Eleftheria N. Gonida

Predicting academic self-handicapping in different age groups: the role of personal achievement goals and social goals.

BACKGROUND Academic self-handicapping refers to the use of impediments to successful performance on academic tasks. Previous studies have shown that it is related to personal achievement goals. A performance goal orientation is a positive predictor of self-handicapping, whereas a task goal orientation is unrelated to self-handicapping. AIMS The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between academic self-handicapping, goal orientations (task, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), social goals, future consequences and achievement in mathematics. An additional aim was to investigate grade-level and gender differences in relation to academic self-handicapping. SAMPLE Participants were 702 upper elementary, junior and senior high school students with approximately equal numbers of girls and boys. RESULTS There were no grade-level or gender differences as regards the use of self-handicapping. The correlations among the variables revealed that, when the whole sample was considered, self-handicapping was positively related to performance goal orientations and pleasing significant others and negatively to achievement in mathematics. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that, in upper elementary and junior high schools, the association between achievement in mathematics and self-handicapping was mediated by performance-avoidance goals. In senior high school, only task goal orientation was a negative predictor of self-handicapping.

Implicit theories of intelligence, perceived academic competence, and school achievement: testing alternative models.

In the present study 3 alternative causal models concerning the relationships between implicit theories of intelligence, perceived academic competence, and school achievement were tested. The direction of changes in implicit theories and perceived competence during early adolescence also was examined. A total of 187 fifth and sixth graders were tested and retested a year later, when they were sixth and seventh graders, respectively. Cross-lagged regression analyses indicated that school achievement determined the adoption of a particular implicit theory through the mediation of perceived competence. Implicit theories were found to change toward the adoption of more incremental beliefs and perceived academic competence declined; however, high achievers, as compared with their low- and middle-level classmates, adopted more incremental beliefs and had significantly higher perceived competence.

Perceptions of Parent Goals and Their Contribution to Student Achievement Goal Orientation and Engagement in the Classroom: Grade-Level Differences across Adolescence.

The aim of this study was twofold: (a) to examine student perceptions of their parent goals and their achievement goal orientations across adolescence, and (b) to examine how perceived parent goals relate to student achievement goal orientations, and engagement in the classroom (both emotional and behavioral) from early to late adolescence. A set of self-report questionnaires measuring the above variables was administered to three age groups of male and female students attending 7th (N=139), 9th (N=149), and 11th grade (N=138). Regarding the first aim of the study, results indicated that 9th and 11th graders scored lower than 7th graders on all student goal orientation scales as well as on the perceived parent performance goal scale. Regarding the second aim, multi-sample path analyses showed that the pattern of relationships among the variables under examination was different for the three grade levels. The significant and non-significant paths among the variables are discussed for each grade level. Implications of the above results for parents as well as for future research are pointed out.RésuméLe but de cette étude était double: (a) examiner les perceptions des étudiants des buts de leurs parents et leur orientation de but d’accomplissement à travers l’adolescence, et (b) examiner comment les buts des parents perçus se relient aux orientations des buts d’accomplissement des étudiants, et de leur enclenchement dans la salle de classe (émotif et comportemental) à partir du debut jusc à la fin d’adolescence. Un ensemble de questionnaires d’auto-report mesurant les variables ci-dessus a été administré à trois catégories d’âge d’étudiants masculins et féminins s’occupant de la lère (N=139). 3ème (N=149), et 5ème du Secondaire (N=138). Concernant le premier but de l’étude, les résultats ont indiqué que les étudiants de la 3ème et 5ème ont marqué plus bas que les étudiants de la lère sur toutes les échelles d’orientation de but d’étudiant, comme sur l’échelle de but de performance perçue par les parents. Concernant le deuxième but, les analyses de chemin d’multi-échantillon ont prouvé que le modèle des rapports parmi les variables à l’examen était différent pour les trois niveaux de Secondaire. Les chemins significatifs et non-significatifs parmi les variables sont discutés pour chaque niveau de scolarité. Des implications des résultats ci-dessus pour des parents aussi bien que pour la future recherche sont précisées.

Metacognitive experiences in the domain of physics: Developmental and educational aspects

The study aimed to investigate metacognitive experiences in the domain of physics. Specifically, the experiences of task difficulty, certainty about the solution provided to a task, and personal satisfaction with the solution were examined. A total of 138 fifth and sixth grade pupils were asked to (a) solve a battery of tasks measuring thermal phenomena, and (b) evaluate their experienced task difficulty, certainty and personal satisfaction with their solutions on 4-point scales. Data analyses indicated that fifth and sixth graders exhibit relatively limited metacognitive awareness; their metacognitive estimations were not accurate in regard to their cognitive performance. However, the results suggest that pupils begin to associate their metacognitive estimations with their cognitive performance during the examined age period, although they usually overestimate it. The results are discussed in regard to the importance of metacognition to science education and implications for instructional practices are pointed out.

Help seeking as a self-regulated learning strategy and achievement goals: The case of academically talented adolescents

ABSTRACT Seeking help as an important self-regulated learning strategy has been consistently associated with student motivation. Despite the extensive body of research on typically achieving students, no studies have included help seeking in the literature on talented children. The present study explored the help-seeking intentions and beliefs and achievement goal motivational profiles of academically talented adolescents (n = 207) who were identified via a special testing process organized by the Center of Talented Youth in Greece. Students were administered self-report scales measuring mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, general intention to seek academic help, intention to seek instrumental help, avoidance of help seeking, and perceived help-seeking benefits and costs. Latent class analysis indicated four latent clusters based on the four goal orientations as indicator variables. The probabilities of seeking instrumental help and perceived help-seeking benefits were high for students in the high mastery and low performance goals profile. Students in the high performance goals profile were more likely to perceive help-seeking costs, whereas students having all goal orientations low were less likely to perceive help-seeking benefits and to seek instrumental help. Findings are discussed in light of current theory and evidence for typically achieving student motivation and help-seeking beliefs and tendencies. Implications for educational practices with talented adolescents are discussed.