Unmotivated or motivated to fail? A cross-cultural study of achievement motivation, fear of failure, and student disengagement

A classic distinction in the literature on achievement and motivation is between fear of failure and success orientations. From the perspective of self-worth theory, these motives are not bipolar constructs but dimensions that interact in ways that make

Unmotivated or motivated to fail? A cross-cultural study of achievement motivation, fear of failure, and student disengagement

A classic distinction in the literature on achievement and motivation is between fear of failure and success orientations. From the perspective of self-worth theory, these motives are not bipolar constructs but dimensions that interact in ways that make some students particularly vulnerable to underachievement and disengagement from school. The current study employs the quadripolar model of need achievement (Covington, 1992; Covington & Omelich, 1988) to explore how these approach and avoidance orientations are related to self-handicapping, defensive pessimism, and helplessness in Eastern and Western settings. Although there have been numerous calls for research of this kind across cultures (Elliott & Bempechat, 2002; Jose & Kilburg, 2007; Pintrich, 2003), little exists in the field to date. In Study 1, with 1,423 Japanese high school students, helplessness and self-handicapping were found to be highest when students were low in success orientation and high in fear of failure. These findings were replicated in Study 2 with 643 Australian students and extended to measures of truancy, disengagement, and self-reported academic achievement. Consistent with self-worth theory, success orientation largely moderated the relationship between fear of failure and academic engagement in both cultures. These results suggest that in the absence of firm achievement goals, fear of failure is associated with a range of maladaptive self-protective strategies. The current project thus represents a unique application of self-worth theory to achievement dynamics and clarifies substantive issues relevant to self-handicapping and disengagement across cultures

Evaluation from Both Sides Now: Towards an Epistemology of Evaluation Practice

Throughout its history, the evaluation field has developed numerous theories. These theories, or evaluation theory as they are collectively known, are integral to the knowledge of the discipline and represent the field’s collective understanding of how evaluation can and should be practiced. Yet, research suggests that the influence of evaluation theory on evaluation practice is minimal. This finding has left the field questioning what knowledge, if not evaluation theory, guides practitioners? Some theorists propose that evaluation practice is influenced by practical knowledge, a diverse knowledge base inherent to the doing of evaluation. Practical knowledge is a blend of explicit procedural knowledge and tacit ways of knowing that inform practitioners’ perceptions and guide their practice. It is developed through practitioner’s interactions with and theorizing of practical problems as well as insights drawn from experience. Despite its perceived importance to evaluation practice, limited research has been conducted on practical knowledge in evaluation. Consequently, the field lacks an understanding of the underlying knowledge, or epistemology, of evaluation practice. The current study addressed this research gap by investigating practical knowledge in evaluation with a specific focus on the ways of knowing that underlie and guide practitioners. A multiple methods research design, consisting of two studies, was implemented. The first study used a convergent mixed methods design to analyze qualitative and quantitative data collected through document review (N=3) and the repertory grid technique (N=22). The findings presented a holistic epistemology of evaluation practice grounded in four inter-related ways of knowing: knowing self, knowing others, knowing the discipline, and knowing the common good and equity. Important insights into the underlying dimensions of the ways of knowing, including creative processes that actuate knowing (i.e., knowing in action) and methods evaluators use to express what has become known through their practice (i.e., expressions of knowing) were also interpreted from the findings. The second study examined how the epistemology of evaluation practice identified in the first study is integrated into graduate programs in evaluation. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with evaluation faculty (N=11) as well as alumni and advanced students (N=16) from six graduate programs in evaluation based in the United States. The findings suggest that the epistemology is reflected in the evaluation educational programs, albeit to varying degrees. Knowing the discipline was the most evident among the programs while knowing others and expressions of knowing were moderately evident. Knowing the common good and equity, knowing self, and knowing in action were less apparent, suggesting that these may be areas for further development. This research advances the scholarship on evaluation practice and provides valuable insights into the relationship between evaluation theory and practice. Additionally, the findings present a holistic representation of the epistemology of evaluation practice that challenges existing assumptions about how the field conceptualizes practice and knowledge construction. Last, the findings provide valuable information that can further professionalize evaluation by refining the field’s understanding of the unique nature of evaluation practice and informing evaluator education, reflective practice, and professional development

Hearing the student voice : promoting and encouraging the effective use of the student voice to enhance professional development in learning, teaching and assessment within higher education

This is an ESCalate development project led by Fiona Campbell of Napier University that was completed in 2007. The Hearing the Student Voice project aimed to promote and encourage the use of the student voice to enhance the effectiveness of academic professional development and ultimately the learning experience of students. Students can have a powerful impact on academic professional development aimed at enhancing learning, teaching and assessment practice. By providing qualitative insights about the nature of their learning experience, students can bring both valid and valuable viewpoints and motivate staff who are engaged by the students' perspective and often admire their perspicacity. This report records the progress and achievements of the Hearing the Student Voice project, funded by ESCalate to promote and encourage the use of the student voice to enhance the effectiveness of academic professional development in learning, teaching and assessment practice and ultimately the learning experience of students. The report has been written by the team representing the four universities who collaborated on the projec

