RESOLVING STRUGGLING READERS' HOMEWORK DIFFICULTIES: A SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

“Too Much” Self-Efficacy? Understanding the Curvilinear Consequences of Between-Person Self-Efficacy through a Moderated-Mediation Model of Perceived Proximity and Employee Effort

Building from a paradox frame, we argue that at the between-person level the relationship between self-efficacy and effort may be nonlinear. We bound our conceptual model with a focus on perceived proximity, reflecting employees’ perceptions of how close they feel to their organization and colleagues. We test our model in a lagged, multi-source field study, with matching employee survey data from 1502 employees, and archival effort, and performance, metrics collected several months later. The results from our analyses reveal a curvilinear association between self-efficacy and effort, which is moderated by perceived proximity. We also find that the relationship between self-efficacy and performance is mediated by effort for individuals with low self-efficacy (Low SEs), but not for individuals with moderate (Moderate SEs) or high self-efficacy (High SEs). Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

"Homework Should Be…but We Do Not Live in an Ideal World": Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives on Quality Homework and on Homework Assigned in Elementary and Middle Schools

Existing literature has analyzed homework characteristics associated with academic results. Researchers and educators defend the need to provide quality homework, but there is still much to be learned about the characteristics of quality homework (e.g., purposes, type). Acknowledging that teachers play an important role in designing and assigning homework, this study explored teachers' perspectives regarding: (i) the characteristics of quality homework and (ii) the characteristics of the homework tasks assigned. In the current study, mathematics teachers from elementary and middle schools (N = 78) participated in focus group discussions. To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, homework tasks assigned by 25% of the participants were analyzed for triangulation of data purposes. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis for elementary and middle school separately. Teachers discussed the various characteristics of quality homework (e.g., short assignments, adjusted to the availability of students) and shared the characteristics of the homework tasks typically assigned, highlighting a few differences (e.g., degree of individualization of homework, purposes) between these two topics. Globally, data on the homework tasks assigned were consistent with teachers' reports about the characteristics of the homework tasks they usually assigned. Findings provide valuable insights for research and practice aimed to promote the quality of homework and consequently students' learning and progress.