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Teachers' support of basic psychological needs, self-efficacy, achievement goals, life satisfaction and academic achievement level was measured in a sample of 240 secondary school students (8th and 10th grades). Correlation analysis showed significant positive relations between all of the variables, except for the relation between need support of competence and performance goals. A subsequent path analysis showed that these variables could be accounted for by a structural model that described basic need support as predictors of self-efficacy and achievement goals, which in turn predicted academic achievement level and perceived life satisfaction. Analysis of intra-class correlation and design effect showed that need support of relatedness also was accounted for by class level responses. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed in terms of the importance of basic need support as a predictor of personal motives in educational settings as well as the students adjustment to school and life. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

High school grade point average (HSGPA), self-efficacy, goal orientations, learning strategies, and examination grade were measured in a sample of Norwegian undergraduate psychology students in order to investigate motives and strategies as mediators between preceding and subsequent academic achievement. Correlation analysis showed strong relations between all of the motivational variables (self-efficacy/goal orientations) and deep/surface learning strategies. A path analysis showed a structural relation between these variables, and that preceding academic achievement primarily predicted self-efficacy and subsequent achievement (examination grade). Separate mediator analyses showed several mediator effects between these variables that are comparable to previous research findings and provides theoretical integration between classes of motivational constructs and learning strategy variables. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The aim of the present study was to examine inmates' educational motives. The participants were 467 inmates who attended education in Norwegian prisons. Three motive categories were identified: "To prepare for life upon release" (Factor 1), "social reasons and reasons unique to the prison context" (Factor 2), and "to acquire knowledge and skills" (Factor 3). Factor 1 explained more of the variance than the sum of the other factors, and educational level was not related to scores on this first factor. Inmates with long sentences were more likely than those with short sentences to start an education in prison to prepare for life upon release. Inmates with low education scored significantly higher on Factor 2 than those with high education, but significantly lower on Factor 3 than the latter group. (Contains 4 tables.)

Background: Previous research is inconclusive regarding antecedents and consequences of achievement goals, and there is a need for more research in order to examine the joint effects of different types of motives and learning strategies as predictors of academic achievement. Aims: To investigate the relationship between achievement motives, achievement goals, learning strategies (deep, surface, and strategic), and academic achievement in a hierarchical model. Sample: Participants were 229 undergraduate students (mean age: 21.2 years) of psychology and economics at the University of Bergen, Norway. Methods: Variables were measured by means of items from the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS), the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, and an achievement goal scale. Results: Correlation analysis showed that academic achievement (examination grade) was positively correlated with performance-approach goal, mastery goal, and strategic learning strategies, and negatively correlated with performance-avoidance goal and surface learning strategy. A path analysis (structural equation model) showed that achievement goals were mediators between achievement motives and learning strategies, and that strategic learning strategies mediated the relationship between achievement goals and academic achievement. Conclusions: This study integrated previous findings from several studies and provided new evidence on the direct and indirect effects of different types of motives and learning strategies as predictors of academic achievement.

It has been claimed that perceived academic control (AC) in combination with preoccupation with failure (PWF) produces a strong motivation for success, and the interaction (AC x PWF) has been shown to predict academic achievement. In a prospective study, 442 first year psychology students completed a questionnaire about their background, study habits, AC, and PWF. The results showed a positive main effect of AC on academic achievement, but no main effect of PWF was found on academic achievement. The interaction (AC x PWF) was not related to academic achievement. There were no main effects of AC or PWF on study hours. However, the interaction effect (AC x PWF) indicated that among students scoring low on AC, those with high PWF worked more (24.4 hours per week) than those with low PWF (20.9 hours per week). Among those with high AC, no difference on study hours was found between those scoring low and high on PWF. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This study investigated the relationship between multiple predictors of academic achievement, including course experience, students' approaches to learning (SAL), effort (amount of time spent on studying) and prior academic performance (high school grade point average--HSGPA) among 442 first semester undergraduate psychology students. Correlation analysis showed that all of these factors were related to first semester examination grade in psychology. Profile analyses showed significant mean level differences between subgroups of students. A structural equation model showed that surface and strategic approaches to learning were mediators between course experience and exam performance. This model also showed that SAL, effort and HSGPA were independent predictors of exam performance, also when controlling for the effect of the other predictors. Hence, academic performance is both indirectly affected by the learning context as experienced by the students and directly affected by the students' effort, prior performance and approaches to learning.