Cybersecurity Policy Rubric and Analysis for the State of Maine Electrical Transmission Grid

The State of Maine’s (SOM) electrical grid is aging. While there are public and private efforts to bring it up to date, gaps in cybersecurity policies and laws exist (NERC, n.d.; see also MPUC, n.d.; CISA, n.d.). This policy and law research may also apply to other states and the protection of their critical infrastructure. The researcher examined the grid’s controls, policies, and laws to determine the influence each exerts over the grid and where that influence presents vulnerabilities in security. The research focused on the controls, policies, and laws that play a role in protecting the grid. The researcher created and analyzed each procedure, approach, and regulation against a NIST five-function framework merged with the MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Aspects, and Common Knowledge (ATT&CK) model to observe and analyze what gaps or policies lack effectiveness or present risk (MITRE ATT&CK®. n.d.). The researcher utilized publicly available data and information from participating government agencies to discover and analyze current public policy regarding the cybersecurity of the State of Maine (SOM) Electrical Transmission Network. The study\u27s results present numerous policies designed around the NIST recommendations. These policies are robust and work against most adversarial strategies. These policies are compared against the Center of Information Security’s (CIS) Critical Control list to find any controls that the current policies and procedures have not covered. The researcher used the merged matrix to analyze each relevant policy from the SOM Office of Information Technology (OIT). The researcher designed the rubric to be improved and utilized to view policy from the perspective of the attacker in an efficient manner

On how personal values and sustainability conceptions impact students’ sustainability management orientation: evidence from Germany, Indonesia, and the USA

Purpose This study develops and empirically tests a framework on how personal values and sustainability conceptions affect students’ sustainability management orientation (SMO). An understanding of this connection gives insight into the question whether students are likely to engage in sustainable business practices in their future work. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional and comparative research design is employed, using survey data of business students from Germany, Indonesia, and the United States (N=475). The proposed mediation models are tested by bootstrap procedures using Hayes’s (2013) PROCESS macro for SPSS. Findings Self-transcendence values translate into more nuanced sustainability conceptions since individuals with self-transcendence values are more likely to conceptualize sustainability beyond their own (narrow) self-interests. In turn, the stronger individuals’ sustainability conceptions, the higher the likelihood that they prefer sustainable management practices in their future professional working field. Research limitations/implications Implications arise for researchers to investigate the engagement of future managers with different personal value types in sustainability practices and to gain insights into values and sustainability conceptions as a learning outcome. Limitations of this research—for instance, arising from potential common method bias—are discussed. Practical implications The findings point to the need to (re-)design appointment processes for management positions in a way that allows taking into account individuals’ personal values and sustainability conceptions. This research may also help firms and higher education institutions to empower their workforce/students to develop more integrated perspectives on sustainability challenges as well as teaching methods that address students’ effective learning outcomes, e.g. their values. Originality/value The paper offers a new framework and a cross-country perspective on psychological antecedents of individuals’ sustainability management orientation as an important prerequisite for responsible behavior in the business context

THE EFFECT OF PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS ON THE ACADEMIC GROWTH OF LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STUDENTS

As states move to include assessment data to be used in principal evaluations, there is a debate as to whether the principal has an effect on student achievement. Research on the principal in the past started as qualitative studies and moved to quantitative studies to identify specific behaviors in a principal that led to greater student achievement. Modifications and refinements to the research have been performed; however, mixed results have allowed the debate to continue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of principal instructional management characteristics on the growth of lower SES students. Utilizing the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) (Hallinger, 1983), 128 teachers in a single school district rated the principals of their building. Results of the principals in these nine schools on the PIMRS were used as predictor variables for the normed growth of the lower socioeconomic status (SES) students on the Acuity® Predictive assessments. The findings of this research was that only one characteristic of the principal had an effect on the growth of the lower SES students. The characteristic of protecting instructional time showed a -0.177 coefficient meaning that as a principal protected instructional time with more frequency, growth of academic scores in lower SES students decreased

Feedback Loops: Feedback Fundamentals

Learning how to give and receive feedback is fundamental to the development of every student and professional. Yet few of us are ever taught anything like “feedback skills.” This book, which is the first in the Feedback Loops series, is designed to change that. Here is what students who have taken the University of Michigan Law School course on which the series is based have said about it: “One of the most memorable and useful classes I have taken in law school!” “Excellent, full stop.” “This class was always a fun highlight of my week.”https://repository.law.umich.edu/books/1115/thumbnail.jp