Mastery, Maladaptive Learning Behaviour, and Academic Achievement: An Intervention Approach

The effects of three interventions designed to boost academic achievement among mastery-oriented students were evaluated on interest-based studying, social desirability, and perceived goal difficulty. Undergraduate students (N = 177) completed relevant self-report measures at the beginning and the end of the semester and were randomly assigned to one of three brief, web-based intervention conditions or a control condition. Multiple regression analyses showed the intervention conditions to consistently predict lower levels of interest-based studying, with these effects moderated by students’ prior achievement and mastery-approach goals. Qualitative analyses provide insight into the motivationally relevant processes elicited by the interventions

The Conceptualization of Costs and Barriers of a Teaching Career Among Latino Preservice Teachers

We investigated the perceived costs and barriers of a teaching career among Latino preservice teachers and how these men conceptualized costs relative to their race-ethnic identity, gender identity, and planned persistence in the profession from an expectancy-value perspective. We used a mixed-method approach that included a content analysis of open-ended survey responses to identify salient costs and barriers and non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) of participants’ responses to quantitative scales to capture phenomenological meaning of perceived costs, collective identity constructs, and planned persistence in the profession. Participants identified a range of drawbacks and barriers of a teaching career including concerns about job demands, work conditions, teacher preparation demands, emotional costs, social status, and salary, among other concerns. The MDS map for the whole sample suggested race-ethnic and gender identity were closely associated with status, salary, and morale; maps also provided insight into phenomenological meanings of different types of costs and cost measures. MDS maps for individual students demonstrated substantial diversity in individual meanings that are lost in group-level analyses. Results are discussed with attention to theoretical and practical implications for understanding and supporting men of color entering the teaching profession

Exploring Relations between Teachers’ Beliefs, Instructional Practices, and Students’ Beliefs in Statistics

We examined the epistemic climate of statistics classrooms across two different classrooms by measuring teachers’ espoused beliefs about teaching statistics and observing their teaching practices. We then explored whether students’ beliefs became more aligned with the epistemic climate of the classroom over time. Post-secondary students’ beliefs were measured at the beginning and end of the semester. To measure the epistemic climate, teachers completed self-reports of their beliefs about teaching and learning, and participated in two semi-structured interviews at the beginning and end of the semester. Moreover, several classroom observations were conducted over the course of the semester. Analyses of the data revealed that for one group of students in one class, their beliefs were well aligned with the classroom climate and remained stable over time whereas for the other group of students, their beliefs shifted over time to align with the classroom climate

The Role of Calibration Bias and Performance Feedback in Achievement Goal Regulation

Do achievement goals change across time in response to performance feedback? Does goal orientation relate to calibration of estimated to actual achievement? We studied these issues over three tasks spanning a semester-long course where ninety-nine undergraduates received feedback about performance on each task. Learners were consistently and quite substantially biased in estimating performance with bias inversely related to actual performance. Goal orientation was not stable across time as a function of task, and it varied in some tasks in relation to calibration accuracy. These findings demonstrate goal orientations are sensitive to task and feedback. Moreover, goal orientation had varying and sometimes no relation to achievement, with calibration bias mediating most of the relations. In an authentic setting where learners experience multiple tasks over time, it is important to consider individuals’ calibration bias for performance on specific tasks. Calibration bias may be a key factor in learners’ regulation of achievement goals

Unmasking the academic achievement potential of mastery-approach goals: a mastery-focused intervention

