Tara Stevens

The Role of Cognition, Motivation, and Emotion in Explaining the Mathematics Achievement Gap Between Hispanic and White Students:

The authors investigated the relationships between cognitive, motivational, and emotional variables across Hispanic and White students to predict mathematics performance. A theoretically based structural model fit a total sample of 666 4th- to 10th-grade students well, supporting that self-efficacy, sources of self-efficacy, and emotional feedback were all stronger predictors of mathematics performance than general mental ability. Tests of the structural model across ethnicity suggested a good fit for the White sample but not for the Hispanic sample. However, the majority of the associations in the White model were not significant. Because the model positing relationships among motivational and cognitive variables has been well established, the findings indicated that the inclusion of emotional feedback made it more complicated.

Need Satisfaction, Well-Being, and Perceived Return-to-Sport Outcomes Among Injured Athletes

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether components of psychological well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, self-esteem, and vitality) mediated the relationship between self-determination theory (SDT) basic needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness) and perceived return-to-sport outcomes. Competitive athletes (n = 204) from Australia, Canada, and the United States completed an injury need satisfaction scale, psychological well-being inventories, and a measure of perceived return-to-sport outcomes. Mediation analysis (Baron & Kenny, 1986) revealed that positive affect partially mediated the relationship between competence and autonomy need satisfaction and a renewed perspective on sport, while negative affect, self-esteem, and vitality fully mediated the relationship between relatedness need satisfaction and return concerns. Interpretation of the findings suggests the importance of components of well-being in mediating relatedness need satisfaction on “return concerns” in a sport injury context. Prospective longitudinal designs using an SDT framework are discussed to further research in this area.

The Importance of ADHD Subtype Classification for Educational Applications of DSM-V

Objective: An examination of the academic achievement of children with ADHD by stimulant treatment status must consider this heterogeneity of the disorder. With the dissemination of the final wave of data, the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study presents an opportunity to examine the academic achievement of students with ADHD using a large, community-based, and nationally representative sample over 4 years. Method: In Study 1, the association between stimulant treatment and academic achievement is examined over 4 years. In Study 2, the association between stimulant treatment and academic achievement is examined acknowledging the influence of subtype symptoms of ADHD using growth mixture modeling. Results: Results indicate significant differences in academic achievement according to long-term stimulant treatment status within each subtype symptom class. Conclusion: Research should acknowledge the influence of subtype symptoms when examining outcomes such as academic achievement. The upcoming DSM-V should consider the results as indicating the educational relevance of ADHD subtype classification. (J. of Att. Dis. 2010; 13(6) 573-583)

Development and Evaluation of the Mathematics Interest Inventory.

Abstract This study describes the development of the Mathematics Interest Inventory. Internal reliability and concurrent and construct validity were evaluated using 3 samples of children totaling 724. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed the presence of 3 factors representing the psychological stale of individual interest. Cross-validation with older children supported the factors.

Television Viewing and Symptoms of Inattention and Hyperactivity Across Time The Importance of Research Questions

The importance of well-specified research questions in the evaluation of early predictors of later inattention and hyperactivity is examined. In an analysis of a nationally representative sample of 2,717 children aged 4 to 10, latent growth trajectories for television viewing and inattention and hyperactivity are determined and the relationship of the two constructs examined. Analyses reveal a logistic latent growth model as the best description of the trajectory of television viewing across time, whereas a quadratic trend represents the best portrayal of the trajectory for symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity. Results do not support the presence of a meaningful relationship between television viewing and inattention and hyperactivity, which is inconsistent with previous findings from the same data set. The importance of the nature of well-specified research questions and the need to use contemporary longitudinal evaluation techniques to avoid misleading conclusions based on limited analyses and results are discussed.

A case study approach to increasing teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching and strategies for building students’ maths self-efficacy

Teachers of middle school mathematics should have a deep conceptual understanding of the elementary mathematics taught in middle school, should possess the mathematics knowledge for teaching that is required to effectively teach mathematics in middle school and should have the ability to effectively teach mathematics to, and enhance the maths self-efficacy of, a culturally and socially diverse middle school student population. The challenge is to design effective professional development activities that enhance these desired attributes in both in-service and pre-service middle school mathematics teachers. This article reports on an attempt to design and evaluate one such activity that focuses on mathematics knowledge for teaching and self-efficacy building.

Evaluating the Mathematics Interest Inventory Using Item Response Theory Differential Item Functioning Across Gender and Ethnicities

As the United States has begun to lag behind other developed countries in performance on mathematics and science, researchers have sought to explain this with theories of teaching, knowledge, and motivation. We expand this examination by further analyzing a measure of interest that has been linked to student performance in mathematics and intention to enroll in advanced mathematics classes. Using Item Response Theory (IRT), the purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mathematics Interest Inventory (MII). Six hundred sixty-six students (47.6% Hispanic, 48.2% Male) formed the sample. Results revealed minimal differential item functioning (DIF) between genders. Substantial DIF emerged between Hispanic and White students. Implications of the differential functioning and the measurement of interest in mathematics are discussed.

A professional development model for middle school teachers of mathematics

Teacher professional development activities in the USA take many forms from half-day workshops that focus on particular topics or classroom techniques to long term course work that offers university level credit. With few exceptions, the primary goal of such activities is to enhance the teachers’ classroom effectiveness and improve student achievement. In this article, we describe a professional development model that strives to provide middle school mathematics teachers with a deep understanding of the mathematics they teach, and our attempts to measure its influence on their mathematics content knowledge.

Care Coordination with Schools: The Role of Family-Centered Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Objectives Family-centered care has been associated with positive outcomes for children with special health care needs. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship of family-centered care as associated with care coordination with schools and school absences (e.g., missed days) as reported by parents of children with special health care needs. Methods The current study utilized data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs 2009-201 (N = 40,242) to achieve this purpose. The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs may be considered a nationally-representative and community-based sample of parent responses for children with special health care needs across the United States. Results Results from the current study indicate that family-centered care is associated with fewer absences and improved care coordination with schools when applicable. The variables of functional difficulties, poverty level, and the number of conditions were statistically controlled. Conclusions We suggest that the positive influence of family-centered care when practiced extends beyond the family and interacts with educational outcomes. We also suggest that the role of schools appears to be under-studied given the role that schools can play in family-centered care.

Analytical Study of Self-Motivations among a Southwest Public University Nonpolitical Science Major Students in Required Political Science Courses

All undergraduate students are required by state law to take six credited hours in political science. This study will help us identify if differences exist in self-determination among students enrolled in American Public Policy and American Government at a large, Southwestern public university. Because some types of motivation are associated with more positive educational outcomes than others, the results of this study may help us understand why some students excel when others struggle and make modifications to existing course structure to facilitate positive motivational outcomes. The study will use standard survey questionnaires developed by scholars in the area of self-determination theory (SDT).