Academic Enjoyment Research Articles

Perceived teacher support, self-concept, enjoyment and achievement in reading: A multilevel mediation model based on PISA 2018

Based on expectancy-value theory, this research examined the link between student-perceived teacher-support and reading literacy via multiple mediation effect of reading self-concept and reading enjoyment with a Chinese sample of PISA 2018. Student-reported measures of teacher support, reading enjoyment and reading self-concept, and standardized tests of reading literacy were adopted. Multilevel mediation analysis showed that the direct effect of student-perceived teacher support on reading literacy is not significant at the school level, but significant at the student level, and the indirect effect of student-perceived teacher support on reading literacy through reading enjoyment, reading self-concept, first reading self-concept and then reading enjoyment is significant both at the student level and at the school level with SES and gender controlled. The present results indicate that perceived teacher support is beneficial to student learning by fostering academic self-concept and academic enjoyment. The current results have significant practical implications for teaching practices.

A Study on the Correlation between Engaging Fun and Converged Academic Enjoyment in After-school Programs through Magic Class

A Study on the Correlation between Engaging Fun and Converged Academic Enjoyment in After-school Programs through Magic Class

Mobile Learning to Development of Students' Self-concept of Chemistry

The study aims to develop students’ chemistry self-concept in learning electrolyte solution and oxidation-reduction reaction by using mobile learning. The research method used was the qualitative method. Research data were obtained through observation during learning, questionnaires chemistry self-concept, reflective journal, and interviews. Chemistry Self-concept observed amounts to four indicators: Chemistry Self-concept, Academic Enjoyment Self-concept, Academic Capability Self-concept and Problem Solving Self-concept. The results showed that four indicators tend to awaken and develop learning with mobile learning. Based on the results of chemistry self-concept which shows positive self-concept chemistry because in mobile learning there is a compact content, easy to understand, thus causing students to prefer to learn. There are images, music and color variation so as students are interested in learning. There are tests simulation that is used to try students' learning abilities, and there is video content that can be used as a reference for students in solving a problem.

How Parental Involvement Influences Adolescents’ Academic Emotions from Control-Value Theory

Parental involvement plays an important role in adolescents’ cognitive, emotional, and social development. However, whether parental involvement will influence adolescents’ academic emotions and, if so, what the underlining mechanism is have not been explored. This study aims to examine the mediation effects of adolescents’ academic self-efficacy and academic value between parental involvement and academic emotions. In total, 391 triads (including students and their parents) participated in the study. Students ranged from 10 to 18 years old (M = 13.57, SD = 2.48) and included 194 males and 197 females. We established two models (both demonstrated acceptable model fit) to examine the mediation effects of academic value (academic intrinsic value and academic extrinsic value, respectively) and academic self-efficacy (academic self-efficacy of behavior and academic self-efficacy of ability, respectively). Our results indicate that academic intrinsic value played a full mediating role between parental involvement and academic emotions (enjoyment and boredom). Academic self-efficacy of behavior exhibited full mediation between parental involvement and academic boredom, whereas academic self-efficacy of ability fully mediated the relationship between parental involvement and academic enjoyment. This study indicates that academic value and academic self-efficacy mediate parental involvement and academic emotions, broadening the research on parental involvement and supporting the control-value theory of academic emotions.

Reciprocal relations between students’ academic enjoyment, boredom, and achievement over time

The control-value theory (CVT) proposes that achievement emotions and academic achievement show reciprocal effects over time. Previous studies have examined how achievement emotions predict subsequent achievement. However, evidence is limited for whether achievement can also predict achievement emotions. To examine these reciprocal relations, data were collected about two achievement emotions: enjoyment and boredom, and mathematics achievement over four waves in a single school year in primary school students in Years 5 and 6. Results from structural equation modeling supported reciprocal relations between emotions and achievement. Higher enjoyment and lower boredom predicted greater subsequent achievement and, in turn, greater academic achievement predicted subsequent greater enjoyment and lower boredom. Furthermore, the relations between emotions over time were mediated by achievement. These findings build on the evidence base for CVT and further understanding of relations between achievement emotions and academic achievement in younger students.

