gender difference in the use of digital games, this paper describes the initial stage of an investigation about gender-determined propensities to digital media. Different studies claim that males dedicate more time than female students to playing digital games. A marked emphasis on the use of particular game genres by the different sexes is also reported. This reported phenomenon is investigated within the context of Maltese students taking advanced biology. Through a questionnaire, data were collected about the time students spend playing digital games, their preferred platform, and their preferred games. Data were analysed to establish gender differences in the time spent on playing digital games, the preferred platform, the most popular digital games amongst males and female students, and the preferred game genre. The results are interpreted from neurocognitve and psychosocial perspectives. Suggestions are made for possible integration of digital games in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships between pre-service teachers’ conceptions of assessment and their intended approaches to classroom instruction and assessment. We operationalised approaches to instruction and assessment according to Achievement Goal Theory, postulating that pre-service teachers approach instruction and assessment from either a mastery or performance perspective. The results from a correlational study of 344 Canadian pre-service teachers showed that intended instruction and assessment practices were separated according to mastery and performance approaches. However, there was also alignment between the concepts such that pre-service teachers who had a mastery approach to instruction were more inclined towards a mastery approach to assessment. Approaches to assessment were also related to pre-service teachers’ conceptions: beliefs that assessment holds students and schools accountable were positively related to a performance approach to assessment. In contrast, a belief that assessment improves teaching was positively related to a mastery approach to assessment and negatively to a performance approach. We discuss relationships between conceptions of assessment, approaches to classroom instruction and assessment as conceptualised from an Achievement Goal Theory perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study explores the relationship between students’ self-report levels of cognitive test anxiety (worry), academic buoyancy (withstanding and successfully responding to routine school challenges and setbacks), coping processes and their achieved grades in high-stakes national examinations at the end of compulsory schooling. The sample comprised 325 English students in their final year of secondary school preparing for high-stakes examinations. While controlling for prior attainment and gender, higher worry predicted lower examinations scores. This was partially mediated by less use of effective pre-exam coping strategies. Academic buoyancy moderated the indirect relationship such that the indirect negative relationship from worry to examination performance was stronger when academic buoyancy was lower. The paper concludes that providing in-school training in task-focus and orientation and how to withstand academic pressures may help to ameliorate the influence of performance-interfering worries, and potentially enhance performance among students inclined to worry about examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of effective self-regulated learning strategies is of interest to educationalists. In this paper, we examine inherent individual difference in self-regulated learning based on Motivated Learning for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) using the cluster analytic approach and examine cluster difference in terms of self-determination theory related variables. The sample of the study consisted of 238 junior college students from 12 intact classes. Two adaptive clusters and two maladaptive clusters were uncovered based on the MLSQ, with the adaptive clusters showing better academic grades. Results from the one-way MANOVA showed that the four clusters differed significantly in terms of their needs satisfaction, behavioural regulations, enjoyment, effort and value. The findings supported the importance of needs satisfaction in the development of self-regulated learning behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the concept of ‘rational civic attitudes’ and its link to knowledge, using data on eighth-grade students from 38 countries in the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement International Civic and Citizenship Education Study to examine these questions: (1) Are country-averages on self-reported ‘Trust in Civic Institutions’ validly comparable across culturally and institutionally diverse countries? (2) Is the relationship between such trust and students’ Civic Knowledge contingent on the extent of corruption in their country, on how effective the government appears to be, and on standards of living, health and education? (3) Are students with better ‘Civic Knowledge’ more supportive than others of ‘Equal Rights for all Ethnic Groups’ and ‘Gender Equality’ and do they have higher ‘Expected Adult Electoral Participation’? The answer to question (1) is ‘NO’. To questions (2) and (3), the answers are ‘YES’. The findings fit the explanation that better knowledge promotes more rationally based civic attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including academic achievement, mindfulness, and self-evaluation.