Course experience, motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning strategies may be considered to be important indicators of education quality. Inmates taking education in prison may also experience particular problems related to the learning environment and to their own learning difficulties. The present study investigated the level of these variables and the relationship between them among 534 inmates under education in Norwegian prisons. The results showed that the prison inmates are generally quite satisfied with the education quality, that they are highly motivated, and use appropriate learning strategies. However, many of them experience that problems such as lack of access to computer equipment and the security routines in prison interfere with their education. A structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis showed that motivational beliefs were mediators between course experience and self-regulated learning strategies. These findings were discussed with respect to improvement of the education quality in prisons and to theoretical issues with relevance beyond the prison context. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

The aim of the present study was to explore the educational background of the total population of inmates in Norwegian prisons. The sample consisted of all 3 289 inmates over 18 years of age in Norwegian prisons. The response rate was 71.1 percent. Ninety four percent of the participants were men and mean age was 35 years. A questionnaire containing questions about age, gender and level of completed education was distributed to the participants. The results revealed that compared to the general population, prison inmates in Norway have an educational level that is similar to the educational level of the general population between 1980 and 1990. The percentage of prison inmates with primary and lower secondary education as their highest attained educational level is almost the double of the general population. Further, the percentage of inmates who have completed upper secondary education and higher education is highest among the older age groups. Although almost one third of the prison inmates report that they have completed vocational education, the percentage of prison inmates who have completed vocational education is lowest among the youngest inmates. (Contains 3 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between course experience, students' approaches to learning, effort, ability and examination grade, and to examine aspects of construct validity in the present versions of the Course Experience Questionnaire and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students in a sample of 206 undergraduate psychology students. The results showed that course experience, students' approaches to learning and ability were significantly correlated with examination grade, whereas effort was not. Structural equation modelling showed that a surface approach mediated the relationship between course experience and academic achievement, whereas ability remained an independent predictor of achievement. These findings indicate that both ability and approaches to learning have considerable independent effects on academic achievement, and that the students' perceptions of the learning environment are important sources of approaches to learning. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Students' evaluation and perception of the learning environment are considered to be important predictors of students' approaches to learning. These variables may also account for variance in academic outcome, such as in examination grades, but previous research has rarely included a comparison between all of these variables. This article investigates the factor structure of an inventory measuring evaluation-perception of the learning environment. These factors were compared with scores on the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, and with the examination grades of 248 undergraduate psychology students. Exploratory factor analysis produced a measurement model comprising five evaluation-perception factors (workload, presentation, perspective-integration, lecturer, and effect). Structural equation modelling gave moderate support to a model in which evaluation-perception predicted students' approaches to learning, which subsequently predicted examination grades. Hence, evaluation-perception affected examination grades indirectly, via "approaches to learning". Additionally, the factor "workload-demands" contributed independently, as a predictor of examination grades, together with "surface" and "strategic" approaches to learning. These results, finally, gave a basis for recommendations for curriculum design and lecturing. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)

Purpose: The present study seeks to compare scores on factors from the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) with scores on an abbreviated version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) and examination grade among undergraduate psychology students. The purpose is to investigate the relationship between course experience and approaches to learning, and to examine their relative importance as predictors of academic achievement. Design/methodology/approach: Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling were utilised in order to find measurement models for each of the constructs and to test hypothesised structural relations between these constructs. Findings: The original CEQ and ASSIST factors were reproduced. A model in which course experience factors predicted SAL was supported, but the same model did not provide evidence for any indirect or mediator effect between course experience, approaches to learning and academic achievement. Indirect empirical support for a hypothesised causal link between course experience and approaches to learning was found. Research limitations/implications: Weak relations between the predictor variables (course experience/approaches to learning) and academic achievement limited the possibility of identifying mediator effects, and future research should address this issue. Practical implications: Lecturers and course designers should take into account that students' approaches to learning are influenced by course experience, especially with respect to the adoption of a surface approach to learning. Originality/value: This paper included a comparison between course experience, approaches to learning, and academic achievement, whereas most previous research has not included academic achievement. The utilisation of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling gave a stronger test of construct validity than exploratory analyses, and it facilitated the testing of hypothesised structural models. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Examines the relationship among approaches to learning (deep, strategic, and surface), cognitive style, motives, and academic achievement. Focuses on undergraduate psychology students (n=192) who were around the mean age of 21.7. Reports that motives and styles were related to three learning approaches. Includes references. (CMK)