Perceived teacher affective support in relation to emotional and motivational variables in elementary school science classrooms in Turkey

Background: In recent research, affective learning environments and affective support have been receiving increasing attention for their roles in stimulating students’ learning outcomes. Despite its raising importance, little is known about affective support in educational contexts in developing countries. Moreover, international student assessment programmes (e.g. PISA and TIMSS) reveal poor science proficiency of students in most of those countries, which provokes the question of how to make positive changes in students’ perspectives and attitudes in science.Purpose: In the current study, the purpose was to investigate the relations among perceived teacher affective support (PTAS), academic emotions (academic enjoyment, academic anxiety, and academic hopelessness), academic self-efficacy and behavioural engagement in elementary school science classrooms in Turkey.Sample: A total of 633 fourth- and fifth-grade students in eight elementary schools in Istanbul, Turkey were participated in the study.Design and methods: A self-report questionnaire was administered to participating students. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.Results: Findings showed that PTAS was both directly and indirectly related to the given variables. PTAS was found to be significantly positively associated with students’ academic enjoyment, academic self-efficacy and behavioural engagement and significantly negatively related to their academic anxiety and academic hopelessness in science classrooms. An important finding is that the total effect of PTAS on behavioural engagement, a factor strongly associated with academic success in all disciplines, was as strong as the effect of students’ perceived academic self-efficacy beliefs in science.Conclusions: Findings suggest that PTAS may help promoting positive emotions and motivation among students in science classrooms, eventually leading to more desirable attitudes and achievement outcomes in science. Teacher affective support deserves greater recognition from researchers, educational policy-makers, administrators and teachers to build better learning conditions for all students.

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ANALYSES FOR CHEMISTRY SELF-CONCEPT INVENTORY

Self-concept, one of affective introductory behaviours, is one of the most frequently studied issues especially in social sciences. Since it is a strong mental structure which psychologists and social psychologists say to be related with learning, this research aims to adapt Chemistry Self-Concept Inventory developed by Bauer (2005) so as to evaluate students’ self-concept into Turkish, and analyse its psychometric properties. The data were collected by applying the inventory to 530 prospective teachers attending the chemistry education, primary school education and science education departments of three different Universities. Following the translation work, Turkish form of the inventory was given the final shape. The construct validity of the inventory was tested by confirmatory factor analysis. McDonald’s Omega (ω) and Cronbach Alpha (α) coefficients were calculated for the reliability study of the inventory. Fit indices were found to be lower in the first confirmatory factor analysis conducted than the ones expected, and 11 items with the fewest factor loads and with the highest modification indices were removed from the inventory. The sub-dimensions apart from creativity were found to have ω and α coefficients above 0.70. Key words: academic enjoyment self-concept, academic self-concept, chemistry self-concept, creativity self-concept, mathematics self-concept

Perceived teacher factors in relation to students’ achievement-related outcomes in science classrooms in elementary school

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the roles that perceived teacher affective support (PTAS), perceived teacher mastery goal orientation (PTMGO), academic emotions, self‐efficacy and behavioural engagement play on students’ science achievement in elementary school science classrooms. The potential relations of different levels of perceived teacher factors with students’ achievement‐related outcomes were also investigated. A total of 138 fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students in Istanbul, Turkey were participated in the study. The data was analysed using hierarchical regression, univariate and post hoc analyses. Findings showed that PTAS, academic anxiety and academic self‐efficacy were the significant predictors of students’ science achievement in elementary school classrooms, controlling for gender and grade level. Students grouped in High PTAS/High PTMGO outperformed students in other groups and reported significantly greater sense of belonging, higher academic enjoyment, lower academic anxiety, greater academic self‐ efficacy and behavioural engagement and received higher science grades compared to students grouped in Low PTAS/Low PTMGO. Implications for research and school practice are discussed.