How students understand, feel about and respond to assessment might contribute significantly to learning behaviour and academic achievement. This paper reviews studies that have used a relatively new self-reported survey questionnaire (Students' Conceptions of Assessment - SCoA) about student perceptions and understandings of assessment. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling results have shown, consistent with self-regulation theory, that the SCoA inventory has meaningful relations with academic performance among New Zealand high school students. Further, German, Hong Kong, American, and New Zealand studies have shown that the SCoA has relations to motivational constructs (e.g. effort, learning strategies, interest, self-efficacy and anxiety) that are also consistent with self-regulation. The SCoA inventory extends our understanding of how student conceptions of assessment are an integral part of self-regulation and provide a warrant for use in research studies investigating test-taker responses to assessment practices and innovations at both university and high school levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on family involvement in the education of teenagers at risk of dropping out from compulsory secondary school. A questionnaire was completed by 131 Spanish and Cypriot families with children at six schools - three in each country. The questionnaire investigated: (1) parental perceptions of their children's activities in their free time; (2) academic expectations for their children; (3) parental concern regarding their children's education; and (4) parent-teacher interactions. Descriptive measures and t-test comparative analyses between Spain and Cyprus were undertaken. Results show that these families have an encouraging attitude towards their teenagers. Nonetheless, significant statistical differences between Spanish and Cypriot parents suggest that the Spanish families have a more protective parenting style than the Cypriot families. The study points to the lack of support for these families as regards advice and stimulation for their children at home, and to the need to promote school-family partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a two‐year longitudinal study of the relationship between self‐assessed intelligence (SAI) and academic performance (AP) in a sample of 184 British undergraduate students. Results showed significant correlations between SAI (both before and after taking an IQ test) and academic exam marks obtained two years later, even when IQ scores were partialled out. Several continuous assessment indicators (notably attendance, oral expression, and motivation) were also significantly correlated with SAI, even when IQ scores were controlled. A series of hierarchical regressions indicated that although exam grades were best predicted by IQ, SAI showed significant incremental validity in the prediction of AP, accounting for an additional 3% of exam, 9% of continuous assessment, and 2% of essay grades. Results are discussed with regard to current trends to integrate individual differences underlying AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether variations exist in child and parent attributions in predicting child academic achievement within a culture and between cultures. Participants were 158 students and their parents from three different primary schools in Hong Kong, including one British international school consisting of students who are predominantly from a British background and two Chinese public schools each with a distinct SES profile. This paper extends the findings of previous research whereby Western parents attribute their child's success to ability and Chinese parents attribute their child's success to effort. Additionally, this study found that the Chinese children's attributions differed according to the SES catchments of their schools; children from higher SES were inclined to attribute success to effort. The results are discussed in terms of parent and child attributions' prediction of child's academic achievement within Hong Kong's family demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the study reported in this paper was to identify Italian high school students' (n = 599) beliefs about maths and mathematical problem solving by exploring the use of a 36-item (six scales) self-report questionnaire. The study was also aimed at analysing possible significant differences in beliefs related to grade (five years of school) and gender, as well as the relationship between beliefs and achievement in maths. Moreover, it explored the masons underlying mature and naïve beliefs about the different dimensions measured by the questionnaire. Results show a substantial replication of the instrument with the exception of one scale (importance of word problems) which was not reliable. A MANOVA revealed differences for three scales (ability to solve time consuming problems; problems which cannot solved by routine procedures; the usefulness of mathematics) related to grade and a difference for one scale related to gender (importance of understanding maths). It also emerged that the four scales mentioned predicted achievement in maths to different extents. Data regarding the reasons underlying students' beliefs show how their convictions are adaptive or maladaptive to learning. Finally, educational implications are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of the social environment and affective factors on academic achievement were identified as early as the 1970s. This line of research continued in the following decades, but the relationship between social competence and academic achievement remained a neglected issue. The aim of the empirical research presented in this paper was to define those components of social competence that influence learning motivation and academic achievement. The following components of social competence were selected for analysis: dynamism, dominance, cooperativeness, politeness, scrupulousness, perseverance, emotional