José Carlos Núñez

Teachers' Feedback on Homework, Homework-Related Behaviors, and Academic Achievement.

ABSTRACT The authors intended to (a) identify the association between gender or grade level and teachers’ homework (HW) feedback and (b) examine the relationship between teachers’ HW feedback, HW-related behaviors (e.g., amount of HW completed), and academic achievement. Four hundred fifty-four students (Grades 5–12) participated in this study. The results showed that (a) at higher grade levels, there is a lower perceived amount of teachers’ HW feedback; (b) teachers’ HW feedback as perceived by students is positively and significantly related to the amount of HW completed and to the perceived quality of HW time management but not to the amount of time spent on HW; (c) the amount of HW completed and the perceived quality of HW time management positively and significantly predict academic achievement; and (d) teachers’ HW feedback as perceived by students has an indirect relationship with students’ academic achievement by its effect on students’ HW-related behaviors.

Homework and academic achievement across Spanish Compulsory Education

Homework (HW) is one of the most common school-related activities among parents, students and teachers. However, the need to assign HW to students has been extensively debated. The present investigation examines the relationship between specific HW variables (i.e. amount of HW completed, time spent on HW and perceived quality of HW time management) and academic achievement, while controlling for students’ gender and grade level. Participants included 454 students (ranging from 10 to 16 years of age) from three schools in northern Spain. A multivariate analyses of variance and path analyses showed that the amount of HW completed decreased with increased schooling, as did students’ perceived quality of HW time management. Data from hierarchical regression analyses completed by path analyses provided evidence that time spent on HW conjointly with perceived quality of HW time management explains how academic achievement is mediated by the amount of HW completed. These findings deepen the understanding of the complex impact of time spent on HW and on academic achievement.

Un modelo cognitivo-motivacional explicativo del rendimiento académico en la universidad

ResumenEl objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar las variables cognitivo-motivacionales que determinan el aprendizaje y el rendimiento academico en estudiantes universitarios. Uno de los supuestos basicos de los que partimos es que los motivos que guian la conducta academica determinan el tipo de recursos cognitivos que ponemos en marcha durante la situacion de aprendizaje. Utilizamos un diseno no experimental, descriptivo y tranversal a traves de cuestionarios. Para el analisis de datos hemos utilizado el analisis de ecuaciones estructurales (a traves del programa estadistico LISREL 7). Los resultados mas importante son: (a) los estudiantes utilizan diversas variables personales (variables cognitivas, motivacionales y afectivas) como criterio previo para analizar las tareas; (b) el nivel y tipo de motivacion desarrollada influye en las estrategias de aprendizaje; (c) el tipo y numero de estrategias de aprendizaje influye en el esfuerzo y persistencia del estudiante, y estos, a su vez, sobre el rendimiento ...

Motivational profiles as a combination of academic goals in higher education

The aim of the current study was to obtain information from students in higher education on different motivational profiles that resulted from the combination of three academic goals (i.e. learning goals (LG), performance-approach goals and performance-avoidance goals). Moreover, information related to the relevance of each goal within each motivational profile was explored to explain conditions closely related to the academic engagement. The sample consisted of 2556 students from five Spanish universities. Motivational profiles were obtained by using cluster analysis followed by a relevance analysis of each goal within each motivational profile. The results support the hypothesis concerning motivational profiles, and further suggest for motivational profiles with a predominance of LG to be more adaptive. According to our findings, high level of LG in one’s motivational profile appear to be a powerful protective factor in maintaining high interest in academic work, as well as high control beliefs and self-efficacy.

Transcultural analysis of the effectiveness of a program to promote self-regulated learning in Mozambique, Chile, Portugal, and Spain

The current investigation aims at assessing the effectiveness of an intervention program designed to enhance self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies at the university level, with students from different cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds. The central tool of the program is a set of letters in which a fictional first-year student describes his experiences as an SRL student. The program was implemented in four universities in different countries and continents (Portugal, Spain, Chile, and Mozambique), with an experimental group and a comparison group at each university (263 students from experimental groups and 247 from comparison groups). Findings display the effectiveness of the program in enhancing a set of motivational variables related to the study process and the use of SRL strategies. Data were consistent across the different cultural and academic contexts in which the program was implemented. The implications of these findings for university administrators and faculty are discussed.

