AnneMarie Conley

Measuring situational interest in academic domains

Three studies were conducted to develop and validate scores on a new measure appropriate for assessing adolescents’ situational interest (SI) across various academic settings. In Study 1 (n = 858), a self-report questionnaire was administered to undergraduates in introductory psychology. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a three-factor model that differentiated between interest generated by (a) the presentation of course material that grabbed students’ attention (triggered-SI), (b) the extent to which the material itself was enjoyable and engaging (maintained-SI-feeling), and (c) whether the material was viewed as important and valuable (maintained-SI-value). CFA analyses in Study 2 (n = 284) and Study 3 (n = 246) also supported the three-factor situational interest model for middle and high school students in mathematics. Moreover, situational interest was shown to be distinct from individual interest and was a statistically significant predictor of change in individual interest across the school year.

The Link between Educational Expectations and Effort in the College-for-all Era

From the Wisconsin status attainment model to rational choice, classical sociological, social-psychological, and economic theories of student educational transitions have assumed that students’ expectations are positively related to their ultimate attainment. However, the growth of the college-for-all ethos raises questions about that assumption. Noting that American students’ educational expectations rapidly outpaced their educational attainments, Rosenbaum (2001) argues that increasingly unrealistic expectations have perverse negative effects on the school engagement of American high school students. In this article, the authors test the relationship between student expectations and effort using data from a unique longitudinal study of student motivation and three national cohort studies. Contrary to the college-for-all critique, the authors find that educational expectations continue to have robust positive effects on student perceptions regarding the future utility of high school academics and student effort in high school. The relationship between expectations and effort is somewhat attenuated for very low-achieving students and it is weaker today than it was in 1980. Nonetheless, the authors’ analyses indicate that the expansion of college expectations has had a net positive effect on American high school students’ effort.

Using Value-Added Models to Measure Teacher Effects on Students’ Motivation and Achievement

Value-added (VA) models measure teacher contributions to student learning and are increasingly employed in educational reform efforts. Using data from 35 seventh-grade teachers and 2,026 students across seven schools, we employ VA methods to measure teacher contributions to students’ motivational orientations (mastery and performance achievement goals) and their mathematics performance. The analysis suggests less variation in teachers’ contributions to students’ achievement goals than mathematics achievement. However, during a time when most students’ mastery motivation is declining sharply, a one standard deviation increase in teacher contributions to student mastery orientation is associated with a 40% smaller decline in student mastery goals. Teacher mastery contributions are also associated with gains in a student’s seventh-grade mathematics achievement (d = .11). In addition to using VA measures to focus on improving student achievement, these measures can be used to orient teachers, schools, and districts on the enhancement of students’ motivation to learn.

The effects of mathematics instruction using spatial temporal cognition on teacher efficacy and instructional practices

This paper examined the effects of an instructional approach known as Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) on teacher beliefs about mathematics teaching. Participants were 339 elementary teachers teaching grades 2-5 who were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine the effects of the intervention on self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and instructional practices using scientific reasoning. While the treatment did not yield significant effects in teacher outcomes, our secondary analysis indicated that time on ST Math and the integration of ST Math into daily instructions were positively associated with teacher efficacy and instructional practices using scientific reasoning. Implications of the results on teacher beliefs about mathematics teaching are discussed.

Tapping the motivational potential of mobile handhelds: defining the research agenda

Abstract: As mobile technology becomes increasingly prevalent, educators are looking for ways to tap its educational potential. This chapter argues that one of the biggest strengths of handheld mobile devices is their potential to increase motivation for learning. Elements such as their small size, geolocation awareness, instant information access and tactile features contribute to a portable and personal experience that has the potential to motivate learners. The chapter makes the link between motivation and technology by first reviewing existing literature on the motivational implications of educational technology in general and then discussing how the unique features of mobile handhelds may further increase motivation for learning. In defining handhelds, we exclude laptops and refer to smaller devices such as smartphones and tablets. Keeping with the theme of this volume, the chapter then considers both formal and informal environments as it discusses a research agenda and methodological considerations for empirically exploring the relationship between mobile use and learner motivation.