The effects of three interventions developed to boost academic achievement among mastery-oriented students were evaluated on three variables assumed to explain the weak relationship between mastery-approach goals and academic achievement, namely interest-based studying, perceived task difficulty, and social desirability. Undergraduate students (N = 177) completed relevant self-report measures at the beginning and end of the semester, with participants randomly assigned after the first questionnaire to one of three intervention conditions (interest-based studying, perceived task difficulty, or social desirability intervention) or a control condition. Dummy coded sequential multiple regressions showed the only variable to consistently be predicted by the intervention conditions to be interest-based studying, with this effect being moderated by students' prior achievement and mastery-approach goals. Furthermore, none of the interventions had a direct or indirect effect on academic achievement. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to theory and practice.Les effets de trois interventions développées afin de stimuler la réussite scolaire chez les élèves orientés vers la maîtrise ont été évalués quant à trois variables qui sont considérées comme étant responsable de cet effet, notamment, les intérêts par rapport à l'étude, la difficulté perçue de la tâche, et la désirabilité sociale. Les étudiants de premier cycle (N =177) ont complété les mesures d'auto-évaluation pertinentes au début et à la fin du semestre. À la suite du premier questionnaire, les participants ont été assigné au hasard à l'une des trois conditions d'intervention (les intérêts par rapport à l'étude, la difficulté perçue de la tâche, et la désirabilité sociale) ou un groupe control. Les résultats de régression multiple et successive avec variable muette ont démontré que la seule variable à toujours être prédite par les conditions d'intervention est les intérêts par rapport à l'étude, avec ces effets étant modéré par l'accomplissement académique préalable et les buts de maîtrise

Motivation profiles of urban preservice teachers: Relations to antecedents, outcomes, and demographics

Given the perennial challenge of attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, especially in large cities, there is a need to understand why preservice teachers in urban districts choose a teaching career, their perceptions of the profession, and how these relate to their initial career commitments and aspirations. Using latent profile analysis, we examined patterns of motivational perceptions with variables from the Factors Influencing Teacher Choice model alongside perceived task effort cost, opportunity cost, and emotional cost of teaching within a diverse sample of 630 preservice teachers. We identified four distinct profiles that differentially related to theorized antecedents (prior teaching and learning experiences, social encouragement, fallback career) and outcomes (satisfaction, planned persistence, planned professional development, leadership aspirations). Race, gender and certification-level were distributed in unique patterns across profiles. Results provide a holistic perspective of preservice teacher motivations and indicate that perceived costs in relation to FIT Choice variables were a defining characteristic of motivational patterns

The importance of teachers' emotions and instructional behavior for their students' emotions – An experience sampling analysis

The present study focuses on the relationship between teachers' emotions, their instructional behavior, and students' emotions in class. 149 students (55% female, Mage = 15.63 years) rated their teachers' emotions (joy, anger, anxiety) and instructional behavior, as well as their own emotions in an experience-sampling study across an average of 15 lessons in four different subject domains. Intraindividual, multilevel regression analyses revealed that perceived teachers' emotions and instructional behavior significantly predicted students' emotions. Results suggest that teachers' emotions are as important for students' emotions as teachers' instructional behavior. Theoretical implications for crossover theory and practical recommendations for teachers are discussed

Achievement goals, emotions, learning, and performance : A process model

The present study evaluates the relations between achievement goals, emotions, learning strategies, and performance as informed by Pekrun’s control-value theory of emotions. Undergraduates from various disciplines (N = 203) completed domain-general, self-report measures in the fall and winter semesters with sessional GPAs evaluated over a 2-year period. Results from cross-lagged and latent growth structural equation models illustrate the benefits of mastery-approach goals for students’ emotions, with performance-approach goals predicting less critical thinking, and performance-avoidance goals predicting more anxiety, boredom, critical thinking, and lower achievement gains. Whereas enjoyment was beneficial for most learning strategies, boredom predicted poorer time management, and anxiety predicted lower self-monitoring and overall GPA. Learning strategies impacted subsequent achievement only in the second semester, with elaboration predicting achievement gains and critical thinking predicting lower overall GPA. Study results provide empirical support for Pekrun’s control-value theory and achievement goal theory in showing both direct and indirect effects of students’ goals on academic achievement through their emotions and learning strategies.publishe

Mastery, maladaptive learning behavior, and academic achievement: An intervention approach

The effects of three interventions designed to boost academic achievement amongmastery-oriented students were evaluated on interest-based studying, social desirabil-ity, and perceived goal difficulty. Undergraduate students (N= 177) completed relevantself-report measures at the beginning and the end of the semester and were randomlyassigned to one of three brief, web-based intervention conditions or a control condition.Multiple regression analyses showed the intervention conditions to consistently predictlower levels of interest-based studying, with these effects moderated by students’ priorachievement and mastery-approach goals. Qualitative analyses provide insight into themotivationally relevant processes elicited by the interventions

An analysis of emotions in educationally relevant tweets

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