control, impulse control, openness, external-internal control attitude and attachments. Four questionnaires were administered to a sample of 6th and 10th grade students (altogether 438 subjects). The results show that the assessed social factors are not affected considerably by age. The correlation analyses reveal the importance of intrinsic motivation within learning motivation, manifested in its strong relationship to the variables representing the social factors of personality except for emotional stability. The results of the regression analysis indicate that friendliness and openness have the largest impact on each other among social factors extraversion. The results show that conscientiousness, openness and academic self-concept explains most of the variance in intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation seems to exert considerable effect on these three variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of a study investigating factors associated with achievement and progress in young Indian children learning to read in English. A longitudinal design was used in which children's reading was followed-up from the end of nursery for 17 months. One-hundred-and-sixty-one children in seven schools in Calcutta, India comprised the sample for the study. Word recognition at the end of nursery consistently emerged as the variable most strongly associated with progress in reading. While this study provides further support for word recognition as a factor strongly associated with reading achievement and progress, the results need to be interpreted in the context of the children's generally poor scores on comprehension of text. This has serious implications for teaching practices that emphasise word recognition without laying stress on language comprehension, particularly in relation to bilingual children whose education is in a language that is not the mother tongue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both learning style and academic belief systems have been identified as significant factors contributing to academic achievement. This paper evaluates the efficacy of teaching and learning in higher education by investigating the relationship between students assessment of their own academic proficiency (in this case Research Methods Proficiency [RMP]), learning style, academic locus of control, academic self-efficacy and academic achievement. First and second year undergraduate students' RMP was measured before and after completing modules in Research Methods. Students also completed measures of approaches to learning, academic self-efficacy and academic locus of control. Academic achievement (module mark) was also recorded. Results showed that perceived proficiency increased after completing the taught modules and that perceived proficiency was positively correlated with academic performance. Level 1 students, taught under the recently modified programme, reported significantly higher perceived proficiency than Level 2 students taught under the previous programme. Perceived proficiency was positively correlated with a strategic learning approach and negatively correlated with a surface learning approach and external locus of control beliefs. Academic achievement was also positively correlated with a strategic learning approach and negatively correlated with an apathetic learning approach. A deep learning approach failed to be associated with either RMP or academic achievement. It is suggested that: (i) these findings confirm, to some degree, the suggestion that there is an emphasis in later education on performance rather than learning (Lyddy, 1998); and (ii) perceived proficiency is a useful evaluation measure and is likely to contribute to effective and productive teaching and learning within higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the mechanism of emotion regulation and the formation of emotional engagement can improve online learning persistence and academic performance. This study was set to pinpoint the potential pathways between emotion regulation and emotional engagement through meta-emotion and develop a predictive model for online emotional engagement. The data collected from 302 college students were analysed using a two-stage structural equation modelling-artificial neural network approach. Firstly, the path analysis implied the significant linkages from emotion regulation to emotional engagement through emotional repair. Secondly, the artificial neural network analysis results suggested that emotional repair contributed to the development of emotional engagement most, and the current model predicted emotional engagement with an accuracy of 91.1%. The main contribution of the present study is providing empirical evidence to predict emotional engagement from novel perspectives through a two-stage approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study, based on the PERMA model, proposed and examined a hypothetical model exploring the effects of academic self-efficacy, positive relationships, and psychological resilience on university students' life satisfaction. We collected data from a large sample of 1,089 university students in southwest China. The participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaire items measuring academic self-efficacy, positive relationships, psychological resilience, and life satisfaction. The results of the structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated a good fit for our data, suggesting that academic self-efficacy positively predicted university students' life satisfaction through two independent mediators: positive relationships and psychological resilience. Findings yielded from the empirically validated hypothetical model add value to and enrich the PERMA model within a group of Chinese university students. The implications and practical suggestions for improving university students' life satisfaction are discussed in light of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical model of achievement motivation assumes that individual characteristics predict achievement goals, which further predict achievement outcomes. One of the individual characteristics that may be particularly important in subjects that require abstract reasoning, such as mathematics, is need for cognition. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between the students' need for cognition, achievement goals and different aspects of engagement in mathematics within the hierarchical model of achievement goals. The sample consisted of 543 students from six academic-track secondary schools. Participants completed self-report measures for need for cognition, achievement goals and engagement (both of the latter measures were related to the field of mathematics). Structural equation modelling was used in mediational analyses. Findings are consistent with the hierarchical model of achievement motivation and demonstrated that achievement goals mediated the relationship between the need for cognition and engagement in mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study reciprocal peer tutoring was implemented in middle school mathematics classes for a six-month period. The effects of this methodology on students' mathematics achievements, mathematics anxiety levels, attitudes towards mathematics, and mathematics self-concepts were examined. Study participants included 768 students in grades 7–9 (12–15 years old). Statistically significant differences and positive effect sizes were reported for mathematics achievement, mathematics anxiety level, and mathematics self-concept (Hedge's g average value of 0.28). No significant statistical differences were reported for mathematics attitude. Students' repeating condition acted as significant moderators for mathematics anxiety. The main conclusion is that reciprocal peer tutoring can be very beneficial academically and psychologically for middle school mathematics students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic risk taking is a strategy where students engage in more difficult, challenging work in order to reap greater personal or community benefits, despite uncertainty, such as potential failure. A sample (N = 355) of college students from a Midwest university were measured on three dimensions of academic risk-taking as well as two motivational constructs, achievement goal orientation, and need for cognition using a hierarchical regression analysis. Students from different college majors were compared on risk-taking, and the relationships between achievement goal orientations, need for cognition, and risk-taking dimensions were tested. Results indicate achievement goal orientations and need for cognition strongly predict academic risk taking, and there are small but significant differences by major on some risk-taking dimensions. Implications include the need to foster academic risk-taking in different disciplines in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expectancy-Value Theory predicts that expectancy of success and subjective task value (STV) underlie differences in motivation and achievement. This study investigated how gender and SES related to achievement mediated by expectancy of success, STV, and their interaction. The sample consisted of 396 participants in their final year of upper secondary education. Self-report measures were completed of expectancy, STV, gender and socio-economic indicators. These were linked to exit examination grades (A Levels). Only parental education was directly related to achievement however gender and SES were indirectly linked to student grades through expectancy, STV, and the expectancy-STV interaction. Males, students with a higher level of parental education, and students from households with a higher number of possessions, all performed better in their examination due to higher expectations; higher STV amplified these relations. Gender and SES differences in achievement can be partly explained by psychological factors, namely students' expectations of success and STV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers and peers are two influential social agents in students' academic functioning. In the present study, we differentiated perceived social relationships into positive and negative aspects and investigated how these perceptions influence students' motivation and educational outcomes. Results based on 2211 Chinese middle school students revealed that the perceived teacher relationships emerged as more important predictors than perceived peer relationships. Differential aspects of perceived social relationships also showed distinct predictive patterns. Moreover, multiple-group comparisons further revealed that girls were more sensitive to negative teacher relationships, whereas boys were more sensitive to negative peer relationships. These findings highlight the importance of including multiple aspects of perceived social relationships and considering potential gender differences to more fully capture the factors that affect adolescents' academic functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by the self-system process model, the aim of this study was to unravel the relationship between students' perceived teacher support and academic achievement as well as to address the role of student engagement, using a meta-analytic approach. Based on 71 empirical articles, we found that there was a small to medium correlation between perceived teacher support and achievement (r = 0.16), moderated by grade level, dimensions of teacher support, and