Change in First Graders’ Science-Related Competence Beliefs During Digitally Intensive Science Workshops

The aim of this research was to examine if a set of three science and technology workshops would promote first-grade pupils’ science-related competence beliefs. The first workshop dealt with electric circuits and related handicraft tasks. The second workshop involved programming with Lego Mindstorms robots. The third workshop was related to computer-based data logging. Fifty-nine Finnish first graders (age 7–8 years) participated in the digitally intensive science workshops, and 38 pupils served as a control group. The data were analysed using a paired samples t-test. The analysis results reveal that the set of three workshops increased the pupils’ science and technology-related competence beliefs.Peer reviewe

The Role of Parental Beliefs and Practices in Children's Motivation In The Changing World

The role of parental involvement in their child’s education and academic success has been widely acknowledged in recent educational theories, policies, and practices. Parental beliefs and expectations concerning their child’s learning and success have been shown to be reflected in the parents’ involvement in their child’s education and their practices with their offspring, thereby shaping the child’s motivational development in school. In addition, parental trust in their child’s teacher is a key factor in enhancing the home–school partnership and in supporting a child’s academic motivation and successful schooling. However, political, economical, and technological changes in society and uncertainty about the future may present several challenges for raising children in the twenty-first century. The aim of this chapter is to present recent theories and empirical research focusing on the role of parental beliefs, expectations, and trust in their child’s teacher in supporting children’s interest in learning, self-concept of ability, and achievement behaviors in the challenging and unpredictable future. We will also reflect on how the changing world and uncertainty in society may influence parental beliefs and expectations in their child’s success.nonPeerReviewe

The Influence of Instructional Practices on Reading Motivation in Finland

Although the differences between individuals in language and literacy skills and motivation to read start before entering school, teachers and their instructional practices play an important role in the development of reading skills and the various aspects of motivation, especially children’s interest in reading. Interest in reading has been reported to contribute to the reading activity and to the amount of reading which, in turn, promote students’ reading performance. It has been assumed that children’s previous success with learning the basics of reading has provided them with positive feedback about the learning situation, thereby strengthening their interest in reading. Teachers and their instruction provide an important environment for children’s learning and motivation. Child-centered teaching practices that are sensitive to the development of children’s autonomy, competence beliefs, and social interactions with peers support interest in reading. The high-quality classroom interactions described by emotionally supportive relationships in a well-organized classroom have been shown to be of particular importance in the development of children’s reading skills and motivation, especially among children at risk of having reading difficulties. The present chapter attempts to describe the development of interest in reading and how teaching practices and the quality of teacher-child interactions observed in classrooms influence children’s reading interest, particularly among boys and at-risk children in the Finnish language context. According to international comparative education studies of achievement, Finland has a high-quality educational system and high performance outcomes across the school years. The results reported here are based on a longitudinal First Steps study among 2000 children and their teachers from kindergarten to grade 4. Reading instruction is based on phonics, and a highly transparent Finnish orthography makes decoding relatively quick and easy for children to learn.peerReviewe

Investigating Bidirectional Links Between the Quality of Teacher-Child Relationships and Children’s Interest and Pre‐Academic Skills in Literacy and Math

This study investigated bidirectional links between the quality of teacher-child relationships and children’s interest and pre‐academic skills in literacy and math. Furthermore, differences in the patterns of bidirectionality between boys and girls were explored. Participants were 461 Finnish kindergarteners (6‐year‐olds) and their teachers (n = 48). Teachers reported their closeness and conflict with each child twice throughout the kindergarten year. Children rated their interest in literacy and math, and were tested on their pre‐academic skills. Cross‐lagged path models indicated that teacher‐perceived conflict predicted lower interest and pre‐academic skills in both literacy and math. Results were similar for boys and girls. Implications for reducing conflictual patterns of relationships, together with promoting other factors, are discussed.peerReviewe