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Development of Adolescents' Self-Perceptions, Values, and Task Perceptions According to Gender and Domain in 7th- through 11th-Grade Australian Students
Abstract
Latent growth models estimated developmental trajectories for adolescents' math and English self-perceptions (perceived talent, success expectancies), values (intrinsic, utility) and task perceptions (task difficulty, effort required). A longitudinal cohort-sequential study included 1,323 participants spanning Grades 7 to 11, with Occasion 1 mean ages 13.19, 12.36, and 14.41, respectively, for Cohorts 1, 2, and 3. Self-perceptions and values declined through adolescence, and ratings about difficulty and effort required increased. Gender differences favored boys for math and girls for English, with little evidence for gender intensification or gender convergence hypotheses. Explanations reference socialization and social-cognitive developmental theories and features of the curricula, with domain-specific patterns implying domain-specific explanations. Existing research is extended by modeling a broadened set of social-cognitive constructs within the Australian context.
... First, as adolescents advance through grades, they perceive academic studies as increasingly difficult, but less meaningful. Such changes are associated with a decline in perceived control, intrinsic value, achievement value, and commitment to competence-related activities (Metsäpelto et al., 2017;Scherrer et al., 2020;Watt, 2004). Second, while younger children are typically optimistic about their competencies, they become more realistic in terms of perceived control as they grow into adolescents (e.g., Marsh, 1989). ...
... In fact, based on the LSAY dataset, Wang et al. (2021) revealed that relative to boys, girls were more likely to show a steady increase in math anxiety during adolescence. However, research on control-value beliefs presents a picture that is less clear: Gender differences in perceived control or value for mathematics became smaller in some studies (e.g., Jacobs et al., 2002) but remained similar in other studies (e.g., Watt, 2004). Thus, it remains unclear how gender affects change trajectories of achievement emotions. ...
... In line with prior T A B L E 3 Latent basis curve models: intercepts, slopes, and model fit. findings (e.g., Watt, 2004), all control-value beliefs significantly declined with age. The effect sizes of the latent change scores were all large (Δ = −.93, ...
This study examined how adolescents' emotions in mathematics develop over time. Growth curve modeling was applied to longitudinal data collected annually from 2002 to 2006 (Grades 5-9; N = 3425 German adolescents; Mage = 11.7, 15.6 years at the first and last waves, respectively; 50.0% female). Results indicated that enjoyment and pride decreased over time (Glass's Δs = -.86, -.71). In contrast, negative emotions exhibited more complex patterns: Anger, boredom, and hopelessness increased (Δs = .52, .79, .26), shame decreased (Δ = -.12), and anxiety remained stable (Δ = .00). These change trajectories of emotions were associated with change trajectories of perceived control, intrinsic value, achievement value, and achievement in mathematics. Implications and future directions are discussed.
... Moreover, research suggests gender differences in students' motivation (Petersen & Hyde, 2014;Jiang et al., 2020) and that variation exists in the ways these disparities develop over time (Spinath & Steinmayr, 2008). In this regard, performance for boys and girls declines as a consequence of students developing more realistic views of their competence over the course of elementary (Spinath & Steinmayr, 2008) or secondary schooling (Jacobs et al., 2002;Jiang et al., 2020;Watt, 2004). Therefore, students may develop less positive ability self-concepts, expectations, and intrinsic values over time (Arens et al., 2019;González-Nuevo et al., 2023;Spinath & Steinmayr, 2008). ...
... Hypothesis 2. As a part of students' adaptation to the new study environment, the associations between the different dimensions of motivation in social sciences will momentarily decline during the transition to high school education (Bailey et al., 2020;Jacobs et al., 2002;Jiang et al., 2020;Spinath & Steinmyer, 2008;Wang & Degol, 2013). Hypothesis 3. Males and students from higher SES backgrounds and with high academic performance at the beginning of the study will experience higher intrinsic value, self-concept, and expectations in social sciences than females and students from lower SES families and with a lower level of performance (Wang & Degol, 2013;Watt, 2004). ...
... The results of this study confirm previous research conducted with domains other than social sciences and during earlier educational stages (Arens et al., 2019;Aunola et al., 2004;Jacobs et al., 2002;Watt, 2004;Wigfield et al., 2020;Zee et al., 2021). In this study, three factors of the expectancy component (students' present self-perception of ability, future expectations about their ability, and intrinsic value) identified by the EVT were examined. ...
The present four-wave longitudinal study examines the cross-lagged associations between adolescent students’ intrinsic value, self-concept of ability, and expectations in social sciences during and after the transition from compulsory secondary education to the Spanish high school. 2.032 students enrolled in the last three years of secondary school and the second year of high school education participated. The analyses showed that the associations between the different motivational dimensions declined during the transition to high school education. In addition, students’ self-concept of ability strongly predicted the other two aspects of motivation. Moreover, males and students from higher SES backgrounds and with high academic performance at the beginning of the study experienced higher intrinsic value, self-concept, and expectations in social sciences than females and students from lower SES families and with a lower level of performance. The results are discussed from the viewpoint of their theoretical and practical implications related to youth motivation and career planning.
... Previous research has consistently confirmed gender differences in domain-specific ASCs. Several studies have shown that males have higher self-concept in math, and females have higher self-concept in the verbal domain (Esnaola et al., 2018;Marsh, Ellis, et al., 2005;Nagy et al., 2010;Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2004;Watt, 2004). To date, gender differences in self-concept in the field of geography have rarely been studied. ...
... The fact that we found no salient differences in gender distribution in the profiles with high math ASC and a negligible and nonsignificant correlation between gender and math ASC is somewhat unexpected. Previous studies showed that the gender gap regarding math and verbal ASCs starts in the early years of school, with girls tending to have lower math ASC and boys lower verbal ASC (Esnaola et al., 2018;Marsh, Ellis, et al., 2005;Nagy et al., 2010;Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2004;Watt, 2004). Gender differences in ASC were also evident in personcentered studies, which showed that girls are more likely to be in profiles with high verbal ASC and boys in profiles with high math ASC (Franzen et al., 2022;Marsh et al., 2009;Saß & Kampa, 2019). ...
The study was designed in two parts. First, we assessed the internal structure validity, measurement invariance across gender, and reliability of scores on the Slovenian version of the Self Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II) in a sample of 9th grade students from Slovenian primary schools (N = 370). The modified nested Marsh/ Shavelson model fit the data best, while measurement invariance across gender was not supported. In the second part, we used latent profile analysis to investigate different profiles of students' academic self-concept. We identified five distinct and interpretable profiles that differed by profile level (high, medium, and low academic self-concept) and profile shape (high academic self-concept in one domain vs. low academic self-concept in another). Subsequent covariate analysis revealed meaningful differences between latent profiles by gender and in overall and three subject-specific school grades (math, Slovenian, geography). The psychometric properties of the SDQ-II and individual differences in academic self-concept are discussed. Educational relevance and implications statement: This study has important educational implications for researchers , teachers and school counsellors. The Slovenian version of the SDQ-II questionnaire was validated, providing a reliable tool for understanding the adolescents' academic self-concept (ASC). The identification of ASC profiles supports personalized teaching strategies and emphasizes the link between ASC and academic achievement, highlighting the importance of fostering students' self-concept. It also expands the understanding of ASC profiles in students by uncovering qualitative, i.e. different patterns of profiles for domain-specific self-concepts, and quantitative differences, i.e. different profile levels from low to high self-concepts.
... According to the CVT, control and value appraisals are the two proximal antecedents of achievement emotions [3,12]. Furthermore, [71] documented that students' English expectancies and values declined, whereas the difficulty of English courses increased continuously from Grade seven to Grade eleven. Therefore, it could be inferred that students' negative achievement emotions would be increased while the positive achievement emotions hardly arise. ...
... Second, the "put exams first" mentality dominates both EFL learners and teachers in the Chinese context [72], implicating that students' anxiety levels would increase throughout secondary education as the senior high school entrance examination draws nearer. Meanwhile, the task difficulty of English learning in Grade eight is more difficult than in Grade seven [71], which would lead to an increase in boredom for task difficulty is positively correlated with boredom [73]. Lastly, in the Chinese cultural context, suppression of positive emotions, including enjoyment, hope, and pride, was highly valued for the purpose of maintaining interpersonal harmony [74]. ...
The control-value theory (CVT) of achievement emotions posits that achievement emotions are significantly associated with the key indicators of academic outcomes, including academic motivation, engagement, and performance. Existing studies have tested the theoretical hypothesis of the CVT in a variety of cultures, disciplines, and samples. However, evidence is limited for whether there are gender and grade differences in achievement emotions, especially in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). 1,460 Chinese secondary school students (male N = 671; female N = 789; seventh-graders N = 731; eighth-graders N = 729) took part in the study. Confirmatory factor analyses and multi-group analyses were conducted to explore the possible gender and grade differences in EFL-related achievement emotions. Results indicated that there are gender or grade differences in EFL-related enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom, while hope and pride did not. Both limitations and implications are discussed.
... Eine Mehrheit der Kinder dieser Altersspanne gibt an, dass sie ihr Selbstwertgefühl aus dem wahrgenommenen Aussehen bzw. Auftreten ziehen (Harter, 2012, S. 694-696 (Watermann, Klingebiel & Kurtz, 2010;Gottfried, Fleming & Gottfried, 2001;Watt, 2004). ...
... Ein wesentlicher Faktor ist die Größe der getesteten Gruppen. Diese war bei der WS-Gruppe und bei VG2 recht gering, konnte aber aufgrund der Bedingungen des Projekts WEICHENSTELLUNG und der ökonomischen Voraussetzungen der vorliegenden Studie nicht erhöht werden (Rost, 2013 (Watermann, Klingebiel & Kurtz, 2010;Watt, 2004). ...
Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den ressourcenorientierten Ansatz der Feedbackmethode „Bildungs- und Lerngeschichten“ im entwicklungssensiblen Bereich des Übergangs von der Grundschule zur weiterführenden Schule. Die Bildungs- und Lerngeschichten wurden in das Förderprojekt WEICHENSTELLUNG eingeführt, das Kinder aus benachteiligten Familien während der Übergangsphase unterstützt. Die Frage, der sich diese hier dargestellte Studie stellt, ist die, inwiefern die Bildungs- und Lerngeschichten das Selbstwertgefühl und die (intrinsische) Motivation während des Übergangs stützen bzw. fördern können. Mit einem längsschnittlichen Mixed-Methods-Design wurde diese Frage beispielhaft bei den Beteiligten des Projekts WEICHENSTELLUNG untersucht, um somit Aussagen für diese spezifische Zielgruppe und darüber hinaus treffen zu können. Abgesehen von der notwendigen Berücksichtigung der Lernvoraussetzungen der Kinder bei ressourcenorientiertem Feedback bieten die Bildungs- und Lerngeschichten bedeutende Möglichkeiten der Förderung der selbstbestimmten Formen der Motivation und des Selbstwertgefühls bei der Transition zur weiterführenden Schule und können, begleitet durch weitere Studien, in der Transitionsphase an Schulen eingesetzt werden.
