European Journal of Psychology of Education最新文献

Values, defined by Schwartz (1994) as basic motivational cognitive structures, guide life goals, transcend contexts, and affect individuals’ courses of action differently depending on their preferred values. With young children, an important question that emerges is what factors underlie the linkages between their preferred motivations (i.e., preferred values) and their behavior tendencies in key social contexts. This study proposed one potential socio-cognitive mechanism that may explain how children’s values are linked to their prosocial and antisocial behaviors in kindergarten via their values-oriented social information processing patterns (SIP) and their attitudes toward their kindergarten. The sample included 121 children (59 girls; Mage = 67.45 months). Children’s values, values-oriented SIP patterns, and attitudes toward kindergarten class were examined in one-on-one interviews. Teachers reported on the children’s social behaviors. Results showed children’s preferences for self-transcendence values were linked to their more prosocial behaviors and less antisocial behaviors in class via their self-transcendence values-oriented SIP patterns and their positive attitudes toward kindergarten. The findings offer important insights into the socio-cognitive elements that drive values-behavior relationships, as well as the links between various facets of young children’s social cognition and their social behavior in kindergarten.

Despite the implementation of equality interventions within higher education, progress towards gender parity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains slow. Male educators often exhibit poorer engagement with diversity initiatives, potentially contributing to persisting gender disparities in STEM given men’s longstanding dominance in these programs. Two experiments investigate how equality interventions should be designed to maximize support from male educators. Experiment 1 (N = 72; M_age = 39.72, SD_age = 12.33) used virtual reality to manipulate 2 factors among male academics: (1) exposure to gender inequality and (2) virtually taking the perspective of a female scientist. Using self-report and behavioral measures, viewing an empirical presentation outlining the prevalence of gender issues in STEM yielded the greatest support for equality initiatives following successful perspective-taking. Experiment 2 (N = 120; M_age = 32.48, SD_age = 10.36) varied two additional factors among male academics: (1) evidence-based methods to reduce gender biases in STEM (i.e., promoting self-efficacy) and (2) blaming male academics for gender inequalities. Promoting self-efficacy and blaming men for disparities led to greater confidence in male academics’ ability to address gender inequalities in their field. Notably, higher self-efficacy accounted for greater support for equality initiatives and internal motives to engage with diversity programs. Findings provide an empirical framework and high-tech training tools for promoting engagement with diversity initiatives among male educators, informing development of interventions within higher education to improve student and faculty experiences in STEM.

Retrieval practice is a learning strategy that has repeatedly been found to have positive effects on memory and learning. However, studies indicate that students rarely use retrieval practice on a voluntary basis. The objective of the present study was to examine students’ self-regulated use of retrieval practice, and to determine whether sex and individual differences in cognitive and non-cognitive aspects are related to optional use of practice testing. A classroom study was conducted with 146 upper-secondary school students taking courses in mathematics and Swedish. An ABAB design was used to compare students’ optional and non-optional use of retrieval practice (i.e., repeated online quizzing). Students performed cognitive tasks to assess working memory capacity and fluid intelligence and completed self-reports of non-cognitive factors related to school achievement, such as grit, need for cognition (NFC), conscientiousness and openness. Quiz use was then compared using paired- and independent-samples t-tests, and hierarchical linear regression analyses explored relations to individual differences. The results showed that students completed significantly fewer quizzes in the optional sections than in the non-optional sections, and that females completed significantly more optional quizzes than males in Swedish, but not in mathematics. Further, the results showed that conscientiousness predicted optional quiz use in mathematics, whereas sex, NFC, conscientiousness, and openness predicted quiz use in Swedish. To conclude, although the findings show a relatively low optional/self-regulated use of practice testing, in line with earlier research, they suggest that sex and non-cognitive factors, such as personality characteristics, can predict optional use of practice testing.

The implementation of video modeling examples of mathematical hands-on experimentation may provide students with authentic and, at the same time, not too cognitively overwhelming experiences. However, the effectiveness of video modeling examples can be influenced by different characteristics of the observed models. On the one hand, based on the model-observer similarity hypothesis, it is likely that the observation of peers is particularly conducive to learning. On the other hand, from an authentic learning perspective, the presence of experts is considered to constitute a core design element of authentic learning settings which may foster motivational and cognitive learning outcomes. Against the background of these contradictory assumptions, the present study investigates the effects of observing models with different degrees of authenticity on students’ perceived authenticity, their situational interest, and their knowledge acquisition. We conducted an experimental study with 105 10th graders who observed either peer or scientist models performing a mathematical hands-on experiment in a video recording. As expected, the results show that students perceived the scientist models as more authentic than the peer models. Furthermore, we found neither a direct effect of condition nor an indirect effect mediated by students’ perceived authenticity of the observed models on students’ situational interest and knowledge acquisition. With this study, we contribute to the literature on the conditions and effects of authentic learning.

The emotional well-being of individuals is largely dependent on the quality of their social relationships, as acknowledged by self-determination theory and the belongingness hypothesis. While the significance of high-quality relationships for teachers has received increasing attention in empirical research, little is known about the impact of social relationships on student teachers' emotions in the practicum, especially from a quantitative perspective and considering multiple relationship qualities simultaneously. Research on this topic is highly topical as emotions have been found to be important drivers both for professional behaviour in the classroom and professionalisation processes in general. Against this backdrop, our study examined how the quality of social relationships between students in class, mentor teachers, and fellow student teachers influences the development of emotional experiences of student teachers in a school practicum. We conducted an online survey with 203 Austrian student teachers studying secondary education, inquiring about their emotional experiences and social relationships before and after their practicum. The results revealed that the quality of relationships with students in class was the most influential factor determining changes in student teachers’ emotional states during their practicum. These findings emphasise the importance of cultivating positive relationships with students in the classroom, especially during the school practicum in teacher education.

