Longitudinal high school research revealed: using surveys to assess student motivation and social networks

This case describes a longitudinal study of high school students’ academic and social motivation and social networks at school. When working together as a PhD student and advisor, we built a university-school partnership and conducted a student survey project that spanned five years. A portion of the project data was used for a dissertation on students’ social networks and their academic and social motivation. The case study describes the project context and development of the partnership, the research design and procedure, and an overview of the analysis and dissemination of complex data to school staff. Particular attention is paid to the use of social network analysis (SNA) as a methodological tool for assessing social relationships in schools. The longitudinal nature of the study required maintenance of a sustainable relationship with the school, which is discussed throughout. We conclude the case with lessons learned

The Role of Social Goals in Students’ Academic Help Seeking and Help Giving Among Peers

This study examined the role of social achievement goals in academic help giving among peers within a high school. Students (n = 794) filled out surveys assessing their social goals, how often they are asked for help by their peers, and the type of help they gave to peers (instrumental vs. expedient). Controls included students’ grade point average, popularity, and personal help seeking preferences. Results demonstrated positive benefits of social development goals on students’ reports of how often they were asked for help and type of help given to their peers and negative impacts of social demonstration-avoidance goals on help giving. The findings complement achievement goal theory and provide a more comprehensive understanding of academic help seeking

The role of goal structures and peer climate in trajectories of social achievement goals during high school

Students’ social goals—reasons for engaging in interpersonal relationships with peers—are consequential for students’ interactions with their peers at school and for their well-being. Despite the salience of peer relationships during adolescence, research on social goals is generally lacking compared with academic goals, and it is unknown how these social goals develop over time, especially among high school students. The aim of the study was to assess trajectories of students’ social goals and to determine how relevant individual and contextual variables predicted initial levels and trajectories of students’ social goals. Participants were 9th through 12th grade students (N = 526) attending a U.S. high school. Students filled out surveys of their social goals (social development, social demonstration-approach, and social demonstration-avoidance) 6 times across 2 school years. Nonlinear growth curve analyses and piecewise growth curve analyses were used to assess trajectories of social goals across time. Students’ initial levels of social goals differed based on their gender, grade level, prior achievement, and perceptions of classroom goals structures and peer climate. Furthermore, despite substantial stability over time, the shapes of these goal trajectories were predicted by students’ gender, grade level, and perceptions of classroom goal structures and peer climate. In particular, students who perceived an increase in performance-avoidance classroom goals maintained higher demonstration social goals and decreased in developmental social goals over time, and students who perceived an increase in positive peer climate decreased in demonstration-avoidance social goals. Implications and directions for future research on social goals are discussed

Examining the Academic and Social Goals of Adolescents Who Excel Academically, Socially, in Both Areas, and in Neither

Students who have positive peer relations also tend to do better academically, and extensive research finds positive associations between students’ peer relations, motivation, and academic achievement. However, some adolescents may only be successful academically, or only socially, when at school. The current study expands upon previous research by examining the academic and social achievement goals of four groups of adolescent students: academic-social (high GPA and high number of peer nominations), academic-only (high GPA, low peer nominations), social-only (low GPA, high peer nominations), and neither (low on both). This study draws on Achievement Goal Theory to conceptualize students’ motivation. 759 students in grades 9-11 from a U.S. public high school completed surveys to assess their academic goals, social goals, and peer nominations at the beginning and end of the year. The four groups differed in meaningful ways in their levels of mastery, performance-approach, social development, social demonstration-approach, and social demonstration avoidance goals. For example, the academic-social group reported higher social development goals than students in either the social-only or academic-only groups, while the academic-only group reported significantly higher social demonstration-avoidance goals than all other groups. While the levels of academic and social goals differed in meaningful ways across the groups, the trajectories of change across the school year were similar across groups with the exception of academic performance-avoidance goals, which decreased more for the academic-social group. The findings have implications for how schools can better promote students’ academic and social development

Examining the Academic and Social Goals of Adolescents Who Excel Academically, Socially, in Both Areas, and in Neither