measures of academic achievement. Perceived teacher support had the greatest impact on achievement among upper-secondary students, while also had a larger influence on student course grades than standardised test scores. Meanwhile, perceived emotional support had a larger effect size than autonomy or academic support on student achievement. In terms of mediating analysis, both general student engagement and its sub-types (behavioural, cognitive, and emotional engagement) partially mediated the relation between perceived teacher support and student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peers are central in shaping adolescents' development across various domains. This research examined patterns of peer system resources and liabilities, and their association with academic adjustment. A person-centred approach, Latent Profile Analysis, was used to classify students into groups based on characteristics of the peer system: friendship quality, group, and general peer relations. Participants were 443 students in their ninth grade year, 14.7 years old on average, and 57% female. Peer system characteristics formed four profiles. The most common profile had high resources and low liabilities; the three other profiles were mixtures of moderate/high resources and low/moderate liabilities. Students with high resources/low liabilities had higher self- and teacher-reported academic engagement and GPA in fall and spring. The three mixed profiles were associated with poorer academic outcomes. These findings underscore the limitations on access to academic success for students negotiating different peer contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to examine the effects of a growth mindset intervention amongst first-year university students during a longitudinal study spanning over 1 month and to develop a model linking well-being and achievement variables. Growth mindset interventions, by teaching malleable instead of fixed self-conceptions, would allow students to be better equipped to face academic challenges. While previous research has focussed on academic achievement, we propose to examine the articulation between mindset and proactive coping strategies, and their impact on well-being, as well as achievement during the transition period that starting higher education, represents. Results showed a main effect of the intervention on student mindset right after the intervention delivery, but disappearing 2 weeks after; and links between growth mindset, effort attribution, mastery goals, proactive coping, stress and academic achievement. Methodological and theoretical points are discussed to improve both the intervention and the hypothesised model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the cross-lagged relationships between students' autonomous motivations (intrinsic motivation and identified regulations) and approach goals (mastery and performance) in school. The sample included 449 students (52% girls) in Grades 7 and 8 (secondary 1 and 2). Results showed that intrinsic motivation (IM) positively predicted approach goals 20 months later, while mastery-approach goals (MAp) positively predicted autonomous motivations. A second objective was to test the contributions of autonomous motivations and approach goals to students' school functioning measured 32 months after the beginning of the study. Five main findings can be highlighted: IM contributed to (1) increased academic achievement (via high MAp and PAp), (2) increased social anxiety (via high PAp), and (3) decreased disruptive behaviours (via high MAp); MAp goals predicted (4) a decreased in disruptive behaviours (via high identified regulation) and (5) increases in achievement (via high IM). Implications for education stakeholders are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable interest in the potential non‐musical cognitive and academic benefits of music listening and instruction to children. This report describes three lines of research relevant to this issue, namely, the effects of: (1) focused music listening on subsequent task performance (the Mozart effect); (2) music instruction; and (3) background music listening. Research suggests that while Mozart effect studies have attracted considerable media attention, the effect cannot be reliably demonstrated in children. In contrast, music instruction confers consistent benefits for spatiotemporal reasoning skills; however, improvements in associated academic domains, such as arithmetic, have not been reliably shown. Finally, background music may calm and focus children with special education needs, thereby enhancing learning. Additional research is required to determine whether this effect is evident in normal populations. Overall, evidence for the non‐musical benefits of music listening and instruction is limited. The inherent value of music and music education should not be overlooked by narrowly focusing on cognitive and academic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing constructive feedback is complex due to the interplay of emotional and motivational processes students experience when receiving such feedback. In the present study, we investigated constitutive elements of what would make feedback perceived to be constructive, and whether students' mastery approach goal orientation and writing self-efficacy influenced these perceptions of feedback on an imagined, writing assignment scenario. In Phase 1, college students were asked to rate 56 feedback statements on degree of specificity and friendliness. In Phase 2, different students rated the feedback statements from Phase 1 on levels of constructiveness. Feedback high in specificity was rated higher in constructiveness than unspecific feedback; however, feedback friendliness had no effect