Administered three tests of intelligence and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (Entwhistle, 1997) to 89 Norwegian undergraduates to study the relationships among intelligence, approaches of learning, and academic achievement. Findings support the construct validity of approaches to learning because of its independence from intelligence. (SLD)

Administered the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) (N. Entwhistle and P. Ramsden, 1983) to 573 undergraduates to analyze a Norwegian version of this inventory. Structural equation modeling techniques reveal the usefulness of this instrument as a research took for the assessment of approaches to learning among Norwegian students, but indicate some cautions with respect to the interpretation of some subscales and some possible sample effects. (SLD)

Theoretical and empirical relations between personality traits and motive dispositions were investigated by comparing scores of 315 undergraduate psychology students on the NEO Personality Inventory--Revised and the Achievement Motives Scale. Analyses showed all NEO Personality Inventory--Revised factors except agreeableness were significantly correlated with the motive for success and the motive to avoid failure. A structural equation model showed that motive for success was predicted by Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism (negative relation), and motive to avoid failure was predicted by Neuroticism and Openness (negative relation). Although both achievement motives were predicted by several personality factors, motive for success was most strongly predicted by Openness, and motive to avoid failure was most strongly predicted by neuroticism. These findings extended previous research on the relations of personality traits and achievement motives and provided a basis for the discussion of motive dispositions in personality. The results also added to the construct validity of the Achievement Motives Scale.

The present study investigated the joint effects of achievement motives, self-efficacy, and achievement goals as predictors of subsequent academic achievement among educational science students. A longitudinal research design allowed for measurement of motivational variables at several stages of education during bachelor courses (subsequent to the introductory courses), firstly by measuring achievement motives, secondly by self-efficacy and achievement goals. Subsequently, students' academic achievement level was measured at four different points in time, until they finished the last course for their bachelor degrees. A multivariate path analysis showed consistent relations between the motivational variables. The motive to avoid failure positively predicted the adoption of avoidance goals (both mastery and performance) and negatively predicted self-efficacy. Academic achievement was mainly predicted by the motive for success and performance-avoidance goals. The path analysis also showed strong relationships between the examination grades at different points in time.

The aim of this study was to explore how depressive symptoms, physical function, health satisfaction, age, and environmental conditions predict quality of life (QoL) in a conceptual model based on the Wilson and Cleary's Model (WCM). A stratified sample by age, gender, and living area was drawn from the Norwegian population of older adults receiving community health care (mean age of 78.6 years, 94.4% living at home, 5.6% living in nursing homes). The study is part of a larger international study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using the WHOQoL-Old, the WHOQoL-Bref Environment domain, the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Short Form SF-12, and sociodemographic and health questions. A path analysis (structural equation modeling) showed that the overall model provided empirical evidence for linkages in the WCM. QoL was manifested by significant direct effects of environmental conditions and health satisfaction. In addition, environmental conditions had indirect effects on QoL, in particular via depressive symptoms and health satisfaction. This model may help nurses in community health care to collect and assess information, to suggest suitable interventions, and to guide decision making.

The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Norwegian WHOQOL-OLD six-facet, 24-item module designed for assessing generic quality of life cross-culturally among the elderly. Using quota-stratified sampling defined on the basis of sex, age and geographical representation, 401 respondents were drawn from Statistics Norway and completed postal surveys. An additional 89 elderly completed personal interviews. Correlation and multivariate analyses partly confirmed the relevance of individual items and facets in both groups. All items correlated significantly higher with their original facets, although almost half of these items correlated with other facets in both groups. Multiple regression analysis of the module and two overall questions (dependent variables) showed that three facets made significant contributions to overall health, with Social Participation (B = 0.09) contributing most strongly in the postal-group. In the interview-group, only Social Participation (B = 0.20) was found to make a significant contribution, and this was in relation to overall health satisfaction. When the WHOQOL-BREF total score was considered as the dependent variable, different facets contributed significantly in both groups. Exploratory factor analysis of the WHOQOL-OLD in the combined group of both postal and interview samples, resulted in a five-factor solution (eigenvalues >1) explaining 65% of the cumulative variance in five of the six originally operationalized facets. The most conceptually clear facets were Death and Dying and Sensory Abilities. Further, confirmatory factor analyses in the combined group demonstrated a model with good fit, but with high covariance between the factors. Acceptable internal consistency was shown except for the Past, Present and Future Activities in both groups. Since construct validity was only partially confirmed, exploration of the scale's conceptual validity needs further testing in Norwegian and international samples.