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Ferland M, Molinaro CF, Kosovich JJ, Flake JK. Using Motivation Assessment as a Teaching Tool for Large Undergraduate Courses: Reflections From the Teaching Team. TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY (COLUMBIA, MO.) 2024; 51:220-226. [PMID: 38464885 PMCID: PMC10920076 DOI: 10.1177/00986283211066485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Student motivation is a critical predictor of academic achievement, engagement, and success in higher education. Motivating students is a crucial aspect of effective teaching. Statement of the Problem Although there is a wealth of research on student motivation, practical guidance for putting theory into practice in challenging teaching environments (i.e., large-format introductory courses) is lacking. We discuss a first step toward motivating students: understanding how motivated they are and using that information to inform teaching. Literature Review Anxiety, impeded motivation, and high student-to-teacher ratio are all challenges associated with teaching foundational introductory courses, such as statistics. The Expectancy-Value-Cost model of motivation provides theoretical background to assist with these courses. We discuss the implementation and use of motivation assessments as a teaching tool. Teaching Implications Motivation assessments are feasible and useful while teaching large-format introductory courses. Instructor reflections lend insights as to how to use these assessments to improve pedagogy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Ferland
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jeff J. Kosovich
- Center for Creative Leadership, Global Research and Evaluation, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Jessica K. Flake
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Perchtold-Stefan CM, Schertler M, Paechter M, Fink A, Weiss EM, Papousek I. Learning to be inventive in the face of statistics: A positive reappraisal intervention for statistics anxiety. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2024; 82:101913. [PMID: 37757655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The burden of statistics anxiety on students calls for effective interventions. This study investigated whether a cognitive reappraisal training designed to stimulate the generation of positive re-interpretations may yield behavioral changes in anxiety measures and changes in cerebral activation patterns reflecting the activation of approach/avoidance motivational tendencies (frontal EEG alpha asymmetry response). METHODS Three groups of female psychology students (n = 45) with statistics anxiety were tested. Two groups received a guided, two-week reappraisal training with either statistics-anxiety or general anxiety situations; the control group received no intervention. RESULTS Both training groups significantly increased their amount of positive re-interpretations from pre-to post-test compared to the control group. Increased habitual use of reappraisal in statistics situations and significant EEG changes reflecting more approach-oriented coping with anxiety occurred in the statistics-anxiety training group only. No changes in statistics anxiety and statistics attitudes were observed, suggesting that the training effects, though corroborated through neurophysiological changes, did not sufficiently translate to improving students' deep-rooted anxiety. LIMITATIONS Effects, though robust and following the same pattern, were observed in a small sample. CONCLUSIONS Our findings delineate a promising expandable approach for helping students' cope with statistics anxiety in a healthier way.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Magdalena Schertler
- Center for Disability and Integration, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Manuela Paechter
- Educational Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Andreas Fink
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Elisabeth M Weiss
- Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
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Acosta-Gonzaga E. The Effects of Self-Esteem and Academic Engagement on University Students' Performance. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:bs13040348. [PMID: 37102862 PMCID: PMC10136102 DOI: 10.3390/bs13040348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The success or failure of a student depends on several factors, including self-esteem, academic engagement, and motivation. Self-esteem and motivation have been found to influence academic engagement, which, in turn, contributes to academic performance. Through a quantitative study, 243 university students were surveyed to analyze the effects of self-esteem and motivation on their academic engagement, which would be reflected in their academic performance. The results show that self-esteem has effects on emotional and behavioral disengagement. Motivation shows greater effects on academic engagement, with metacognitive engagement predicting students' academic performance. Therefore, promoting metacognitive strategies that help students learn to plan, monitor, and self-regulate their learning will contribute to their performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Acosta-Gonzaga
- Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería y Ciencias Sociales y Administrativas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 08400, Mexico
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Trassi AP, Leonard SJ, Rodrigues LD, Rodas JA, Santos FH. Mediating factors of statistics anxiety in university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1512:76-97. [PMID: 35211989 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Statistics plays a key role in many areas of modern society, including technology, social and behavior studies, economics, and the sciences. Statistics anxiety (SA) has a detrimental impact on academic experiences in university populations, although the mediating factors remain underexplored. We conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis focused on SA in university students in the context of statistical performance, individual differences in statistical learning, self-perceptions regarding the statistics course and instructor, and sociodemographic factors. Searches were carried out in the PsycINFO, PubMed, Scielo, and Web of Science databases according to our preregistration. Forty studies were selected for systematic review. Seventeen were included in a series of six meta-analyses concerning academic achievement, attitudes, self-perception, procrastination, and gender. The findings reveal learning strategies, procrastination, self-efficacy, and self-awareness as predictors of SA. However, the impact of sociodemographic data in these moderators is still uncharted. We conclude with a critical appraisal of the selected studies and present future directions for research in SA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sophie J Leonard