overall. Feedback high in specificity and friendliness received lower ratings of constructiveness. This pattern was more pronounced for students high in mastery approach goal orientation and students high in writing self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University instructors' goals for teaching are important for teaching quality. However, studies examining factors that shape instructors' goal adoption are lacking. Using data from 785 instructors, we investigated whether implicit theories (ITs) about the malleability of intelligence constitute one such factor. Following achievement goal theory (AGT) and Dweck's achievement motivation framework, we analysed whether differences in teaching goals are attributable to differences in ITs, and whether goals mediate the relation between ITs and instructional quality. Structural equation modeling (SEM) yielded the expected relations between goals and instructional quality (positive for mastery and performance-approach goals; negative for performance-avoidance and work avoidance goals). As hypothesized, stronger endorsement of incremental ITs was positively related to mastery, and negatively to work avoidance goals. However, ITs were unrelated to performance goals. Indirect effects of ITs on teaching quality via goals were significant but rather weak. Implications for research and fostering teaching motivation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated changes in students' achievement goals as a result of their participation in academic summer programs for advanced learners. Researchers examined whether the type of classes, assigning grades, student gender, classroom autonomy support, and instructor's implicit theories of intelligence (mindset) moderated student change trajectories in achievement goals. Multilevel multivariate model for parallel growth processes was selected for the analyses. There was no change in mastery goals. Endorsement of performance-approach goals decreased, whereas performance-avoidance goals increased significantly. Gender had a significant effect on the level of performance avoidance but did not affect the change in performance goals. Students in classes that were graded demonstrated significantly greater increase in performance avoidance and greater decrease in performance approach over time than their peers in classes without grades. Teacher mindset, the type of classes, and autonomy support did not affect changes in performance goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is widely known that reading plays a significant role in mathematics performance, it remains unclear how specific reading component skills and item characteristics are associated with adults' mathematics performance. The aim of this study was to investigate reading component skills (printed vocabulary, sentence processing, passage comprehension), characteristics of mathematics items (picture/table, complex verb forms, number of prepositions, lexical density), and the possible interaction effects thereof on mathematics performance. The sample consisted of 368 German adults (age: M = 50.45; 59% female). Our results showed main effects on performance from adults' reading component skills and item characteristics. Furthermore, interaction effects between passage comprehension and two item characteristics on mathematics performance emerge. Implications include enhancing adults' reading component skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the assumptions of control-value theory (CVT), the current study examined whether the four facets of test anxiety (emotionality, worry, interference, lack of confidence) serve as intervening variables between learners' characteristics (performance-approach goals, mastery experiences) and learning behaviour (perseverance and diligence), which, in turn, should predict academic performance. Based on a sample of 696 Italian university students (58.11% female; Mage = 21.64, SDage = 4.04), structural equation modelling largely supported the proposed structure of relationships. Mastery experiences and performance-approach goals were differentially related to the four facets of test anxiety. Regarding test anxiety, lower levels of interference and lack of confidence, yet higher levels of worry, were associated with a greater use of perseverance and diligence, which in turn, predicted a better grade. The findings suggest that CVT provides a useful framework to explore the differential role of test anxiety facets between learners' characteristics and learning behaviour, which may be beneficial for performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research synthesis examined the impact of grades, comments, and no performance feedback on academic motivation and achievement in elementary and secondary school. Four meta-analyses were conducted, with two each exploring the impact of (a) grades versus no performance feedback and (b) grades versus comments on academic motivation and achievement, respectively. Overall results indicated that grades positively influenced achievement but negatively influenced motivation compared to no feedback. However, compared to those who received comments, students receiving grades had poorer achievement and less optimal motivation. Moderator analyses generally suggested that overall effects varied as a function of the type of motivation (i.e. the specific construct, internal vs. external motivation), context (e.g. academic subject; comment type), student characteristics (e.g. achievement level), and methodology (i.e. grade anticipation versus receipt), though it was not possible to test these moderators in all analyses. Theoretical and methodological contributions and implications for education practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]