... The implication is that changes in perceived competence are followed by changes in values (Jacobs et al., 2002). Generally, children's competence beliefs and math values tend to decline from middle childhood to early adolescence (Jacobs et al., 2002;Koller & Baumert, 2001;Watt, 2004;Wigfield et al., 2015). By early adolescence, perceived competence is usually stabilised, which points to the importance of exploring earlier developmental stages when EVT constructs are highly malleable (Wigfield et al., 2015). ...
... In contrast, some studies show that, except for utility, boys value math more than girls (Chow & Salmela-Aro, 2011;Watt, 2004). Gaspard et al. (2015) propose that the inconsistency in the findings comes from inconsistent operationalisation of the EVT constructs. ...
Based on the expectancy-value perspective on identity and identity formation, this paper explores the relationship between math identity (MI) and the dimensions of motivation (i.e. intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value and perceived competence) and math achievement in primary school. An additional aim of our research was to explore these relationships in different cultural contexts and investigate potential gender and grade differences concerning MI. The participants were 11,782 primary school students from Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Portugal and Serbia. All predictors from the motivation spectrum were significant for students’ MI across the examined countries and had a stronger association with MI than math achievement. Among the motivational dimensions, intrinsic value had the strongest association with students’ MI. Boys had significantly more positive math identities than girls in Estonia, Finland, Norway and Portugal. The results showed that the grade 4 students perceived themselves less as “math persons” than their grade 3 peers in all countries.
... Уживање у учењу природних наука повезано је са намерама адолесцената да наставе проучавање науке (Ainley and Ainley, 2011a; Ainley and Ainley, 2011b; Guo et al., 2017). Налази истраживања који указују на опадање уживања у математици, односно интринзичног вредновања математике током адолесценције (Ahmed et al., 2013;Frenzel et al., 2009;Watt, 2004) забрињавају, с обзиром на важност интринзичне вредности за ангажовање у математици и науци (Ainley and Ainley, 2011a; Watt et al., 2012). ...
... Употребна вредност предмета / корисност односи се на начин на који ученик доживљава наставни предмет као користан, важан или применљив у другим контекстима (Watt, 2004). Начин на који ученици опажају подршку родитеља и наставника у учењу математике је важан предиктор начина на који ученици опажају вредност/корисност овог предмета (Chouinard et al., 2008). ...
Student motivation is one of the affective components that plays a key role in learning science. Research shows that in developed countries there is a trend of declining students' interest in science and technology. In this paper, the relationships between intrinsic motivation, Self-Concept, and the achievement of the fourth-grade elementary school students in mathematics and sciences were investigated. The authors also present the results of the secondary data analyses obtained in Serbia by means of student questionnaires and knowledge tests in the last two cycles of the TIMSS research in 2015 and 2019. The questionnaire contains two scales in which motivational variables are operationalized: students' attitudes towards mathematics/sciences and mathematical/ scientific self-confidence. Students' attitude is an indicator of an intrinsic motivation, and self-confidence is an indicator of Self-Concept. The results show that students express a high motivation for learning mathematics and sciences and a high level of Self-Concept. A higher level of Self-Concept is accompanied by a higher level of motivation for learning mathematics and sciences. Individual characteristics of students have a greater influence on achievement than the influence of schools and teachers. Students who express a more positive attitude towards mathematics and science and a higher level of selfconcept in these areas also have a higher level of achievement. The influence of mathematical selfconcept on achievement is particularly significant. The obtained results are in accordance with the findings of the earlier research that indicate complex and controversial relationships between intrinsic motivation, Self-Concept, and mathematical achievement, as well as that other constructs, including Self-Concept, can mediate the links between motivation and achievement. The authors point out the possibilities of encouraging students' motivation for learning. If students are trained in the teaching process to organize their own activities, this will contribute to their experience of autonomy and the development of confidence in their own competence, which positively impacts their motivation for learning.
... Students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses face challenges to maintaining high motivation due to the competitive milieu (Hunter, 2019), perceived difficulty (Nix, 2018), and identity threats (Cheryan et al., 2009;Cimpian & Leslie, 2017;Murphy et al., 2007) often present in such courses. Indeed, prior research has documented average declines in students' STEM confidence and interest across various levels of schooling (Jacobs et al., 2002;Robinson et al., 2019;Watt, 2004), suggesting the need for better understanding of how STEM instructors and classrooms can provide opportunities for students to become and stay motivated. Theory and prior research describe specific practices instructors can use to boost motivation or mitigate declines in motivation for all students on average (Cheon & Reeve, 2015;Rosenzweig & Wigfield, 2016;Su & Reeve, 2011). ...
... Evidence of differential perceptions across gender and underrepresented versus overrepresented racial/ethnic groups is thus far quite limited, and existing research on demographic differences in STEM motivation to inform hypotheses about perception differences is mixed. For example, considerable evidence suggests boys tend to have higher STEM motivation during adolescence (Chouinard & Roy, 2008;Chow & Salmela-Aro, 2011;Fong et al., 2021;Fredricks & Eccles, 2002;Watt, 2004), presumably due to gendered socialization processes and experiences involving gender-based stereotypes about STEM (Leslie et al., 2015;Mascret & Cury, 2015). However, although some research indicates men have higher STEM motivation than women during university (Hazari et al., 2013;Villafañe et al., 2014), other studies reveal no such gender differences (Hong et al., 2020;Perez et al., 2019;Robinson et al., 2019). ...
Students vary in their perceptions of teachers’ motivational supports, even within the same classroom, but it is unclear why this is the case. To enable the design of equitable environments and understand the theoretical nature of motivational climate, this study explored demographic differences in university students’ perceptions of instruction across five large, introductory STEM courses (N = 2,486), along with end-of-semester outcomes. Results indicated that women and students from traditionally underrepresented racial or ethnic groups (Black, Hispanic/Latino/a, or Indigenous students) tended to perceive slightly higher motivational support in their courses compared to men and traditionally overrepresented (white or Asian) students, respectively. However, patterns were not uniform across all courses or variables. Men and women did not significantly differ on end-of-semester interest in any course, but women tended to have lower self-efficacy in some courses and significantly higher grades in programming compared to men. Implications include a caution for researchers against interpreting sample-specific or aggregated evidence of demographic differences as generalizing to broader populations or specific settings.
... Tyrimai, kuriais buvo stengiamasi išsiaiškinti, kodėl merginų ir vaikinų skaičius STEM studijų programose yra neproporcingas, nustato mergaičių ir berniukų įsitikinimų apie savo matematinius gebėjimus skirtumų tendencijas. Ir senesnių, ir naujesnių tyrimų duomenys liudija, jog berniukai savo matematinius gebėjimus paprastai vertina geriau nei mergaitės, net jei realūs jų pasiekimai mokykloje ir nesiskiria (Crombie et al., 2005;Gladstone et al., 2018;Eccles et al., 1993;Watt, 2004) ar netgi jei mergaitės metiniais pažymiais lenkia berniukus (Jacobs, 1991). Kita vertus, tyrimai, ieškoję subjektyvios matematikos vertės skirtumų tarp lyčių, rodo nevienareikšmius rezultatus. ...
... Kalbant apie vienodus matematikos pasiekimus turinčių mergaičių ir berniukų bei jų tėvų įsitikinimų apie matematiką skirtumus, pirmiausia norisi pabrėžti žemesnį šiame tyrime dalyvavusių mergaičių savo matematinių gebėjimų vertinimą. Tai, jog mergaitės savo matematiniais gebėjimais pasitiki mažiau nei berniukai, nors realiais pasiekimais jos jiems nenusileidžia, randama ir daugelyje kitų tyrimų (Eccles et al., 1993;Watt, 2004;Gladstone et al., 2018). Negana to, mergaitės šiame tyrime atsiliepė prasčiau ir apie matematikos dalyko teigiamą vertę. ...
Straipsnyje pristatomos 7–8 klasių mokinių bei jų tėvų įsitikinimų apie matematinius gebėjimus ir matematikos vertę sąsajos bei šių įsitikinimų palyginimas lyties atžvilgiu. Nustatyta, kad vaikų motyvuojantys įsitikinimai yra susiję su jų tėvų įsitikinimais apie matematiką. Mergaitės apie savo matematinius gebėjimus ir matematikos dalyką atsiliepė prasčiau nei tuos pačius matematikos pasiekimus turintys berniukai, tačiau jų tėvų įsitikinimai apie matematiką lyties atžvilgiu nesiskyrė.
... SEVT posits that expectancy for success and task values, or reasons for engaging in academic tasks, are important, proximal predictors of students' achievement and choices (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020). Past research has supported robust links between these motivational processes and key academic outcomes (Robinson, Lee, et al., 2019), along with alarming trends of average declines in STEM expectancy and value (Fredricks & Eccles, 2002;Jacobs et al., 2002;Robinson, Lee, et al., 2019;Watt, 2004) among majority white samples. Thus far, however, no research to our knowledge has critically examined the suitability of SEVT for examining motivational trajectories of minoritized students, or has examined factors that support (rather than undermine) their motivation without comparing their experiences to majority groups. ...
Although achievement motivation research has produced powerful principles for supporting students in general, minoritized students' motivational experiences and evidence of opportunities that are particularly important for supporting their success in higher education STEM settings is largely missing from the literature. Understanding minoritized students' motivational experiences is vital for informing theory and practice toward cultural responsiveness. Accordingly, this study addressed the need for asset-based and critical research centering the experiences of minoritized students by documenting group and individual motivational trajectories of Black, Latiné, and Indigenous students enrolled in STEM courses. We also examined factors that theory and the students themselves identified as important for supporting motivational trajectories using qualitative and quantitative data. Results supported the importance of students' incoming motivation as a lens that informed their individual classroom climate perceptions of course
... Decades of research have shown that students' interest tends to wane as they progress through secondary school (Eccles & Midgley, 1989;Kunter et al., 2007;Scherrer et al., 2020;Wig eld et al., 2006). For instance, using longitudinal data from N = 3,193 students (51% female), Frenzel et al. (2010) showed a downward trend in students' interest in mathematics from Grades 5 to 9. Mathematics appears to be particularly vulnerable to such waning interest (Jacobs et al., 2002;Köller et al., 2001;Watt, 2004; for a recent example, see Lehikoinen et al., 2024), as this decline has been more pronounced in mathematics than in other subjects (Gottfried et al., 2001;Hedelin & Sjöberg, 1989). ...
