Eve Kikas

The Impact of Teaching on Students' Definitions and Explanations of Astronomical Phenomena.

Abstract A longitudinal study of the influence of education on the childrens ability to define and explain astronomical concepts (equator, axis, orbit, day/night cycle and seasonal changes) was carried out. The initial analysis was conducted of the way the topics were covered in the textbook and taught in the classroom. Subsequently, 20 students (aged 10–11 years) were interviewed two months after having been taught the topics and again four years later in order to establish the impact of the teaching on their ability to define and explain the concepts correctly. The results indicated that after two months the students were able to recall the scientific explanations given in the lessons, but that after four years they could only provide everyday and inaccurate explanations.

Hostile attributions and behavioral strategies in children: does relationship type matter?

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that childrens hostile attributions and behavioral strategies in response to peer provocation and rebuff situations will depend on the relationship with the target peer (i.e., friend, enemy, neutral). The sample consisted of 144 fourth graders (75 boys and 69 girls; mean age=10.47 years, SD=0.55 years). The participants were randomly selected from a pool of 442 children who completed a measure of social adjustment in Grade 3. In Grade 4, children participated in the individual interviews in which they were verbally presented with 6 hypothetical situations. The target peers were identified on the basis of the relationship descriptions. The results clearly demonstrate that children do indeed differentiate between relationship types in regard to hostile attributions and hostile strategies, with more hostility attributed and more hostile responses proposed toward enemies than toward other peers (ps<.05). In addition, this relationship effect holds even when the social and behavioral reputation of the target peers is accounted for (ps<.05).

Understanding and Measuring Student Engagement in School: The Results of an International Study from 12 Countries.

The objective of the present study was to develop a scale that is appropriate for use internationally to measure affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of student engagement. Psychometric properties of this scale were examined with data of 3,420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th grade) from 12 countries (Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The intraclass correlation of the full-scale scores of student engagement between countries revealed that it was appropriate to aggregate the data from the 12 countries for further analyses. Coefficient alphas revealed good internal consistency. Test-retest reliability coefficients were also acceptable. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the data fit well to a second-order model with affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement as the first-order factors and student engagement as the second-order factor. The results support the use of this scale to measure student engagement as a metaconstruct. Furthermore, the significant correlations of the scale with instructional practices, teacher support, peer support, parent support, emotions, academic performance, and school conduct indicated good concurrent validity of the scale. Considerations and implications regarding the international use of this student engagement in school measure are discussed.

The international school psychology survey: Development and data from Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece and Northern England

Although school psychological services around the world are currently undergoing a period of rapid development, little comparative information is available about the training, roles and responsibilities of school psychologists or the contrasting contexts in which they work. Further information in this area should help new and established school psychological services to plan future developments. Therefore, in 2001-2002, the International School Psychology Association’s (ISPA) Research Committee developed and piloted the International School Psychology Survey (ISPS). Utilizing the survey format implemented by the National Association of School Psychologists in the USA to survey school psychologists across the country, the ISPA Research Committee members collaborated to design a survey appropriate for international colleagues. The ISPS was piloted in five countries: Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece and Northern England. The data from the ISPS provides unique information regarding the profession of school psychology in each of these countries. These initial efforts and preliminary data provide a foundation for the future understanding of the characteristics, training, roles and responsibilities, challenges and research interests of school psychologists around the world.

The role of individual and contextual factors in the development of maths skills

In this study, we examined the development of maths skills in 269 Estonian primary school children (119 boys and 150 girls; 20 classes). Testing was carried out over a three‐year period (Grade 1–Grade 3). Before the last testing session, children’s verbal skills and motivational orientations were also tested. In addition, teachers evaluated children’s learning behaviour and provided information about their own teaching methods. The data were analysed using multilevel growth curve modelling. We found that children with higher levels of pre‐maths skills developed at a faster rate. At the individual level, pre‐maths skills and verbal ability were positively associated with maths achievement in Grade 3, and avoidance orientations (self‐reported) and task‐avoidant behaviour (teacher‐reported) were negatively associated with maths achievement in Grade 3. At the classroom level, formalist teaching methods and teacher experience had a positive effect on students’ maths performance.

A Validation of the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure in Finnish and Estonian Kindergartens.

