Cecilia Thorsen

The influence of fluid and crystallized intelligence on the development of knowledge and skills

BACKGROUND Cattells Gf-Gc distinction is quite generally recognized. However, the developmental part of the Gf-Gc theory of intelligence has not gained the same recognition. Results are inconsistent, but recent discussions emphasize the importance of homogeneity of samples with regard to education and language when investigating the developmental Investment theory. AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Gf and Gc on the development of knowledge and skills in a sample of children in compulsory school who are homogenous with regard to level of education, age, and cultural background. SAMPLE Totally, 9,002 individuals from the evaluation through follow-up database born in 1972 and who left compulsory school in 1988 were included. These individuals were followed up in Grades 3, 6, and 9. METHODS Structural equation modelling was used, and autoregressive path models were fitted. All modelling was performed using Mplus version 6.1. RESULTS In the first step, a path model with a simplex structure was defined. However, a second model with direct relations of Gf on Gc in Grades 6 and 9 had better model fit, suggesting a continuous influence of Gf on Gc. However, no direct influence of Gf was found for the subject grades. CONCLUSION Due to the continuous influence of Gf on the measures of Gc throughout compulsory school, support for Cattells (1987) Investment theory was found.

The case of a missing person? The current L2 self and the L2Motivational Self System

ABSTRACT In the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) motivation is conceptualized to be generated by discomfort associated with the learners experience of a discrepancy between their current L2 self, and their ideal L2 self. However, in the L2MSS model, this discrepancy is not operationalized. A questionnaire containing measures of current L2 selves was administered to two cohorts of students learning English in Sweden, one in grade 7, and one in grade 9. Using structural equation modeling, results revealed that the discrepancy between the ideal L2 self and the current L2 self was greater for the grade 7 cohort. So too was the impact on a criterion variable measuring intended effort. Arguments for the operationalization of the self-discrepancy process in research designs are put forward. In studies tracking changes over time, it is suggested that the inclusion of a variable measuring the current L2 self could provide important insights into self-discrepancy trajectories, facilitate the investigation of motivational dynamics, and bring greater sensitivity to intervention-design.

The ideal multilingual self: validity, influences on motivation, and role in a multilingual education

ABSTRACT L2 motivation research has a longstanding monolingual bias. Recently, however, the motivational systems of a multilinguals different languages have been conceptualised as constituting a multilingual motivational system, and it has been suggested that interactions between the ideal Lx self and the ideal Ly self can lead to the emergence of an ideal multilingual self. While the notion of an ideal multilingual self chimes with research on multilinguals’ identity experiences, it has not been investigated empirically. The purpose of this study is to establish whether there is empirical support for the proposed ideal multilingual self construct, and whether it influences motivation to learn a second foreign language. A questionnaire containing items measuring the ideal L2 self and the ideal multilingual self was administered to a sample of secondary students (N = 323) at two schools in Sweden with international profiles. Using structural equation modelling, analyses yielded discriminant validity for the ideal multilingual self construct, and revealed an indirect influence on intended effort mediated via the ideal L2 self. On the strength of these results, a case is made for future research into peoples motivation to be or become multilingual, and educational interventions focused on developing students’ ideal multilingual selves.

Teachers’ self-disclosures and influences on students’ motivation: A relational perspective

ABSTRACT While teacher–student relationships are of central importance for students’ motivation, they remain under-investigated. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach and focusing on the ‘relationality’ of teacher–student relationships, this study examines the identity-work that takes place when a teacher makes visible an aspect of identity not normally salient in the classroom. Framing self-disclosure as a relational practice, and drawing on ethnographic data that includes observations of English lessons (N = 258) in Swedish secondary schools, a relational conceptualization of the motivational influences of teacher identity-work is offered. Since language teachers are sensitive to the psychology of learning–teaching processes, relationally-grounded perspectives on motivation can be of particular importance in shaping classroom practices.

Disaffection and agentic engagement: ‘Redesigning’ activities to enable authentic self-expression

Demotivation (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011) and non-participation (Norton, 2001) characterize negative responses to classroom practice of a generally chronic nature. In this article, focus is directed to negativity that emerges within the context of a particular language developing activity, and which can be understood as a situated response to the activity’s demands. In conceptualizing negative responses at the activity level, disaffection – the negative face of engagement – is a construct of central importance. Drawing on data from a large-scale ethnographic project in secondary English classrooms in Sweden, in this exploratory case study disaffection (Skinner, 2016) is examined in the context of two language developing activities. Analyses reveal that disaffection can transform into active engagement, and that when called upon to perform an inauthentic identity, students can ‘redesign’ activities in ways that enable them to act authentically.

Individual Development Plans in the Swedish Comprehensive School: Supporting High Quality Learning and Equity, or Rote Learning and Social Reproduction?

ABSTRACT In Swedish compulsory school, individual development plans (IDPs) are mandatory for all students up to 6th grade. The purpose is to summarize and facilitate pupils’ learning and tune instruction to national standards. In this study, 233 IDPs drawn up for 5th grade pupils were analyzed with focus on qualities that have been found to impact students’ learning and learner identities. The results show that the IDPs rarely display the qualities that would make them effective as tools for enhancing students’ learning, and that there is a gender difference in the quality of the documents, as well as differences regarding the pupils’ academic background.