Performance evaluation of recent information criteria for selecting multilevel models in Behavioral and Social Sciences

This study was designed to find the best strategy for selecting the correct multilevel model among several alternatives taking into account variables such as intraclass correlation, number of groups (m), group size (n), or others as parameter values and intercept-slope covariance. First, we examine this question in a simulation study and second, to illustrate the behavior of the criteria and to explore the generalizability of the findings, a previously published educational dataset is analyzed. The results showed that none of the selection criteria behaved correctly under all the conditions or was consistently better than the others. The intraclass correlation somewhat affects the performance of all selection criteria, but the extent of this influence is relatively minor compared to sample size, parameter values, and correlation between random effects. A large number of groups appears more important than a large number of individuals per group in selecting the best model (m ≥ 50 and n ≥ 20 is suggested). Finally, model selection tools such as Akaikes Information Criterion (AIC) or the conditional AIC are recommend when it is assumed that random effects are correlated, whereas use of the Schwarzs Bayesian Information Criterion or the consistent AIC are advantageous for uncorrelated random effects.

Olhares de género face à matemática:uma investigação no ensino obrigatório espanhol

Looking at Mathematics through gender: a study in Spanish compulsory education. Studying attitudes and their important role in learning Mathematics has been one of the concerns of research over the last fifty years. Nowadays research still deals with attitudes, but a new focus of interest comes to light: studying the differences between male and female attitudes and the reasons for that. Some existing studies state that females perceive themselves as less competent than males do in learning Mathematics but those studies are still not conclusive. Data also suggest that over school years students’ attitudes grow more and more negative. The present study highlights the differences in attitudes towards Mathematics according to gender and school year in the Spanish educational context.

Understanding Gypsy Children's Conceptions of Learning: A Phenomenographic Study.

In Portugal, as in other European countries, gypsy children remain largely at the margins of the educational system. Their underachievement and the associated dropout rates from school are serious educational issues and factors contributing to their marginalization in society. However, there is limited research qualitatively examining the different ways in which gypsy children think about learning. The current study examined data provided by 26 Portuguese gypsy elementary school children ranging from 9- to 13- years-old. Data analysis presented an outcome space representing the gypsy children’s qualitatively different conceptions of learning. Accordingly with their gypsy culture, these Portuguese students perceived their learning of basic numeracy and literacy skills as important for helping their families selling at fairs. These children indicated that they do not intend to continue studying beyond elementary school as they believe that learning of these basic skills is enough for living as a gypsy. The implications for educational processes and school practices are discussed.

Multiple Goals Perspective in Adolescent Students With Learning Difficulties

In the present work, the hypothesis of the existence of diverse motivational profiles in students with learning difficulties (LD) and the differential implications for intervention in the classroom are analyzed. Various assessment scales (academic goals, self-concept, and causal attributions) were administered to a sample of 259 students with LD, ages 8 to 15 years, in Spain. The data obtained were analyzed through (a) cluster analysis to study this hypothesis and (b) MANOVAs to determine the extent to which such profiles were accompanied by significant differences in self-esteem and causal attribution patterns. The results revealed four different motivational profiles and significantly different levels of self-esteem and causal attribution process.

Academic Goals, Student Homework Engagement, and Academic Achievement in Elementary School

There seems to be a general consensus in the literature that doing homework is beneficial for students. Thus, the current challenge is to examine the process of doing homework to find which variables may help students to complete the homework assigned. To address this goal, a path analysis model was fit. The model hypothesized that the way students engage in homework is explained by the type of academic goals set, and it explains the amount of time spend on homework, the homework time management, and the amount of homework done. Lastly, the amount of homework done is positively related to academic achievement. The model was fit using a sample of 535 Spanish students from the last three courses of elementary school (aged 9 to 13). Findings show that: (a) academic achievement was positively associated with the amount of homework completed, (b) the amount of homework completed was related to the homework time management, (c) homework time management was associated with the approach to homework, (d) and the approach to homework, like the rest of the variables of the model (except for the time spent on homework), was related to the students academic motivation (i.e., academic goals).