Previous research has shown that students’ interest typically declines across secondary school, likely resulting from a mismatch between their needs and the school environment. Technology-enhanced adaptive teaching may allow teachers to better tailor their instruction to students’ needs, including students’ interests; thus, this approach may be promising in this regard. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the associations between equipping students and their teachers with tablet computers (1:1 technology), student-perceived adaptive teaching, and students' situational interest. We used questionnaire data (i.e., from two measurement points: t 0 = baseline; t 1 = 4 months later) from the longitudinal project tabletBW meets science from 2,601 students (Grade 7, Gymnasium, Germany) attending 28 schools. Fourteen schools were randomly chosen to be given 1:1 technology (i.e., tablet computers for teachers and students; intervention condition). The other 14 randomly chosen schools were not given such equipment (control condition). We assessed how students' situational interest in mathematics was associated with the use of tablet computers (intervention vs. control) and student-perceived adaptive teaching. Results from multilevel models showed that the 1:1 technology had a statistically significant effect on students' situational interest, partly mediated by student-perceived adaptive teaching. Moreover, knowing that students' interest in math declines in adolescence, our results indicate that equipping classrooms with technology might offer a promising way to implement more adaptive lessons that have the potential to provide the appropriate degree of challenge to students and thus spark their interest in mathematics.
... However, the findings disagreed with Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Köller, O., & Baumert, J. [18] examined the relationship between academic self-concept and mathematics achievement among female students and found that self-concept accounted for only about 10% of the variance in achievement, which is less than the 17% reported in the current study. Watt, H. M. G. [39] conducted a longitudinal study and found that self-concept explained around 12% of the variance in mathematics achievement among female students, which is lower than the 17% found in the current study. Manger, T., & Eikeland, O. [15] who found that girls seem not to have a more positive self-concept like boys in a number of dimensions including Mathematics. ...
The study looked into the relationship between senior secondary two (SS2) students' academic self-concept and their mathematics achievement in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State. This study was directed by three research questions and three matching null hypotheses. A sample of 318 senior secondary two (SS2) students offering Mathematics which comprised two hundred (200) female and one hundred and eighteen (118) male SS 2 students drawn from six (6) secondary schools from a population of 1544 SS2 students offering Mathematics in Bekwarra Local Government Area, Cross River State using Taro Yamane's sample size formula and A simple random selection method was employed, namely by balloting. Two instruments were used for data collection titled; Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha (∝) method was used to determine the internal consistency of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS). The reliability coefficient of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) was 0.81. Kuder-Richardson 20 formula method was used to determine the reliability coefficients for the Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). The reliability coefficients obtained was 0.91 for BAT. The research questions and all null hypotheses were answered and tested using simple linear regression at 0.05 level of significant. Results of the study revealed that: % variation in academic achievement of male students in mathematics was due to their self-concept, and that the academic achievement of male students in mathematics is not significantly correlated with their self-concept. On the other hand, 17% variation in the academic achievement of female students in mathematics was due to their self-concept, and the academic achievement of female students in mathematics is significantly correlated with their self-concept. Finally, students’ self-concept accounted for 23% variation in their academic achievement in Mathematics, and that students’ self-concept significantly relate with their academic Achievement in Mathematics in Bekwarra Local Government Area. The researcher recommended among other things, that parents should help their children have a positive self-concept in mathematics from an early age.
... Some studies have shown that children aged [10][11][12][13][14][15][16], under the influence of learning and education from parents, school, and society already possess essential cognitive judgment and behavioral tendencies and attach importance to their inner experience [19]. Our study did not require further ethics committee approval as it did not involve human clinical trials and was not unethical. ...
With people’s concern for health and the development of medical technology, medical products for children are gradually appearing in pharmacies and online stores. However, the appearance of most children’s household medical products tends to meet the needs of adults, which leads to low acceptance of medical products. This study aimed to explore 10- to 16-year-old children’s visual and tactile perception of different materials by researching the relationship between the psychological quantities of visual and tactile perception and the physical quantities of the material surface. Based on the theory of kansei engineering, we measured the physical quantities of nine materials used in insulin syringe products and administered a perceptual questionnaire test for children. By correlating subjective perceptions with the physical attributes of the materials’ surfaces, we determined a strong correlation between the visual and tactile psychological properties and the properties of the materials’ surfaces. Children clearly perceive materials, and materials with lower roughness can elicit calmness, while materials with higher gloss elicit negative emotions. This paper establishes an evaluation model and provides a scientific selection method for surface materials in different children’s household medical products.
... Consistent with the theory, research has shown that beliefs about one's own competence and the value assigned to the task, do indeed predict academic achievement and choices in domains related to language and reading (Durik et al., 2006;Eccles, 1987Eccles, , 1994Spinath et al., 2004;Watt, 2004). In turn, evidence shows that on average, girls have both a better self-concept in language and report higher values about reading than boys (Eccles et al., 1993;Heyder et al., 2017;Jacobs et al., 2002;Kelley & Decker, 2009;Marinak & Gambrell, 2010;OECD, 2010;Wigfield et al., 1997), and these differences intensify with age (Jacobs et al., 2002;Kelley & Decker, 2009;McKenna et al., 2012). ...
This study aimed to enhance our understanding of the biological sex gap in the reading motivation of students by focusing on the role of gender variables. 303 Chilean secondary students (51% female) completed self-report questionnaires. Structural equation models were employed to assess whether gender identity mediated the relationship between biological sex and reading motivation (reading self concept and value) and to examine the differential effects of gender identity and reading-gender stereotypes on the reading motivation of male and female students. The results indicated direct effects of biological sex but no indirect effects. Multi-group analysis revealed that for female students, adherence to reading-gender stereotypes positively influenced reading self-concept, whereas for males, it negatively affected reading value. Implications for promoting equity in the teaching and learning of reading in secondary education are discussed.
... During adolescence, these motivational beliefs are likely to change as students become more conscious of their identities and skill sets and work toward aligning their identities and goals with the societal roles or expectations for them . Though prior work often suggests that, on average, students' motivational beliefs in several domains (including math) decrease from childhood to adolescence (Fredricks & Eccles, 2002;Jacobs et al., 2002;Watt, 2004), more recent work focused on adolescence suggests that the changes in adolescents' motivational beliefs may be more complex. Studies that tested whether there were multiple unique developmental trends in adolescents' math motivational beliefs (vs. ...
The changes in adolescents’ math motivational beliefs (i.e., expectancies for success, interest, and utility value) across Grades 9–11 and the associations between these changes and adolescents’ experiences with socializers (i.e., perceived teacher unfairness and parent–adolescent discussions) were examined within each of the four largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States using the High School Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative data set (n = 19,010; 50% female; 9% Asian; 11% Black; 18% Latine; 62% White; Mage = 14.53 in Grade 9). Cross-tabulation analyses suggested that similar developmental trends emerged within each racial/ethnic group (which were tested separately). Many adolescents maintained their high or low expectancies, interest, and utility values across Grades 9–11. Some patterns varied by belief; for example, several adolescents switched from high to low interest by Grade 11, whereas several adolescents switched from low to high utility value. Parent–adolescent discussions predicted positive changes among Asian and Latine adolescents, whereas perceived teacher unfairness predicted negative changes among Black adolescents. The findings from the present study highlight the diverse developmental trends in adolescents’ motivational beliefs and the potential role of socializers as sources of strength or challenge in their motivational belief development.
... Diante do cenário tecnológico atual, é válido destacar os desafios e as diferentes dificuldades enfrentadas no ensino e aprendizagem da matemática, uma problemática que, segundo Watt (2004), aponta que o interesse em estudar matemática diminui ao longo da vida acadêmica dos estudantes, o que pode estar associado às dificuldades em aprender a matemática que se entende como escolar, uma vez que essa se liga a conteúdos programáticos exclusivamente explorados nesse ambiente e, por vezes, sem conexão com ambientes da realidade dos alunos. ...
... Alternatively, the second pathway describes a mediation mechanism where differences in achievement between boys and girls lead to the development of gendered values. Girls have indeed been observed to have higher achievement in languages compared to math-related subjects (e.g., Wang et al., 2013;Watt, 2004). Therefore, in line with dimensional comparison theory (Möller & Marsh, 2013), girls may subsequently devalue math in favor of languages, and the reverse may be true for boys. ...
Students routinely compare their achievement across different subjects (dimensional comparison) and against that of their peers (social comparison). Yet, it is unclear how these comparison processes influence their task values (intrinsic, attainment, utility, cost) and the observed gender differences in these values. Utilizing structural equation models, we tested the associations between Grade 7 achievement (in Finnish and math) and Grade 8 task values among 1325 Finnish students (Mage at Grade 7 = 12.8 years, 52 % girls). We observed positive social comparison (within-domain) effects on all value facets, and partial negative dimensional comparison (cross-domain) effects: higher Finnish achievement was associated with lower intrinsic value and higher cost in math. Despite outperforming boys in Finnish and math, girls reported lower intrinsic value and higher cost in math -- effects not explained by achievement comparisons. These results imply that task values development may rely on comparisons of other factors beyond individual achievement. Educational relevance statement By assessing how common it is for students to compare their achievement across subjects and against their classmates, we aim to show how these comparisons shape their subsequent perceptions of task value (i.e., whether they like a specific subject, find it useful and important, or too costly or effortful). The findings indicate that students who were better performers in a subject (e.g., languages) ended up valuing this very subject, while also labeling the contrasting subject (e.g., math) as less interesting and more taxing. This pattern was similar among both male and female students, yet girls perceived math as less interesting and more taxing regardless of their achievement. Given the important role of task value in students' educational and career decision-making, we invite educators and researchers alike to consider carefully how these students compare their academic success across different subjects. We also invite further consideration of the social and contextual factors that could support students in developing adaptive task values.
... However, the findings disagreed with Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Köller, O., & Baumert, J. [18] examined the relationship between academic self-concept and mathematics achievement among female students and found that self-concept accounted for only about 10% of the variance in achievement, which is less than the 17% reported in the current study. Watt, H. M. G. [39] conducted a longitudinal study and found that self-concept explained around 12% of the variance in mathematics achievement among female students, which is lower than the 17% found in the current study. Manger, T., & Eikeland, O. [15] who found that girls seem not to have a more positive self-concept like boys in a number of dimensions including Mathematics. ...