Students’ intrinsic motivation to read, which is relevant to all forms of learning, tends to decline throughout secondary school. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines whether this downward trend is slowed when students perceive greater autonomy support in the classroom. We used large-scale panel data from the NEPS comprising N = 8193 students in Germany who reported their intrinsic motivation to read and their perceived autonomy support from German teachers at annual intervals from fifth to eighth grade. Scalar longitudinal measurement invariance was found for intrinsic reading motivation (IRM) and teacher autonomy support (TAS). A dual change score model showed a decline in IRM and a negative, non-significant decrease in TAS over time. Confirming our hypothesis, the decline in IRM was slowed by earlier levels of TAS. We discuss methods to counteract the decline in intrinsic reading motivation.

To support professional competence development in teacher education, learning environments should allow learners to engage with professional tasks. It is crucial for knowledge and skill transfer in such learning environments to real-life context that preservice teachers perceive the task as authentic. However, due to a lack of prior knowledge, novices may have difficulties in recognizing relevant elements of practice. It is thus assumed that different factors may guide their perception of task authenticity independently of the task that has to be mastered. Such factors could be, for example, overt design features of the learning environments on a physical level or the familiarity with the learning context and learning prerequisites, which act as important links for knowledge acquisition. In this study, preservice teachers’ perception of task authenticity is contrasted between two implementation types (video vs. role-play) of the same simulation aiming to foster diagnostic competence. The two types differ in approximating real-life practice concerning the professional task that has to be mastered. In an experimental, longitudinal study, N = 119 mathematics preservice teachers participated online in one type of the simulation four times during one semester (n = 66 video, n = 53 role-play). Perceived task authenticity was higher for the video simulation type and increased with repeated participation in the simulation independently of the implementation type. Further, preservice teachers’ task utility value positively influenced their perception of task authenticity. The results illustrate the role of learning prerequisites as well as familiarity with the task for novices’ perception. Also, they could be an initial indication that, depending on the level of learners’ professional development, the way of approximating real-life practice in simulations might influence the perception of task authenticity.

Self-regulation has a positive impact on learning and academic achievement, but due to its nature, it is difficult to assess it in a valid and reliable manner. This study aims to explore the validity of three self-regulation assessment methods in text comprehension tasks (questionnaire, think-aloud and traces) as well as to identify the variables associated with reading performance. For this purpose, individual sessions were conducted with 96 sixth-grade primary education students, who were asked to read a text and complete two reading comprehension tasks working in a virtual environment. Task traces were recorded, think-aloud was recorded and coded, and participants answered a self-report questionnaire about the strategies used. A limited relationship was found between self-regulation measured by means of the questionnaire, think-aloud and traces, and the relationship between think-aloud and traces was moderate. Regarding the factors related to text comprehension task performance, think-aloud and task time measurements were found to be better predictors of performance than the questionnaire.

The present study examined the profiles of parental perceptions of their child’s school adjustment in terms of learning loss and school well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. Furthermore, the extent to which the profiles differed with respect to the different children and their family characteristics, as well as their parents’ stress about their child’s schooling, were examined. Parents (N = 26,313) completed a questionnaire in spring 2021 concerning parental stress and their children’s schooling. The five-profile solution was identified using latent profile analysis: (1) slightly-higher-than-average-school-adjustment (n = 8198, 31.2%); (2) high-school-adjustment (n = 3017, 11.5%); (3) slightly-lower-than-average-school-adjustment (n = 5025, 19.1%); (4) low-school-adjustment (n = 6777, 25.7%); and (5) mixed-school-adjustment (n = 3296, 12.5%). The low-school-adjustment profile was overrepresented among parents of boys, older children, and children with special education needs as well as among parents with lower education levels, higher numbers of children, and in single-parent households. In addition, the results showed that parental stress about their child’s schooling was associated with their perceptions of their child’s school adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the results demonstrate that parents’ views of their children’s school adjustment varied widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. At schools, particular attention should be given to at-risk families (e.g., families with low education levels and children with special education needs) in which children may be prone to learning loss and low well-being due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Student dropout represents a significant challenge in distance higher education. To better understand this issue, a comprehensive analysis of institutional data, spanning several years from a private German distance learning university of applied sciences, was conducted. The primary objectives were twofold: (1) to pinpoint institutional factors serving as predictors for student dropout and (2) to analyze the underlying psychological mechanisms. The findings indicate that part-time enrollment, age, interruptions, and overdue payments predicted dropout. Conversely, a good match between a student’s occupation and the study program, as well as employer reimbursement of study fees, predicted degree completion. Further results suggest that students who recommend the program to others are more likely to succeed. However, those referred by friends are at a higher risk of dropping out. Additionally, poor grades and late submission of the first assignment were identified as predictors of dropout. A noteworthy finding was the interaction between these factors and the student’s qualification for studying. Vocationally qualified students tend to submit their first assignment earlier but perform worse academically compared to academically qualified students. Generally, the influence of socio-demographic factors such as the educational background, gender, or nationality was low. This suggests that some of the disadvantages that non-traditional students might face at traditional universities in Germany might cease to exist at private distance universities of applied sciences. The implications of these findings are discussed.