Students who have positive peer relations also tend to do better academically, and extensive research finds positive associations between students’ peer relations, motivation, and academic achievement. However, some adolescents may only be successful academically, or only socially, when at school. The current study expands upon previous research by examining the academic and social achievement goals of four groups of adolescent students: academic-social (high GPA and high number of peer nominations), academic-only (high GPA, low peer nominations), social-only (low GPA, high peer nominations), and neither (low on both). This study draws on Achievement Goal Theory to conceptualize students’ motivation. 759 students in grades 9-11 from a U.S. public high school completed surveys to assess their academic goals, social goals, and peer nominations at the beginning and end of the year. The four groups differed in meaningful ways in their levels of mastery, performance-approach, social development, social demonstration-approach, and social demonstration avoidance goals. For example, the academic-social group reported higher social development goals than students in either the social-only or academic-only groups, while the academic-only group reported significantly higher social demonstration-avoidance goals than all other groups. While the levels of academic and social goals differed in meaningful ways across the groups, the trajectories of change across the school year were similar across groups with the exception of academic performance-avoidance goals, which decreased more for the academic-social group. The findings have implications for how schools can better promote students’ academic and social development

ESRC IAA Workshop: Towards Maximising International PhD Students' Experience: Extended Summary

No abstract available

Teacher Help-Seeking Beliefs and Help-Seeking Networks

Teachers work within a network of teachers at their school whose members can be an important source of advice and help, yet they must seek help from their colleagues in order to benefit from this network. This study employs social network analysis to examine how help-seeking patterns among teachers are related to teachers’ curricular domain, years of experience, and gender. Additionally, we examined how help-seeking beliefs (instrumental, expedient, and perceived threat) are related to help-seeking networks. Teachers (n = 81) from a representative U.S. high school participated in an online survey. They completed measures of their beliefs of help seeking and listed whom they sought help from at school. The data was used to create a network map of help-seeking relations. Results demonstrated that there were no gender differences. More experienced teachers reported lower instrumental benefits of help seeking but were sought for help more often by their colleagues. There were also differences in help seeking based on teachers’ subject area as indicated by the social network patterns. Associations between beliefs about help seeking and help-seeking network patterns were non-significant although in the hypothesized direction. This study lays the groundwork for further understanding of teachers’ help-seeking beliefs and help-seeking networks, including relevant factors that influence teacher help seeking within schools

Students’ interpersonal connections with peers and staff at the start of higher education

Establishing positive social relationships is important for students’ success and retention in higher education (HE). This can be especially challenging during the transition into HE since students often move to a larger educational setting and need to build relationships with new peers and staff. Research is needed to better understand social connections during this critical time, including the role of demographics, curricular and extracurricular participation, and how peer and staff connections predict academic achievement. Surveys of 290 first-year students at a large US public university assessed with whom students were interacting, how often, for what reasons, and with what modes of communication. Results include a detailed description of students’ interpersonal connections at the transition into HE, differences by demographics, curricular, and extracurricular participation, and the associations between students’ patterns of relationships and their academic achievement

Enhancing the Experience of International Doctoral Researchers - Key Messages

No abstract available

Examining the factor structure of the teachers’ sense of efficacy scale with Malaysian samples of in-service and pre-service teachers

This study examined the factor structure of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) with a sample of Malaysian in-service (n=191) and pre-service (n=122) teachers. The longform (24 items) of the TSES was tested using two plausible rival models, the one-factor model, and the theoretically-driven three-factor model. Results from confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the baseline three-factor model had a better fit. Standardized factor loadings, standard errors, inter-correlations between factors and reliability coefficients for each factor are reported together with the goodness of fit indices. Minor revisions to improve the fit of the scale for Malaysian teachers are recommended. The TSES scale and the conceptualisation of teacher efficacy are discussed in terms of the cultural and educational context of Malaysia. This study advances the use of the TSES for measuring teachers’ sense of efficacy by demonstrating its factor stability within the Malaysian context