Matthew A. Easter

The Strength of the Relation between Performance-Approach and Performance-Avoidance Goal Orientations: Theoretical, Methodological, and Instructional Implications.

In current research on achievement goal theory, most researchers differentiate between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goal orientations. Evidence from prior research and from several previously published data sets is used to highlight that the correlation is often rather large, with a number of studies reporting correlations above .50. The large magnitude of this correlation raises questions and warrants further investigation. The size of the correlation also varies substantially across studies; thus, several potential moderators were considered. Minimal evidence for moderation was found, with little variability in relations as a function of fear of failure, culture, and specificity of the goal assessment. There was some evidence of variability in the correlation based on age, perceived competence, and assessment instrument. The article concludes by highlighting theoretical, methodological, and instructional questions that arise as a result of the large correlation and making recommendations and guidance for research, instructional practice, and theory advancement.

Gender Differences in Academic Entitlement among College Students.

Researchers have labeled todays college students as perceiving themselves to be more entitled than ever before (J. M. Twenge, 2006). The results of the present study suggest that this may be true for college men, in particular, because they report significantly more academic entitlement than women do. In Study 1, the present authors used survey data from 1,229 undergraduate students across 18 classes at a large midwestern university to examine whether entitlement beliefs vary among classes. Results indicate that men reported significantly more entitlement than women did, and that this relation did not vary among classes. In Study 2, the authors used survey data from 93 undergraduate students across 10 classes, before and after they completed a semester-long course, to examine whether entitlement beliefs are fostered in the college setting. The results suggest that men perceived themselves as more entitled in the classroom than women did and that this relation did not change over time. The authors also discuss the implications for entitlement research in the academic domain.

Collaborative learning and positive experiences: does letting students choose their own groups matter?

This study used self‐determination theory as a framework to examine the relationship between choice regarding group membership and student motivation within classrooms that use collaborative learning as an instructional tool. Data were collected from over 500 students across seven classrooms from a large university in the Midwestern United States. In three of the seven classrooms, students were allowed to choose with whom they worked; in the remaining four classes the professor formed the groups. Using hierarchical linear modelling, the choice condition was a positive and significant predictor of students’ intrinsic motivation and classroom community, even when accounting for autonomy support and class size. The practical implications of affording choice during collaborative learning are discussed.

Preparing the Twenty-First Century Workforce: The Case of Curriculum Change in Radiation Protection Education in the United States.

The advent of the global information society and a myriad of other rapidly changing variables are presenting many new and unique challenges for the twenty‐first century workforce, and perhaps the most pressing of these challenges is actually meeting the needs for qualified workers to fill the positions in emerging and growing fields. One such field is the nuclear industry. In fact, the nuclear industry is on the verge of a workforce crisis with a need for more than 57% of current radiation protection technicians (RPTs) in the United States to be replaced in the next ten years. The University of Missouri was awarded a Department of Labor grant to build an associates of applied science curriculum for the next generation of RPTs. After determining that the dominant approach to RPT training in the industry is via memorisation and recall, the question for the development team became how to best advance a vocational curriculum that provides innovative approaches to knowledge acquisition in meaningful contexts in an enterprise that has a relatively narrow view of learning. In the current article the process the curriculum development team underwent to approach this question is provided, along with the theoretical framework used to guide development of the curriculum and the resulting curricular design. The impact that this curriculum may have on higher order cognition and knowledge generalisation is discussed. Of particular note is the design and development of an ASK system, an online learning support system, to bolster the practical and theoretical aims of the curriculum.

Radiation Protection Technician Two-Year Associates of Applied Science Curriculum for National Implementation

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a

Antecedents and trajectories of achievement goals: A self-determination theory perspective.

2.3 million grant to the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) in 2006 in response to the need for well-trained Radiation Protection Technicians (RPTs). The RPT curriculum initiative resulted from significant collaborations facilitated by MU with community colleges, nuclear power plants, professional organizations, and other nuclear industry stakeholders. The objective of the DOL project is to help increase the pool of well-qualified RPTs to enter the nuclear workforce. Our work is designed to address the nuclear industry’s well-documented, increasingly significant need for RPTs. In response to this need, MU and AmerenUE’s Callaway Nuclear Power Plant first partnered with Linn State Technical College’s Advanced Technology Center (LSTC/ATC) to initiate a two-year RPT degree program. The success of this program (enrollments have been increasing over the past four years to a Fall 2007 enrollment of 23) enabled the successful proposal to the DOL to expand this program nationwide. DOL participants include the following partners: Linn State Technical College with AmerenUE – Callaway; Central Virginia Community College with AREVA; Estrella Mountain Community College with Arizona Public Service – Palo Verde; MiraCosta Community College with Southern California Edison – San Onofre; and Hill College with Texas Utilities – Comanche Peak. The new DOL grant has allowed redevelopment of the LSTC/ATC curriculum using a web-based, scenario driven format, benchmarked against industry training standards. This curriculum will be disseminated to all partners. Integral in this curriculum is a paid, three to four month internship at a nuclear facility. Two of the six new RPT courses have been developed as of the end of 2007. Four of five partner schools are accepting students into this new program starting in the winter 2008 term. We expect that these institutions will graduate 100 new RPTs per year to help alleviate the personnel shortage in this critical area of need.© 2008 ASME