- UCD School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Jose A Rodas
- UCD School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,University of Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Flávia H Santos
- UNESP, São Paulo State University, Bauru, Brazil.,UCD School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Gajdics J, Jagodics B. Mobile Phones in Schools: With or Without you? Comparison of Students’ Anxiety Level and Class Engagement After Regular and Mobile-Free School Days. TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING 2021. [PMCID: PMC8223186 DOI: 10.1007/s10758-021-09539-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Mobile phones are important for people, especially for young adults and adolescents. As people tend to form attachments to not only social partners, but inanimate targets as well, mobile devices can become important objects that provide safety and security. This could lead to separation anxiety, also known as “nomophobia”. Constant need for mobile use may result in problematic behaviors in schools, cause distraction in class, it is important to explore the students’ relationship to devices. Our study compares state anxiety level of high school students on a regular school day and on an experimental “mobile-free day”, when participants do not carry their mobile phones during classes. We hypothesized that separation from the mobiles would increase anxiety and decrease class engagement, especially in students with higher mobile attachment scores. The sample consisted of 235 secondary school students. Results of Repeated Measures ANCOVA showed that anxiety levels increased on the mobile-free school day, but class engagement was not affected by the experiment. Linear regression analysis revealed ‘Safe Haven’ mobile attachment to be a significant predictor of state anxiety on the mobile free school day. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that mobile use habits linked to social media and instant message services were associated with higher anxiety scores on the mobile-free school day. Our results provide more insights on both use of mobile phones in learning environment and regarding school regulations of students’ device use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janka Gajdics
- Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged, Egyetem u. 2, Szeged, 6722 Hungary
| | - Balázs Jagodics
- Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged, Egyetem u. 2, Szeged, 6722 Hungary
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Li S, Lajoie SP. Cognitive engagement in self-regulated learning: an integrative model. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10212-021-00565-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Yu J, Huang C, Han Z, He T, Li M. Investigating the Influence of Interaction on Learning Persistence in Online Settings: Moderation or Mediation of Academic Emotions? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17072320. [PMID: 32235547 PMCID: PMC7177894 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17072320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Learning persistence is a critical element for successful online learning. The evidence provided by psychologists and educators has shown that students’ interaction (student-student (SS) interaction, student-instructor (SI) interaction, and student-content (SC) interaction) significantly affects their learning persistence, which is also related to their academic emotions. However, few studies explore the relations among students’ interaction, academic emotions and learning persistence in online learning environments. Furthermore, no research has focused on multi-dimensional students’ interaction and specific academic emotions. Based on person-environment interaction model and transactional distance theory, this study investigates the relationship between students’ interaction and learning persistence from the perspective of moderation and mediation of academic emotions including enjoyment, boredom, and anxiety. Data were collected from 339 students who had online learning experience in China. AMOS 22.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) and SPSS 22.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) were employed to analyze the mediating and moderating effects of academic emotions, respectively. The results revealed that students’ interaction and academic emotions directly related to learning persistence. Specifically, enjoyment, anxiety and boredom had significant mediating and moderating effects on the relationship between students’ interaction and learning persistence. Based on these findings, we further discussed the theoretical and practical implications on how to facilitate students’ learning persistence in online learning environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhui Yu
- Department of Educational Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China; (J.Y.); (Z.H.); (M.L.)
| | - Changqin Huang
- Department of Educational Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China; (J.Y.); (Z.H.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Zhongmei Han
- Department of Educational Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China; (J.Y.); (Z.H.); (M.L.)
| | - Tao He
- School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China;
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Educational Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China; (J.Y.); (Z.H.); (M.L.)
