Student motivation in high school physical education: A latent profile analysis approach

Guided by the principles of self-determination theory, the purpose of this study was to identify latent profiles representing high school students’ motivational regulations for physical education (PE) and to model putative predictors and outcomes of profile membership. A sample of 532 Australian high school students, age 12–16 years (M = 13.83, SD = 1.13), reported their motivation for PE, perceptions of need satisfaction in PE, and effort expended in PE. Latent profile analysis revealed evidence of 3 distinct profiles that were consistent with continuum expectations outlined in self-determination theory (i.e., the moderately autonomous, moderately controlled, and highly autonomous profiles), alongside 2 profiles characterized by levels of introjected regulation that aligned with autonomous motives (i.e., the mixed motivation and amotivated profiles). Analyses also revealed that, on the whole, greater need satisfaction predicted membership of more autonomous profiles and that membership of such profiles was predictive of greater self-reported effort in PE. Analyses revealed evidence of qualitatively distinct motivation profiles that were differentially predicted by students’ psychological need satisfaction and predictive of in-class effort. This study is not only the first to use latent profile analysis to explore the role of psychological need satisfaction in predicting PE motivation profiles. It also provides practical information regarding the prevalence and potential outcomes of students’ motivation profiles

Engaging students with online discussion in a blended learning context: Issues and implications

Computer-mediated communication tools have been increasingly used to support face-to-face teaching. In this paper, we explore the motivating and inhibiting factors that affect students' participation in voluntary online discussions in a blended learning context. Students' online participation is conceptualized as a three-phase process: jumpstart online activity, promote interaction and sustain discussion. The results indicate that students' disengagements in online discussions were due to a number of reasons: their perceptions, peer influence, media preferences and the voluntary nature of the activity, to name but a few. Finally, we highlight several issues concerning students' participation in online discussion and their implications for designing meaningful and engaging online discussion in parallel to in-class teaching. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of childhood and adolescent internalising symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic architecture of internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence. METHOD: In 22 cohorts, multiple univariate genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were performed using repeated assessments of internalizing symptoms, in a total of 64,561 children and adolescents between 3 and 18 years of age. Results were aggregated in meta-analyses that accounted for sample overlap, first using all available data, and then using subsets of measurements grouped by rater, age, and instrument. RESULTS: The meta-analysis of overall internalizing symptoms (INToverall) detected no genome-wide significant hits and showed low single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability (1.66%, 95% CI = 0.84-2.48%, neffective = 132,260). Stratified analyses indicated rater-based heterogeneity in genetic effects, with self-reported internalizing symptoms showing the highest heritability (5.63%, 95% CI = 3.08%-8.18%). The contribution of additive genetic effects on internalizing symptoms appeared to be stable over age, with overlapping estimates of SNP heritability from early childhood to adolescence. Genetic correlations were observed with adult anxiety, depression, and the well-being spectrum (rg> 0.70), as well as with insomnia, loneliness, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, and childhood aggression (rangerg = 0.42-0.60), whereas there were no robust associations with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or anorexia nervosa. CONCLUSION: Genetic correlations indicate that childhood and adolescent internalizing symptoms share substantial genetic vulnerabilities with adult internalizing disorders and other childhood psychiatric traits, which could partially explain both the persistence of internalizing symptoms over time and the high comorbidity among childhood psychiatric traits. Reducing phenotypic heterogeneity in childhood samples will be key in paving the way to future GWAS success