This study investigates teachers' experience as predictor of students' academic achievement in mathematics in Bekwarra Local Government Area, Cross River State. Two research questions were posed and one hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. Correlation survey research design was used for this study and two hundred and twenty (220) respondents (10 male mathematics teachers, 10 female mathematics teachers, and 200 SS 2 students) were drawn using purposive sampling technique for the purpose of data analysis. Two instruments titled, "Teachers' Experience Questionnaire (TEQ)" and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT)" were used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha method was used to determine the internal consistency of the Teachers' Experience Questionnaire (TEQ). The reliability coefficient of the Teachers' Experience Questionnaire (TEQ) was 0.85. Kuder-Richardson 20 formula method was used to determine the reliability coefficients for the Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). The reliability coefficients obtained was 0.72 for MAT. Research questions were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient while the null hypothesis was tested using Simple linear regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Results obtained from the study showed that there is a strong positive relationship between teachers' experience and students' academic achievement in Mathematics; male teachers' experience predicts students' achievement in Mathematics more than the female teachers' experience; and teachers' experience significantly relate with secondary school students' achievement in Mathematics. The study therefore, recommends, among others, that opportunities should be created for teachers to attend seminars and workshop to upgrade and enhance their experiences in mathematics.
... Chouinard & Roy, 2008;Kosovich et al., 2017). Boys have reported lower effort and psychological cost in maths compared to girls (Gaspard et al., 2015;Watt, 2004), while similar levels of opportunity cost have been found across both genders (Gaspard et al., 2015). These inconsistencies in gender differences are also seen among studies examining gender differences in cost perceptions of university students (Hong et al., 2020;Perez et al., 2019;Robinson et al., 2019). ...
... Differences in self-efficacy are associated with other genderbased disparities in retention, major, and academic performance [13], [18], [20], [66], [67], [68]. Women's self-efficacy tends to decrease through college [69], and is disrupted by school transitions during high school, into college, and between majors during college [70], [71]. ...
... For teacher, it is a form of pessimism and somehow break his heart. Other bad conditions that are experienced by teenage students such as lack of confidence, engagement, and undesirable behavior make this situation worse (Blackwell & Trzesniewski, 2007;Eccles, 2004;Watt, 2004). On the other side there are students who make the maximum effort to get good speaking ability and a good score, whether they are clever or not. ...
Growth mindset and students’ achievement have linearity in the previous studies. In EFL setting students’ achievement is related to English skills. Success in language learning is discovered by acquiring speaking ability. Thus this research aims to find out the correlation between students’ growth mindset and students’ speaking ability at the Second Semester Students of English Education Department of State Islamic University of Salatiga in t.rhe Academic Year 2021/2022. The methodology used in this study is quantitative method with correlational design. The techniques of collecting data are documentation and questionnaire. Data is analyzed in two ways. First, quantitative data was analyzed using statistical description and inferential descriptive. This study revealed that there is correlation between students’ growth mindset and students’ speaking ability. The value of Sig. (2-tailed) in the person correlation test is 0,027 which is bigger than 0,05 and it means that there is significant correlation between students’ growth mindset and students’ speaking ability. Meanwhile the correlation value is 0,27 that indicated the correlation is weak based on the degree of correlation table that correlation value between 0,21-0,40 is weak correlation. Further discussion is presented in this study.
... OECD 2020) and because there is a strong decline in students' interest in mathematics during secondary school years (cf. Watt 2004). ...
Research suggests that enthusiastic teachers show good teaching. At the same time, based on flow theory, it can be hypothesized that high enthusiasm is associated with a limited ability to perceive others’ needs. Hence, this study examines the relation between teaching enthusiasm and socio-emotional support. Based on questionnaire data from 89 mathematics teachers (61.8% women) and their 1716 students (50.0% girls), manifest multilevel analyses show that higher student-perceived teaching enthusiasm was associated with higher perceived socio-emotional support. In addition, the difference between student- and teacher-perceived support was lower for high student-perceived teaching enthusiasm. However, teacher-reported teaching enthusiasm was neither related to student-perceived socio-emotional support nor to the difference between teacher and student perceptions of teacher support. The study indicates that a multi-perspective assessment of motivation and teaching behavior may contribute to a better understanding of their correlates.
... Comparisons of the latent factor means revealed an average drop in academic self-efficacy, task value, and achievement goals with an increase in age, as students studied in higher grades. This finding is to some extent compatible with past evidence suggesting a decline in academic self-efficacy (Caprara et al., 2008;Lee and Seo, 2021;Mozahem et al., 2021), achievement goals (Ciani et al., 2011;Duchesne et al., 2014;Luo et al., 2023), and task value (Watt, 2004;Lee and Seo, 2021). ...
Introduction
Metacognitive self-regulation is a crucial factor that promotes students’ learning and achievement. However, the evidence regarding age differences in metacognitive skills is rather mixed, with some evidence pointing toward further refinement and development and other evidence suggesting declining levels. Academic motivation, an important antecedent of metacognitive self-regulation, has also been reported to decline steeply in adolescence. Hence, this raises the question whether there are any age-related differences in academic motivation and metacognitive self-regulation of adolescents and whether age differences in academic motivation drive decreases in metacognitive self-regulation.
Method
A large sample size of 1,027 Greek adolescents (ages 12–16, Mage = 13.95, SD = 0.78) was utilized in the present study. Multigroup measurement invariance analyses were deployed to compare the latent means of motivational factors (self-efficacy, task value, mastery, and performance goals) and metacognitive self-regulation across age groups. Cholesky decomposition was applied to test the independent contribution of motivational factors to and the indirect effects of age on metacognitive self-regulation.
Results
Invariance analyses revealed scalar invariance for metacognitive self-regulation, language self-efficacy, mastery and performance goal orientations and partially scalar invariance for task value. Older adolescents scored lower on metacognitive self-regulation, mastery and performance goals, and self-efficacy. Older students scored lower on metacognitive self-regulation via indirect effects through Cholesky decomposed motivational factors.
Discussion
Self-efficacy, mastery and performance goals, and task value are similarly understood across adolescents in different age groups. Decreased mastery and performance goals and task value can lead to reduced metacognitive self-regulation in adolescents. The implications of the findings underscore the key role of making students more engaged with lessons’ content in order to promote greater academic motivation and prevent decreases in metacognitive self-regulation.
... Studies have documented motivational declines and potential barriers to maintaining high motivation among students pursuing STEM degrees (Cromley, Perez, and Kaplan 2016;Dai and Cromley 2014;Kaplan 2014, 2019;Robinson et al. 2019). Longitudinal studies have indicated that beliefs about competence, values, and other positive motivational constructs tend to decline across time periods as short as a single semester (Corpus, Robinson, and Wormington 2020;Kosovich, Flake, and Hulleman 2017) and across multiple years (Chouinard and Roy 2008;Fredricks and Eccles 2002;Jacobs et al. 2002;Watt 2004). ...
... This might be insufficient, as research on motivation in various fields has shown that motives change over time. This is true, for example, for students' motivational beliefs (Lazarides et al., 2021;Watt, 2004) and teachers' career choice motivation (Kaçaniku et al., 2022;König et al., 2016). However, the vast majority of studies available to date measure motivation to participate in PD on a one-time basis, asking participants to report on their general motivation to participate in PD over a specific period, usually within the last 12 to 24 months. ...
Situated in the context of advanced placement (AP) reform in the United States, we investigated profiles of teachers’ motivation for participating in professional development (PD) courses in a two-cohort sample of nt1 = 2,369 and nt2 = 2,170 chemistry teachers via multilevel latent class analysis. In addition, the study investigated to what extent profile membership was related to factors at the teacher, school, and PD levels. Participation in PD courses was associated with one of three profiles, labeled “reform-motivated,” “convenience-motivated,” and “interaction-motivated.” Participation in PD courses was more likely to be reform-motivated if a teacher had a major in chemistry, more experience teaching AP, more positive attitudes toward PD, or higher enactment of AP redesign in the classroom, or if the PD course was formal and face-to-face. The results show that teachers have different motivations for participating in PD courses and provide insight into how to engage teachers in professional learning.
... Feingold, 1994;Costa et al, 2001;Chapman et al., 2007) a taktiež vykazujú vyššiu prevalenciu klinickej úzkostnej poruchy (McLean et al., 2011). Pokiaľ ide o postoje k matematike výskumy uvádzajú, že ženy majú tendenciu uvádzať menej pozitívne postoje (Watt, 2004;Nagy et al., 2008) a vyššiu úroveň úzkosti v súvislosti s matematikou ako muži (Hyde et al., 1990;Else-Quest et al., 2010). Naviac ako uvádza Stuart (2000) študenti, ktorí si nedôverujú v číslach a v akýchkoľvek matematických aktivitách, budú s najväčšou pravdepodobnosťou trpieť úzkosťou z matematiky. ...
The aim of the scientific publication "Gender aspect of mathematical anxiety in younger school-aged children" was to present the results of a three-year research project supported by the scientific grant agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences VEGA 1/05092/20 entitled "Gender aspect of mathematical anxiety in younger school-aged children". The aim of the project was to clarify the influence of the gender aspect on math anxiety as well as to identify the causality between anxiety/anxiousness, gender, math performance and child's math anxiety.
... Yläkoulun aikana on huomattu minäkäsi tyksen ja arvojen laskevan ja emotionaalisten kustannusten nousevan erityisesti pojilla kielissä ja tytöillä matematiikassa (Watt 2004). Kun oppija valitsee itseään kiinnostavia tehtä viä, hän valitsee usein sellaisia, joissa menestyy (Durik, Vida & Eccles 2006) ja joihin opetta jat ja ympäristö häntä kannustaavat (Wang & Degol 2013). ...
Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan peruskoulun seitsemäsluokkalaisten (N=977) odotuksia ja arvostuksia kolmea lukuainetta sekä ilmiölähtöistä oppimista kohtaan. Aineisto kerättiin syksyllä 2019 sähköisellä motivaatiokysymyksiä sisältäneellä kyselylomakkeella. Henkilösuuntautuneella tutkimusotteella tunnistettiin viisi motivaatioprofiilia odotuksista ja arvostuksista äidinkieltä, matematiikkaa, fysiikkaa ja ilmiölähtöistä oppimista kohtaan. LUMA-orientoituneet (31 %) ilmaisivat korkeinta tehtäväarvoa matematiikkaa ja fysiikkaa kohtaan, Ilmiöorientoituneet (20 %) olivat kiinnostuneempia ilmiölähtöisestä oppimisesta kuin tutkituista oppiaineista, Motivoituneet hyvinvoivat (24 %) olivat kiinnostuneita ilmiölähtöisyydestä sekä mitatuista oppiaineista ja kokivat kaikissa niissä vain vähän kuormitusta. Motivoituneet kuormittuneet (14 %) olivat kiinnostuneita kaikesta, mutta kokivat myös kuormitusta, ja Heikosti motivoituneet (10 %) eivät olleet motivoituneita mistään mitatuista aihepiireistä ja kokivat korkeaa kuormitusta. Tyttöjen ja poikien välillä ei ollut merkitsevää eroa profiileissa. Profiilien välillä tunnistettiin eroja perheen taloustilanteessa ja kaikkien arvosanojen keskiarvoissa. Keskiarvoinen tai heikompi taloustilanne -ryhmään kuului Motivoituneita hyvinvoivia odotettua vähemmän ja Heikosti motivoituneita enemmän. Heikosti motivoituneet -profiilin oppilailla tunnistettiin alhaisin ja Motivoituneilla hyvinvoivilla korkein keskiarvo. Merkittävä osa oppilaista koki ilmiölähtöisen oppimisen kiinnostavana. Tätä tietoa kannattaisi hyödyntää kouluissa: ilmiöön nivominen voisi lisätä oppilaiden motivaatiota myös monen oppiaineen tai laaja-alaisen taidon suhteen.
... Although there is evidence to show that perceived difficulty and self-efficacy are separate entities that load on separate factors and have differing effects on performance and motivation (Kraft et al., 2005;Rodgers et al., 2008;Steensel et al., 2019;Watt, 2004), there is far less research on perceived difficulty than on self-efficacy. Some earlier theories of motivation positioned perceived difficulty, along with interest and self-efficacy, as an important precursor of a student's motivated behaviour and self-regulation in the context of learning (Pintrich, 2004), but more recently it has been overlooked in studies, seen as merely a dimension of self-efficacy, or even as simply reflecting a lack of confidence (see, Eccles & Wigfield, 2020). ...
This doctoral dissertation focused on the mutual relationships between elementary school students’ interest and competence perceptions within tasks and over an extended time period. Interest and competence perceptions are important precursors of motivation and performance in tasks, and may also influence each other. However, research on their interplay is still limited, as most of it has focused on their correlations or unidirectional effects (e.g., the effects of interest on competence perceptions but not vice versa), and we know rather little about their temporal dynamics. Also, task-specific interest and competence perceptions may be connected with students’ domain-specific interest and self-concept, but empirical evidence is limited. Thus, the present dissertation addressed these dynamics in three individual studies, in which their relationships were examined across tasks and over time (Study I), and within tasks (Studies II and III). Structural equation modeling was applied for analysing the data (i.e., cross-lagged panel modeling in Studies I and II, and latent growth curve modeling in Study III) to examine the research questions.
... Three student demographic covariates were used as statistical controls in the current study: age, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). Student age can be predictive of PAS (Gillet et al., 2012;Kleinkorres et al., 2023;Waxman & Huang, 1998), academic buoyancy (Martin et al., 2010), and self-efficacy (Pajares et al., 2007;Watt, 2004;Wigfîeld & Eccles, 1994), with younger students often experiencing more adaptive school experiences. Female students have also been shown to report greater PAS (Lietaert et al., 2015). ...
Students' academic self-beliefs are associated with their school achievement and enjoyment. However, academic self-beliefs appear to be lower in rural schools. In a sample of students in Australian rural schools (N = 974), this study investigated whether perceived autonomy support (PAS) predicted two important self-belief constructs: academic buoyancy and academic self-efficacy. The results revealed that PAS positively predicted academic buoyancy and academic self-efficacy. Multigroup structural equation modeling further identified that primary school students reported more adaptive school experiences than high school students. This research has implications for how teachers can best support students’ academic self-beliefs in rural schools.
... Race/ethnicity and gender are two social position factors in the United States that shape individuals' development in profound ways (Coll et al, 1996). Math is no exception; stereotypes and structural barriers based on race/ethnicity and gender privilege some groups in math, including Asian and male students, and marginalize other groups, including Latinx and female students (Hsieh et al., 2021;Wang & Degol, 2017). Though scholars have argued for the need to study development at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender (Crenshaw, 2019), it has received less attention in math. ...
The heterogeneity in the developmental trajectories of math motivational beliefs (i.e., expectancies for success and subjective task value beliefs) was examined among Asian and Latinx male and female students from Southern California across Grades 8 through 10 (n = 2,710; 50% female; 85% Latinx; 15% Asian; Mage = 13.77). By conducting growth mixture modeling, we identified two classes of stable trajectories for expectancies for success; five classes of stable, decreasing, or increasing trajectories for interest and utility value; and three classes of stable, decreasing, or increasing trajectories for attainment value. The group comparisons demonstrated that variability exists in adolescents’ motivational belief development at the intersection of their race/ethnicity and gender for some trajectories. For example, Latina adolescents were more likely to maintain moderate expectancies for success than high expectancies for success compared to Latino and Asian male adolescents, but Asian female adolescents did not differ in their level of expectancies for success from the two male groups. Also, we found Latina adolescents displayed smaller decreases in interest compared to Asian female adolescents and in utility value compared to Latino adolescents. The findings from the present study challenge traditional stereotypes in math and highlight positive motivational belief development in students who are marginalized in math (e.g., Latina adolescents).
... While anxiety increases in the average student, positive emotions such as enjoyment of learning seem to decrease across the elementary school years (Lichtenfeld et al., 2012). The decrease of enjoyment can continue through the middle school years , which is consistent with the decline of average scores for subject-matter interest, mastery goals, and general attitudes toward school (e.g., Fredricks & Eccles, 2002;Scherrer et al., 2020;Watt, 2004). Important factors responsible for this development may be an increase of teacher-centered instruction and academic demands in middle school, and the stronger selectivity of subject-matter interest that is part of adolescent identity formation (Fredricks & Eccles, 2002; also see Hidi & Renninger, 2006). ...
... Intrinsic value. We used an established measure of intrinsic value developed by Eccles (1983; see also Fredricks & Eccles, 2002;Watt, 2004). Intrinsic value refers to adolescents' interest and enjoyment in their schoolwork. ...
This study investigated early adolescent friendship selection and social influence with regard to academic motivation (self-efficacy and intrinsic value), engagement (effortful and disruptive behavior), and achievement (GPA calculated from report card grades) among 6th graders (N = 587, 50% girls at Wave 1; N = 576, 52% girls at Wave 2) followed from fall to spring within 1 academic year. A stochastic actor-based model of social network analysis was used to overcome methodological limitations of prior research on friends, peer groups, and academic adjustment. Evidence that early adolescents sought out friends who were similar to themselves (selection) was found in regard to academic self-efficacy, and a similar trend was found for achievement. Evidence that friends became more similar to their friends over time (influence) was found for all aspects of academic adjustment except academic self-efficacy. Collectively, results indicate that selection effects were not as pervasive as influence effects in explaining similarity among friends in academic adjustment.
... Además, el mostrar consistentemente menor autoconcepto y autoeficacia (Eccles et al., 1993;Fredricks y Eccles, 2002) y encontrar menor valor al trabajo en matemáticas (e.g. Jacobs et al., 2002;Nagy et al., 2006;Watt, 2004) se traduce en menores aspiraciones en el área (Buschor, et al., 2014;Nagy et al., 2006). ...
This paper explores the relationship between students’ perceptions of the type of teaching they experience in mathematics [more or less student centred] and their reported emotions, self-concept and disposition. It also addresses the question of whether there are differences in this relationship for girls and boys. It uses survey data from almost 300 year 7 Chilean students, clustered in 8 different classrooms. A correlational analysis suggests that there is a positive significant association between how student centred the teaching is perceived to be and students’ more positive attitudes. Nevertheless, this effect was independent of sex, suggesting that more student-centred teching do not necessarily offer an advantage for girls, but are positive for both, boys and girls.
... Attitudes are key determinants of motivation, decision-making, and behavior [19,20]. By and large, numerous studies demonstrate that females compared to males report more negative attitudes toward math and science [7,9,[21][22][23][24][25]. Furthermore, math and science attitudes have been shown to be related to STEM choices and achievement [26][27][28][29][30]. ...
Despite societal efforts toward enhancing gender equality, females are still underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). Prominent explanations draw on gender differences in attitudes about STEM (with females holding more negative attitudes than males), which result from the gender stereotype that STEM is a male domain. While a lot of research has focused on explicit attitudes, little is known about implicit attitudes toward STEM. The present research sought to examine implicit attitudes among adolescents, and how they relate to other STEM cognitions. We measured implicit attitudes about the STEM concept as a whole, and about math in particular. For this purpose, we developed two Brief Implicit Associations Tests (BIATs) and administered them online in a sample of adolescents (N = 517). We additionally measured a variety of self-reported motivational and social-psychological variables (interest, aspiration, self-concept of ability, and sense of belonging to the math and STEM community, respectively), which previous research has identified as factors contributing to the gender gap in STEM participation. Our findings confirm the reliability and validity of both the STEM BIAT and the Math BIAT. Moreover, implicit STEM attitudes predicted interest in and aspiration for STEM, self-concept of STEM ability, and sense of belonging to the STEM community. Similarly, implicit math attitudes predicted interest in and aspiration for math, and sense of belonging to the math community (but not self-concept of math ability). Our findings confirm that our novel online BIATs are efficient measurement tools of implicit attitudes in adolescents. Moreover, our findings underscore the significance of implicit attitudes in the STEM domain.
... Up until now, an important amount of work on these perceptions focused on how they develop and operate. Regarding the first line of work, research has shown that these perceptions tend to deteriorate as students advance in school (Jacobs et al., 2002;Watt, 2004), although this is not what systematically happens. The evolution of these perceptions may indeed vary as a function of individual or school-related experiences. ...
This study was interested in the level of correspondence between high school students’ self-perceptions of academic competence and achievement. The objectives were to (a) identify different profiles of students in terms of correspondence between perceptions of general academic competence and achievement in language arts and mathematics, (b) describe the personal and family characteristics of the students in these profiles, and (c) associate personality traits defined by the Big-Five with these profiles. A latent class analysis and a multinominal logistic regression were conducted on the data collected from 309 ninth and tenth graders. Among the most salient results, five profiles of students were identified, three of which with competence perceptions corresponding with achievement (i.e., high achievers with high self-perceived competence (SPC), average achievers with average SPC, and low achievers with lower SPC) and two with competence perceptions showing no or little correspondence with achievement (i.e., low achievers with higher SPC and average achievers with lower SPC). Also, students scoring high on openness to experience and conscientiousness were more likely to belong to the profile of high achievers with high SPC. These findings contribute to the literature on the possible reasons why students hold accurate or biased self-perceptions of competence.