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Cui S, Zhang J, Guan D, Zhao X, Si J. Antecedents of statistics anxiety: An integrated account. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Paltoglou AE, Morys-Carter WL, Davies EL. From Anxiety to Confidence: Exploring the Measurement of Statistics Confidence and its Relationship with Experience, Knowledge and Competence within Psychology Undergraduate Students. PSYCHOLOGY LEARNING AND TEACHING-PLAT 2019. [DOI: 10.1177/1475725718819290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Psychology students often feel anxious about learning statistics, which can impact their performance. However, little research has explored statistics confidence, which may be an important way to reduce the negative connotations of associating statistics with anxiety. We aimed to explore whether modifying an existing measure of statistics anxiety (the STARS scale) and reframing the questions so students rated their confidence instead, would be associated with competence, prior knowledge and experience. A total of 104 undergraduate students completed an online questionnaire comprising these measures. The factor structure of the STARS scale was predominantly maintained when wording was changed to measure confidence instead of anxiety. Confidence was related to experience and competence, but not knowledge. Two aspects of confidence (interpretation of statistics and exam confidence) plus initial experiences were significant predictors of competence. Confidence was a mediator of the relationship between experience and competence. These findings suggest statistics confidence can be measured in a similar way to anxiety, and highlight areas that could be addressed to increase competence. Future research is needed to explore the relationship between statistics anxiety and statistics confidence, as well as to determine their individual impact on performance in assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emma L Davies
- Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development, Oxford Brookes University, UK
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Denton AW. The Use of a Reflective Learning Journal in an Introductory Statistics Course. PSYCHOLOGY LEARNING AND TEACHING-PLAT 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/1475725717728676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Wang J, Liu RD, Ding Y, Xu L, Liu Y, Zhen R. Teacher's Autonomy Support and Engagement in Math: Multiple Mediating Roles of Self-efficacy, Intrinsic Value, and Boredom. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1006. [PMID: 28690560 PMCID: PMC5481391 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have highlighted the impacts of environmental factors (teacher's autonomy support) and individual factors (self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom) on academic engagement. This study aimed to investigate these variables and examine the relations among them. Three structural equation models tested the multiple mediational roles of self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom in the relation between teacher's autonomy support and behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, respectively, in math. A total of 637 Chinese middle school students (313 males, 324 females; mean age = 14.82) voluntarily participated in this study. Results revealed that self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and boredom played important and mediating roles between perceived teacher's autonomy support and student engagement. Specifically, these three individual variables partly mediated the relations between perceived teacher's autonomy support and behavioral and cognitive engagement, while fully mediating the relation between perceived teacher's autonomy support and emotional engagement. These findings complement and extend the understanding of factors affecting students' engagement in math.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Ru-De Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New YorkNY, United States
| | - Le Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Rui Zhen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing, China
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Zhen R, Liu RD, Ding Y, Liu Y, Wang J, Xu L. The moderating role of intrinsic value in the relation between psychological needs support and academic engagement in mathematics among Chinese adolescent students. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 53:313-320. [PMID: 27487976 DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This study was to assess the moderating roles of intrinsic value in the relation of basic psychological needs support to academic engagement in mathematics. We recruited 246 middle school students by using the Basic Psychological Needs Support Scale, the Intrinsic Value Scale and the Academic Engagement Scale. This study found that both basic psychological needs support and intrinsic value had significant predictions on the three aspects of academic engagement. Moreover, the interaction item between basic psychological needs support and intrinsic value could significantly affect emotional and cognitive engagement, but not behavioural engagement. The findings indicated that except for behavioural engagement, the associations between basic psychological need support and emotional or cognitive engagement could be moderated by intrinsic value. This study provides a special perspective for educators and researchers to recognise the role of intrinsic value in promoting adolescents' higher levels of involvement in mathematics class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ru-De Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ying Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Le Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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