Research Findings: The aim of the study was to examine the applicability and psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM; D. J. Stipek & P. Byler, 2005) outside the United States. The ECCOM was used to observe 83 kindergarten teachers (49 in Finland and 34 in Estonia) in classroom situations. Self-ratings were obtained of teachers’ teaching practices, curriculum goals, efficacy beliefs, instructional activities, work experience, and group size. The analyses indicated 1-factor solutions for each of the ECCOM dimensions (i.e., Child-Centered, Teacher-Directed, and Child-Dominated) and high reliabilities for all dimensions, subscales (i.e., Management, Climate, and Instruction), and scale items. Evidence was also found for criterion validity. Practice or Policy: The findings of the present study provided support for the ECCOM as a valid and reliable measure of quality of kindergarten classroom processes and practices in cultural and educational settings outside the United States. In addition to being a research tool the ECCOM has high applicability in teacher education and in-service teacher training in professional development programs and interventions aimed at enhancing specific components of teachers’ own practices.

Performance-Approach Goals, Task-Avoidant Behaviour and Conceptual Knowledge as Predictors of First Graders' School Performance.

The present paper aims to examine the relationship between first grade children’s performance‐approach goal orientation, task‐avoidant behaviours, conceptual knowledge and their achievement in maths and literacy. The sample consisted of 174 first grade children and their class teachers. Children’s self reports of their performance‐approach goals and avoidant behaviours as well as teacher‐reports of children’s avoidant behaviours were used. Our results indicate that performance‐approach goal orientation positively predicts children’s self‐reported task‐avoidant behaviours which in turn have a negative effect on children’s achievement outcomes. The negative effect of teacher‐rated avoidant behaviours on children’s achievement outcomes was even greater than the positive influence of children’s conceptual knowledge. These results suggest that the relationships between goal‐orientations, achievement behaviours and achievement outcomes start to form early in children’s school career (or even before that) and that children’s self‐report of their achievement goals and behaviours provide a valuable knowledge already in this early age.

Cognitive Correlates of Math Skills in Third-Grade Students.

Math achievement is not a unidimensional construct but includes different skills that require different cognitive abilities. The focus of this study was to examine associations between a number of cognitive abilities and three domains of math skills (knowing, applying and problem solving) simultaneously in a multivariate framework. Participants were 723 third-grade children (mean age = 9.07) from 28 elementary schools. Confirmatory factor analyses with binary indicators showed that a four-factor model of math skills (Knowing-Recalling, Knowing-Computing, Applying and Problem Solving) and a nine-factor model of cognitive abilities (Nonverbal and Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Concepts, Planning, Visuo-Spatial Working Memory (WM), two types of Verbal WM, Phonological Awareness and Phonological WM) fit the data well. Results from structural equation modelling showed that verbal reasoning and verbal concepts were most consistently associated with math knowing and problem solving domains. Verbal concepts contributed also to the math applying domain. In addition, simultaneous processing of verbal WM predicted problem solving skills in math. The results can be used in supporting the learning process of students with difficulties in math.

Relations Between Achievement Goal Orientations and Math Achievement in Primary Grades: A Follow‐Up Study

The aim of the present study was to investigate children’s achievement goal orientations and their relations to math achievement in the primary grades. The sample consisted of 179 children who were in the 2nd and 3rd grades during the first measurement and in the 3rd and 4th grades during the second measurement. Children’s self‐ratings were obtained on their goal orientations, their math performance was tested and their math grades were taken into account. Teacher ratings were obtained on each child’s effort in class. Children’s self‐reported performance‐avoidance goals were found to be related to their achievement outcomes. Math achievement seems to influence children’s achievement goal orientation rather than vice versa in the primary grades.

Cultural universality and specificity of student engagement in school: The results of an international study from 12 countries

BACKGROUND A comprehensive understanding of the contextual factors that are linked to student engagement requires research that includes cross-cultural perspectives. AIMS This study investigated how student engagement in school is associated with grade, gender, and contextual factors across 12 countries. It also investigated whether these associations vary across countries with different levels of individualism and socio-economic development. SAMPLES The participants were 3,420 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students from Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. METHODS The participants completed a questionnaire to report their engagement in school, the instructional practices they experienced, and the support they received from teachers, peers, and parents. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to examine the effects at both student and country levels. RESULTS The results across countries revealed a decline in student engagement from Grade 7 to Grade 9, with girls reporting higher engagement than boys. These trends did not vary across the 12 countries according to the Human Development Index and Hofstedes Individualism Index. Most of the contextual factors (instructional practices, teacher support, and parent support) were positively associated with student engagement. With the exception that parent support had a stronger association with student engagement in countries with higher collectivism, most of the associations between the contextual factors and student engagement did not vary across countries. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate both cultural universality and specificity regarding contextual factors associated with student engagement in school. They illustrate the advantages of integrating etic and emic approaches in cross-cultural investigations.