... For instance, Ganley and Lubienski (2016) found existing gender differences in elementary school children's interest in mathematics by grade 3 in favor of boys, but found no further change in the size of these gender differences between grades 3 and 8. With regard to language arts, the research literature is less consistent: A number of longitudinal studies report that existing gender differences in adolescents' language arts interest in favor of girls widened (Gaspard et al., 2017;Gaspard et al., 2022;Jacobs et al., 2002), while other studies find that gender differences in language arts remained stable in secondary school (Watt, 2004). Few studies have examined the stability of gender differences in language arts interest in elementary school. ...
Although gender differences in students' domain-specific interest are well-documented, little is known about the stability of such gender differences among young age groups in elementary school. Moreover, few studies have considered differences within gender groups. The present study examines the development of gender differences in students' interest in mathematics and language arts and the role of students' migration and socio-economic background for changes in girls' and boys' domain-specific interests. The sample included 2316 students (48.2 % female; Mage = 9.30 years; 76.4 % born in Germany) assessed at three measurement times in elementary school. Linear growth models revealed stable differences by gender. Interaction effects of gender and migration background as well as gender and socio-economic background were found for interest in language arts, but not for mathematics. Results underline the importance of considering several social categories as well as their interactions when aiming to understand students' subject-specific level of interest and their interest development.
Online access:
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1hS7W3irP4DCPl
... Some studies reveal that boys showed higher confidence level than girls in problem-solving tasks (Eseryel et al., 2014;Nuutila et al., 2021), displayed more experience and skills during the game (Dindar, 2018) and showed higher level of interest in science than girls (Glory & Ihenko, 2017;Petersen & Hyde, 2014). Other studies show that girls experienced more difficulty than boys while performing computational tasks (Watt, 2004) and so they tend to require longer time to reach certain game levels and oftentimes play more frequently than boys (Dindar, 2018). Furthermore, no significant gender-related differences have been established in terms of academic performance (Glory & Ihenko, 2017) and problem-solving skills (Singh & Gopalkrishnan, 2017). ...
Academic interest, despite its complex construct, has been the focus of many empirical studies because of its direct relationship with learning (Dopatka et al., 2020) and the reason behind the development of various learning materials, such as educational games. Some studies attempted to construct instruments in various formats (Permatasari et al., 2019), mostly survey-questionnaires, to measure students' interest in different ways, such as classroom activities and students' personal experiences (Kaur & Zhao, 2017; Lavonen et al., 2010; Eseryel et al., 2014; Maison et al., 2020). The present study started with the creation of a game-based instrument featuring the Physics behind stunt actions in movies. In an attempt to contribute additional empirical evidence to a limited number of studies relating gameplay and problem-solving skills (Eseryel et al., 2014; Kailani et al., 2019), the game was designed to simulate stunt actions through problem-solving questions taken from Physics lessons. The game contains problem-solving questions, grouped into three levels of difficulty, and was assessed for its gender-related impact on students' interest and problem-solving skills. Unlike other researches, the present study measured the academic interest of 125 secondary students (49 female, 31 male) through actualized knowledge using an educational game, instead of survey questionnaires. Results show that the game had a significant influence on students’ interest. No significant gender-related differences on students' interest was found and no statistically significant influence on the level of interest of the students towards the game has been caused by the two-way interaction of gender and the game. Playing the game showed a significant influence on the problem-solving skills of the students and accounted for 57% of their level of problem-solving abilities.
... Die Erwartungs-Wert-Theorie von Eccles und Kolleg*innen (Eccles et al., 1983) (Eccles et al., 1983;Eccles & Wigfield, 2020 (Gaspard et al., 2015;Nagy et al., 2010;Watt, 2004 (Heublein et al., 2017). ...
Die Erwartungs- und Wertüberzeugungen von Lernenden spielen eine wichtige Rolle für ihre Bildungs- und Berufsentscheidungen, beispielsweise in den Bereichen Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik (MINT), in denen Frauen weiterhin unterrepräsentiert sind. Bisherige Forschung hat sich hauptsächlich auf Mittelwertunterschiede in den motivationalen Überzeugungen von weiblichen und männlichen Lernenden fokussiert. Daher wurden in der vorliegenden Studie Geschlechtsunterschiede in der Variabilität der situationsspezifischen Erwartungs- und Wertüberzeugungen sowie der selbsteingeschätzten Leistung im Verlauf des Semesters in verpflichtenden Mathematikveranstaltungen für Studienanfängerinnen und Studienanfänger in MINT-Studiengängen untersucht. Studierende aus drei mathematikintensiven MINT-Studienfächern wurden an drei Messzeitpunkten im Semester zu ihren situationsspezifischen motivationalen Überzeugungen und Leistungen befragt (N = 927). Mehrebenenanalysen zeigten signifikante Geschlechtsunterschiede in der Variabilität der Erfolgserwartung und selbsteingeschätzten Leistung im Verlauf des Semesters sowie in der Variabilität zwischen den motivationalen Überzeugungen und der Leistungseinschätzung innerhalb von zwei der drei Messzeitpunkte im Verlauf des Semesters. Diese Unterschiede blieben auch unter Kontrolle von individuellen und familiären Merkmalen der Studierenden bestehen. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass weibliche Studierende in männlich-dominierten Studienfächern im MINT-Bereich anfälliger für Fluktuationen in ihren situativen motivationalen Überzeugungen sein könnten im Vergleich zu männlichen Studierenden.
... Three intrinsic value items were written to capture the extent to which a respondent liked mathematics and enjoyed mathematics tasks, as well as having a level of interest in mathematics generally (IV1, IV2, IV5). These items were adapted from Watt (2004) and Wigfield and Eccles (2000). Two additional items were adapted from one of the questions in the study by Trautwein et al., (2012) to capture the evidence of enjoyment in tasks through engagement (IV3, IV4). ...
Higher-level mathematics courses in upper secondary school serve as a critical filter to future educational courses and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). However, the percentage of senior school students in Australia undertaking higher-level mathematics courses is decreasing. Given that these courses provide students with skills and knowledge integral to STEM disciplines, it is important to discover factors that serve to encourage or detract students in choosing higher-level mathematics courses. Considering that educational and career choices are influenced by personal interests, values, and expectations, the purpose of this study was to design and validate a bipolar format survey instrument to investigate motivational factors on mathematics course choices of Year 10 Australian school students based upon Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT). A 25-item survey instrument using a bipolar format was developed to measure: Expectancy for success (operationalized as Competence-beliefs); Intrinsic value; Attainment value; Utility value; and Cost in relation to mathematics. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of data collected from Year 10 students (n = 886) revealed a four-factor model consisting of well-defined factors of Competence-beliefs, Intrinsic value, Attainment value, and Utility value. Unexpectedly, the items designed to measure the Cost factor dispersed variously into the factors of Competence-beliefs, Intrinsic value, and Utility value, and conceptually plausible explanations are offered for this finding. This survey represents a promising instrument for measuring predictors of mathematics course choices in senior school students. The study findings also suggest interrelationships between specific cost dimensions and other factors relevant to the measurement of SEVT constructs more generally.
The purpose of this study is to determine the level of grit and perceived social support in predicting adolescents' future expectations during the pandemic period. The sample of the research conducted with the correlational model consisted of 573 high school students. Three scales were used together with the demographic information form created by the researchers to collect the data. The results show that there is a positive and significant relationship between positive future expectations and grit, and there is also a positive and significant relationship between positive future expectations and perceived social support. Finally, it was concluded that grit and perceived social support significantly predicted positive future expectations, while grit predicted positive future expectations at a higher level than perceived social support. These findings suggest that positive future expectations are associated with grit and perceived social support. Practitioners who want to positively influence adolescents' future expectations can assist them in these areas.
Although research has touted the value of making in educational settings, scant work has been done in formal school contexts utilizing quantitative methods. This could be attributed to the various challenges in integrating making in school settings. To fill in the gap, this study presents an approach to integrate making into science classes at the 3rd to 5th grade levels in a U.S. public school for four consecutive years (2015–2019). We examined the effect of the program on students’ self-beliefs (self-efficacy, motivation, and self-concept) using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design. We also examined the effect of making on students’ knowledge and skills using state testing data. Results suggest that when averaged across post school year surveys, students in maker classes (vs. control) reported higher self-efficacy beliefs in science and making as well as more interests in STEM-related careers. Moreover, over two school years, we observed that students in the control group experienced declines on some of our variables while our maker students did not. Data thereby speaks to the potential value and promise of integrating making into formal school settings. Practical implications are discussed.
The “remembered success effect” (Finn, 2010) refers to the finding that challenging academic tasks that start or end with extra opportunities for success are preferred to challenging tasks that do not include these opportunities. Work on remembered success has primarily been done with adults. We assessed (in a preregistered study) whether the remembered success effect could be detected in two school-aged groups of students (281 third-graders and 289 sixth-graders). We examined the effect in terms of students’ future activity choices and task evaluations, as well as their expectancies for success, task values, and perceived costs, key motivational constructs from expectancy-value theory. More specifically, we tested whether students would prefer an “extended” difficult math task that began or ended with a set of moderately difficult problems (i.e., that included experiences of relative success) over a shorter task that contained the same number of difficult problems, but none of the moderate problems. Results showed that students in both grades preferred the extended task. In addition, students’ expectancies and subjective task value were higher, and perceived costs lower, in the “extended” condition than in the short condition. Results were generally stronger for the older students. Adding experiences of remembered success to challenging math tasks could turn out to be a straightforward, cost-effective way to increase the likelihood that students will choose to engage in and persist at such tasks, even as early as Grade 3.
Our study examined how students’ perceived teacher beliefs and classroom goal structures, gender (of teachers and students) and own perceived talent, controlling for prior achievements, together explained motivational outcomes of students’ achievement goals, intrinsic value and enrollment choices in mathematics and English. Participants were 1086 grades 9–11 students (respective Ns = 380, 369, 337) from 3 coeducational middle-class schools in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed student-perceived teacher beliefs as the most consistent predictor of motivational outcomes in mathematics and English, over and above the effects of other measured influences. Perceived teacher beliefs moderated the effects of classroom goal structures, as well as relationships of gender with motivational outcomes in English. Grade-level effects were more positive among older students which coincided with the grade 11 transition.
A large and burgeoning literature has established that mastery goal orientations yield positive cognitive and behavioural educational outcomes. Less research has focused on the psychological antecedents of adopting mastery goals. The present study draws upon prominent psychological theories of achievement motivation, specifically the expectancy-value theory of Eccles, Wigfield and colleagues (Wigfield and Eccles 2002), to explore possible antecedents of students' mastery goals. Based on this theoretical framework, our study focused on children's perceptions of their competencies in English and maths and how these related to intrinsic value and mastery goals for English and maths. Questionnaires were used to gather data about Year 6 (N=60) participants' perceived competence, intrinsic value and mastery goal orientation, and correlational analyses established the direction and strength of the relationships between the perceptions. Participants were targeted for follow-up interviews (n=17) according to a matrix of low and high competence perceptions and mastery goals, with students selected from within each of six focal groups. Interview responses were reported according to emergent themes, from which we describe how the constructs under consideration relate to one another and highlight implications for educational practice.
Changes in student self- and task evaluations, subjective valuation, and achievement behavior in mathematics and English over the 1st year of junior high form the basis of this study. The transition to junior high has been found to negatively affect students' self-concept and subjective valuation in mathematics and English, but previous research has not addressed changes in task evaluations and achievement behaviors. Gender and level of academic achievement effects are also relevant to the nature of changes in student attitudes. The participants (N =400) were from 3 coeducational Australian government schools in metropolitan Sydney of comparable socioeconomic status. When changes in perceptions occurred, they were negative, and gender differences favored boys in mathematics and girls in English. However, the nature and extent of change was dependent on school and level of achievement.
We used structural modeling procedures to assess the influence of past math grades, math ability perceptions, performance expectancies, and value perceptions on the level of math anxiety reported in a sample of 7th- through 9th-grade students (
N = 250). A second set of analyses examined the relative influence of these performance, self-perception, and affect variables on students' subsequent grades and course enrollment intentions in mathematics. The findings indicated that math anxiety was most directly related to students' math ability perceptions, performance expectancies, and value perceptions. Students' performance expectancies predicted subsequent math grades, whereas their value perceptions predicted course enrollment intentions. Math anxiety did not have significant direct effects on either grades or intentions. The findings also suggested that the pattern of relations are similar for boys and girls. The results are discussed in relation to expectancy-value and self-efficacy theories of academic achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In a longitudinal study of 1,329 students and the teachers they had for mathematics before and after the transition to junior high school, the relation between students' beliefs in mathematics and their teachers' sense of efficacy is examined. Using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), we found that the rate of change within the school year in students' expectancies, perceived performance, and perceived task difficulty in math differed at Year 1 and 2, depending on teacher efficacy before and after the transition. Students who moved from high- to low-efficacy math teachers during the transition ended the junior high year with the lowest expectancies and perceived performance (even lower than students who had low efficacy teachers both years) and the highest perceptions of task difficulty. The differences in pre- and posttransition teachers' views of their efficacy had a stronger relationship to low-achieving than to high-achieving students' beliefs in mathematics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Describes a learning orientation scale in which 5 dimensions are defined by an intrinsic and an extrinsic pole: preference for challenge vs preference for easy work, curiosity/interest vs teacher approval, independent mastery attempts vs dependence on the teacher, independent judgment vs reliance on the teacher's judgment, and internal vs external criteria for success/failure. The reliability and factorial validity of the scale have been adequately demonstrated. Additional validity studies with a total of 2,925 Ss in Grades 3–9 are reported. Higher-order factoring yielded 2 distinct clusters of subscales: The 1st 3 dimensions form 1 factor and are interpreted as more motivational in nature; the remaining 2 are viewed as more cognitive–informational in nature. Developmental data show that across Grades 3–9 there was a shift from intrinsic to extrinsic on the 1st motivational cluster. Conversely, there was a dramatic developmental shift from extrinsic to intrinsic on the cognitive–informational cluster. Interpretations for these developmental differences are advanced, and the educational implications are explored. The discussion focuses on the need to be precise in conceptualizing and operationalizing the term "intrinsic motivation." (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This analysis of the 12,266 responses to the three Self Description Questionnaires, which measure multiple dimensions of self-concept in preadolescence (H. W. Marsh, 1988), early-to-middle adolescence (H. W. Marsh, in press), and late adolescence and early adulthood (H. W. Marsh, in press), examined (a) age and sex effects during preadolescence to early adulthood and (b) alternative operationalizations of Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton's (1976) proposal that self-concept becomes more differentiated with age. Responses to all three SDQ instruments were reliable and resulted in well-defined factor structures. Self-concept declined from early preadolescence to middle adolescence, then increased through early adulthood. Sex differences in specific areas of self-concept were generally consistent with sex stereotypes and relatively stable from preadolescence to early adulthood. There was little support for the increased differentiation of dimensions of self-concept beyond early preadolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
200 students in Grades 8–10 were given the following attitudinal measures regarding both math and English: self-concept of ability, subjective task value, perceived task difficulty, and continuing motivation. In a follow-up, Ss" math course enrollment decisions were assessed each year through high school. 142 of the Ss also were exposed to 2 sets of trials: a number sequence set and an anagram set. Outcome was manipulated across trials (success, failure, success). For each series, Ss provided estimates of their ability, their expectations for continued success, and causal attributions. Their response time, persistence, and accuracy were recorded. Finally, teacher estimates of learned helplessness were obtained in Year 1 of the study for all Ss. Subjective task value emerged as the strongest mediator of sex differences in achievement-related behaviors and plans. There was little support for learned-helplessness models of sex differences in achievement. There was some evidence of sex differences in ability attributions, but these differences occurred only among low-expectancy Ss. Verbal and behavioral indexes of achievement beliefs were often inconsistent. Implications for general attribution theory and for sex-difference theory are discussed. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
A sample of 194 3rd graders and 279 junior high school students completed questionnaires measuring achievement-related beliefs before and after they took a regularly scheduled mathematics exam. Girls rated their ability lower, expected to do less well, were less likely than boys to attribute success to high ability and failure to luck, and were more likely to attribute failure to low ability. Girls also reported less pride in their success and a stronger desire to hide their paper after failure and were less likely to believe that success could be achieved through effort. Further associations were observed between attributions and the belief that success could be achieved by effort on one hand and a desire to avoid math tasks and future performance expectations on the other. The results expand understanding of achievement-related beliefs that might explain gender differences in performance and in future course and occupational choices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The authors assessed change over 3 years in elementary school children's competence beliefs and subjective task value in the domains of math, reading, instrumental music, and sports. The longitudinal sample consisted of approximately 615 mostly White, lower middle to middle-class children. Stability correlations indicated moderate to strong stability in children's beliefs, especially older children's competence beliefs. The relation of children's ratings of their competence in each domain to estimates of their competence in those domains provided by both parents and teachers increased over the early elementary grades. Children's competence beliefs and ratings of the usefulness and importance of each activity decreased over time. Children's interest in reading and instrumental music decreased, but their interest in sports and math did not. Gender differences in children's competence beliefs and subjective task values did not change over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Examined 1,850 school age children achievement self-perceptions in 4 activity domains (math, English, social activities, and sports) and self-esteem across the transition from elementary to junior high school. Self-esteem scores declined across the transition to junior high, but increased during 7th grade. Self-concepts of ability for math, English, and social activities declined after transition, but perceptions of social ability increased during 7th grade. Perceptions of sports ability declined across 6th and 7th grades. The liking of math and sports declined over time, whereas the liking of English and social activities declined immediately after transition but increased across 7th grade. Many of these changes are attributed to changes in the school and classroom environments encountered on entering junior high school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The authors assessed the dimensionality of and relations between adolescents' achievement-related beliefs and self perceptions, focusing on subjective valuing of achievement. Beliefs derived from expectancy-value theory (adolescents' valuing of achievement activities, expectancies for success and ability perceptions, and perceptions of task difficulty) were assessed. Adolescents completed questionnaires once a year for 2 years. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that achievement-related beliefs separate into three task values factors (interest, perceived importance, and perceived utility), one expectancy/ability factor (comprising beliefs about one's competence, expectancies for success, and performance perceptions), and two task difficulty factors (perceptions of difficulty and perceptions of effort required to do well). Task values and ability perceptions factors were positively related to each other and negatively correlated to perceptions of task difficulty.
Peer Reviewed http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42651/1/10649_2004_Article_BF00776739.pdf
I: Background.- 1. An Introduction.- 2. Conceptualizations of Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination.- II: Self-Determination Theory.- 3. Cognitive Evaluation Theory: Perceived Causality and Perceived Competence.- 4. Cognitive Evaluation Theory: Interpersonal Communication and Intrapersonal Regulation.- 5. Toward an Organismic Integration Theory: Motivation and Development.- 6. Causality Orientations Theory: Personality Influences on Motivation.- III: Alternative Approaches.- 7. Operant and Attributional Theories.- 8. Information-Processing Theories.- IV: Applications and Implications.- 9. Education.- 10. Psychotherapy.- 11. Work.- 12. Sports.- References.- Author Index.
Hierarchical linear models provide a conceptual orientation and a flexible set of analytic techniques for studying psychological change in repeated measures studies. The researcher first formulates a model for individual change over time, with each individual's development characterized by a unique set of parameters. These parameters are then viewed as varying randomly over the population of persons. The authors illustrate this approach with data on attitudes toward deviance during adolescence (S. W. Raudenbush and W. S. Chan, 1992), indicating how one may assess the psychometric properties of an instrument for studying change, compare the adequacy of linear and curvilinear growth models, control for time invariant and time-varying covariates, and link overlapping cohorts of data. Results suggest that prodeviant attitudes characteristically increase during early adolescence, achieving a peak between 17 and 18 yrs of age. The typical trajectories for male and female adolescents have the same shape, although female adolescents tend to be less deviant than male adolescents at each age. The authors briefly consider the statistical power of tests of cohort differences at the points where they overlap.
Women's educational and occupational achievements are crucial to the economic productivity and prosperity of the nation, as well as to the mental health of women and their families. In this article we review psychological research on motivation and on educational achievement, focusing on gender and the contributions that have been made by feminist researchers. Feminist psychologists noted the sex bias and methodological flaws in traditional research on achievement motivation and proposed vastly improved models, such as Eccles's expectancy x value model of achievement behavior. Contrary to stereotypes, gender similarities are typically found in areas such as mathematics performance. Policymakers should be concerned about gender bias in the SAT and about the Female Underprediction Effect. Additional threats to girls' and women's achievements include stereotype threat and peer sexual harassment in the schools.
It has been argued that there is an acceleration of gender-differential socialization during adolescence, perhaps at the onset of puberty or shortly after, and perhaps especially for girls. New domains may become the object of gender-differential socialization pressure and demands for conformity may increase in domains previously subject to such pressure. We shall refer to this argument as the Gender-Intensification Hypothesis. The hypothesis frequently is invoked to explain observed behavioral differences between adolescent boys and girls. Here we shall review information bearing upon the hypothesis and suggest some new points of departure for research related to it and to the study of gender-differential socialization during adolescence in general. We begin by considering some forms in which the hypothesis appears and then turn to our review and to its implications.
This article discusses students' comments about the experience of shifting from primary to secondary schooling, and of their first year of secondary school. The material was gathered from research carried out in three Victorian primary schools and four Victorian secondary schools in 1993 and 1994. This article discusses the meanings students give to their experience of transition against earlier research and policy documents which use different methodologies and which talk of different cultures of primary and secondary schools. It argues that student reactions are more complex than are indicated by methodologies which take comments at face value and that their concerns challenge some common assumptions about the problem of disruption in the break between primary and secondary. The article also notes widespread changes in students' lunchtime activities compared with primary school and discusses ways students assess the new curriculum and teaching styles of the secondary school.
This study of Australian students' perceptions of achievement argues for flexibility in gender stereotypes, varying with the frame of reference, and the multidimensionality of self-concepts. Students in the first 4 years of high school (N = 663) completed tests and questionnaires about mathematics and English. The systematic patterns of their responses depended on contrasting subject domains and the specific or general nature of aspects of their achievement. Gender differences in how well students thought they performed were at odds with similar performances on standardized tests. Two sources of gender stereotypes explain complex interactions of gender and subject domain for interrelated aspects of achievement-a tendency by males to overestimate specific task performance across domains, and traditional gender stereotypes about "natural talent" for females in English and for males in mathematics. The broad implications for ways we think about mathematics and gender require an understanding of discrete notions of ability and performance, and an acknowledgment of students' flexible self-categorizations.
This study investigates the conceptual issues, theoretical rationale, construct validity, psychometric properties, and empirical analysis of the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (Harter, 1986). The scale was administered to 283 students (average age 13.1 years, 49% female) from 12 Year 7 classes in three non-selective systemic high schools. The scale assesses competence in 8 self-concept domains: scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, romantic appeal, conduct/morality, close friendships, job competence and, in addition, global self-worth. Separate items relating to mathematics and English abilities were added. The internal consistencies were generally high. Results from factor analysis provided strong support for the a priori dimensions, the multidimensional conceptualisation of the self-concept, thereby confirming Harter's (1985a) model.
This study investigated the development of achievement-related expectancies. Based on the models of attribution and cognitive developmental theory and on past research, it was predicted that younger children would relate past history of outcomes to expectancies differently than older children, that sex differences in expectancies would not be present in the preschool-age group, and that older children would have the lowest expectancies. As predicted, success/failure experiences had a more systematic effect on school-age children's expectancies than on the expectancies of preschoolers, and older children consistently reported lower expectancies. In addition, the subject's sex in interaction with age influenced both initial expectancy and the use of outcome information.
Selected cognitive developments presumed to mediate the development of achievement motivation are described. 4 levels of reasoning or causal schemes involving the concepts of effort and ability were isolated and age trends from 5 to 13 years presented. The developments of capacity to infer ability required by tasks of different difficulty levels and the belief that more difficult tasks have greater incentive value of success were described. These achievements occurred at about the same time as the development of the second level of reasoning about effort and ability. It is suggested that these findings help account for certain developmental changes in achievement behavior. Perception of own academic attainment was less closely related to attainment in young children than older children. The age changes in perception of own attainment and causal schemes are held to be likely to contribute to age increases in the stability of individual differences in achievement behavior and academic attainment. The educational implications of the study are noted.
Occupational sex segregation continues to exist and the occupational career paths of women and men continue to differ. This article proposes a model to explain these persistent, gender-role linked trends, summarizes evidence to support the proposed mediating psychological mechanisms, and discusses the social experiences that shape gender differences on these mediators. In addition, the article reviews the economic and psychological costs often associated with the traditional female choices and proposes interventions aimed at achieving a more gender—fair social system that does not devalue traditionally female domains. The proposed model links occupational choices to expectations for success and subjective task value, which, in turn, are linked to gender-role socialization, self schemas, and anticipated role and task demands. The importance of subjective task value is stressed, as is the need to study women's achievement-related choices from the women's perspective.
self-esteem / gender difference / social contruction / social organization / self-image / attribution (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
discusses] gender differences in mathematics learning / sketch the broader educational environment over the past two centuries for females and males in three different western countries whose cultures have much in common: the United States, England, and Australia / evaluate more recent work on gender differences in mathematics education against a broader context
environmental variables / learner-related variables / cognitive variables (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This article reports the complex results of meta-analyses of gender differences in attitudes and affect specific to mathematics. Overall, effect sizes were small and were similar in size to gender differences in mathematics performance. When differences exist, the pattern is for females to hold more negative attitudes. Gender differences in self-confidence and general mathematics attitudes are larger among high school and college students than among younger students. Effect sizes for mathematics anxiety differ depending upon the sample (highly selected or general). One exception to the general pattern is in stereotyping mathematics as a male domain, where males hold much more stereotyped attitudes (d= -.90). While affect and attitudes toward mathematics are not the only influences on the development of gender differences in mathematics performance, they are important, and both male and female affect and attitudes should be considered in conjunction with other social and political influences as explanations.
The relationship of math participation and success to self-esteem and career goals is examined in a sample of 64 women and 52 men college students at the end of their sophomore year. No gender differences were found in math anxiety or perceptions of the usefulness of mathematics, but women were less likely to select a math-related career goal. Among the men students, math participation and self-assessments of math ability were positively related to more general self-estimates of competence; among women, these variables were not related significantly. Women's choices for math-related careers were more closely associated with scholastic ability and math background than were men's career choices. These results are discussed in the context of societal pressures and supports for men and women in regard to math participation.
We examined the development of children's self- and task perceptions during the elementary school years. 865 first-, second-, and fourth-grade children (ages 7–10) completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of competence in, and valuing of, activities in several activity domains (math, reading, sports, and instrumental music). Factor analyses showed that even the first graders had differentiated self-beliefs for the various activities. These analyses also indicated that children's competence beliefs and subjective task values formed distinct factors. Analyses assessing age and gender differences in children's beliefs showed that for all the activities except sports, younger children's (particularly the first graders) perceptions of competence and subjective task values were more positive than the beliefs of the older children. Boys had more positive competence beliefs and values than did girls for sport activities, and more positive competence beliefs for mathematics. Girls had more positive competence beliefs and values than did boys for reading and music activities.
This study examined the effects of the normative school transition (n= 580) during early adolescence on the self-system and perceived school and peer social contexts of poor, black (n= 161), white (n= 146), and Latino (n= 273) youth in the public school systems of 3 eastern urban cities. The results revealed negative effects of the school transition on the affective and behavioral domains of the self-system. These declines in self-esteem, class preparation, and grade-point average (GPA) were common across race/ethnicity and gender. Concurrently, the school transition was perceived to be associated with changes in the school and peer contexts. Daily hassles with the school increased, while social support and extracurricular involvement decreased over the transition. Daily hassles with peers decreased, and peer values were perceived as more antisocial. These changes in the school and peer microsystems were also common across race/ethnicity and gender. In addition, transition-associated school and peer changes and, in particular, changes in daily hassles with the school were associated with changes in the academic dimensions of the self-system, that is, academic efficacy expectations, class preparation, and GPA. The results are discussed within a developmental mismatch framework.
This paper examines the relationships between a number of affective variables included in models explaining gender differences in mathematics learning and a range of classroom environment dimensions more likely to be associated with effective mathematics learning. A large sample of 12–13 year old grade 7 students participated in the study. The data were explored at the individual level, for whole class groupings of students, and by gender. For individuals, three of the classroom environment measures were found to be associated with a subset of the affective variables. The patterns of the relationships in classroom learning environments where teacher support emerged as irrelevant were not the same for males and females, however. For class groupings of students, the same three classroom environment measures were related to the affective variables but their salience was different for males and females.
I consider Eccles et al.'s (1983) expectancy-value model of achievement performance and choice from a developmental perspective, by examining how recent research on the development of young children's competence beliefs, expectancies for success, subjective task values, and achievement goals can be incorporated into the model. The kinds of change in children's achievement beliefs considered include change in the factor structure of children's competence beliefs and values; change across age in the mean level of those constructs; and change in children's conceptions of ability beliefs and subjective values. I also discuss how achievement goals are conceptualized in this model, and how goals are conceived by other current motivation researchers. Changes in the nature of relations among competence beliefs, subjective task values, achievement goals, and achievement behaviors also are considered.
We discuss the expectancy–value theory of motivation, focusing on an expectancy–value model developed and researched by Eccles, Wigfield, and their colleagues. Definitions of crucial constructs in the model, including ability beliefs, expectancies for success, and the components of subjective task values, are provided. These definitions are compared to those of related constructs, including self-efficacy, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and interest. Research is reviewed dealing with two issues: (1) change in children's and adolescents' ability beliefs, expectancies for success, and subjective values, and (2) relations of children's and adolescents' ability-expectancy beliefs and subjective task values to their performance and choice of activities.
In this article we present a theoretical analysis of the nature and development of children's achievement task values. Our approach builds on traditional expectancy-value theory and also on a model of achievement choice developed by Eccles and her colleagues. We discuss different theoretical components of achievement values and present empirical evidence for these components. Existing work on how children's achievement values change across the elementary and secondary school years is reviewed, and hypotheses are provided for how the components of achievement values become differentiated across the school years. We discuss the work on achievement goals from the perspective of how children's achievement values could influence their goals. Suggestions are made for revising and expanding Eccles and her colleagues' expectancy-value model of achievement choice.
Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991), when applied to the realm of education, is concerned primarily with promoting in students an interest in learning, a valuing of education, and a confidence in their own capacities and attributes. These outcomes are manifestations of being intrinsically motivated and internalizing values and regulatory processes. Research suggests that these processes result in high-quality learning and conceptual understanding, as well as enhanced personal growth and adjustment. In this article we also describe social-contextual factors that nurture intrinsic motivation and promote internalization, leading to the desired educational outcomes.
Papers based on the discussions of a work group that met at Stanford University, 1962, 1963, 1964, sponsored by the Committee on Socialization and Social Structure of the Social Science Research Council. Annotated bibliography, compiled by Roberta M. Oetzel.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Education, Stanford University. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-172).