The effect of multicultural education policy on ethno-linguistic minority students’ academic enjoyment and performance: Evidence from TIMSS 2011

The effect of multicultural education policy on ethno-linguistic minority students’ academic enjoyment and performance: Evidence from TIMSS 2011

Parents’ Weekly Descriptions of Autonomy Supportive Communication: Promoting Children’s Motivation to Learn and Positive Emotions

Although parental autonomy support has been linked to children’s intrinsic motivation to learn and positive emotions in numerous studies, there has been little research on interventions to promote parental autonomy support, especially in the realm of homework and school related learning. Furthermore, there are relatively few qualitative studies dealing with parent autonomy support and children’s emotional responses. This qualitative study examined the weekly journals of 15 parents who were learning how to promote autonomous motivation and academic enjoyment among their 4th and 5th grade children via autonomy supportive communication. Four themes emerged: generalization beyond homework and school-related learning; parents occasionally misinterpreting what it means to be autonomy supportive; strong positive responses, such as children enjoying homework and becoming more passionate about learning; and parent–child shared enjoyment and persistence in the educational games that were provided as a way to practice the autonomy supportive parenting style during each week of the intervention. This study provides insight into how parents actually apply autonomy supportive parenting techniques in the home environment. Future related parent education may benefit from these findings; for instance, parents may be provided with more examples of how autonomy support can generalize to learning in various domains of life, such as mastering a musical instrument, attending a museum exhibit, ordering books for reading pleasure and learning how to operate a boat safely. Interventions that promote children’s autonomous motivation to learn and enjoyment of learning through parental autonomy support should be further developed and studied.

The role of emotions and task significance in Virtual Education

This paper analyzed the role of emotions in a virtual world (Second Life) through students' level of enjoyment and boredom and their influence on students' achievement level. The virtual world was an educational tool used to fully immerse students in the content of the course. In addition to supporting prior research on the importance of task value on academic enjoyment, the current research provides a new perspective on the relationship between academic emotions and academic success, particularly for virtual worlds. A regression analysis was conducted to measure the relationship of task value and emotions on two types of academic performance: Individual exam scores and team scores on their Second Life assignment. Pekrun's Academic Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) was used to measure two academic emotions: boredom and enjoyment. Both academic emotions were measured on an individual level. Results from this study show that task value was positively related to enjoyment and negatively related to boredom, yet it was unrelated to academic performance. While enjoyment had a positive relationship to exam performance, boredom also had a positive relationship to the team assignment conducted in the virtual world. The possibility that students might have answered the AEQ relating to the theoretical aspects of the course instead of the practical aspects of the Second Life Assignment, may be one possible explanation for this result.

Perceived instructor affective support in relation to academic emotions and motivation in college

The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations among perceived instructor affective support, academic enjoyment, academic hopelessness, behavioural engagement and academic help seeking in college classrooms. A self-report survey was administered to 277 college students enrolled in a teacher training department of a major university in Turkey. Structural equation modelling was used for data analysis. Perceived instructor affective support, either directly and/or indirectly, related to all emotional and motivational variables presented in the structural model. Findings signify the necessity of providing affectively supportive learning environments not only in K12 classrooms but also in college classrooms. The implications for practice and future research as well as the limitations are discussed.

Does perceived teacher affective support matter for middle school students in mathematics classrooms?

The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of perceived teacher affective support in relation to sense of belonging, academic enjoyment, academic hopelessness, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in middle school mathematics classrooms. A self-report survey was administered to 317 seventh- and eighth-grade students in 5 public middle schools. Structural equation modeling indicated significant associations between perceived teacher affective support and middle school students' motivational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. The structural model explained a significant proportion of variance in students' sense of belonging (42%), academic enjoyment (43%), self-efficacy beliefs (43%), academic hopelessness (18%), and academic effort (32%) in mathematics classrooms. In addition to providing the basis for a concise new measure of perceived teacher affective support, these findings point to the importance of students' perceptions of the affective climate within learning environments for promoting academic enjoyment, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in mathematics.

Antecedents of academic emotions: Testing the internal/external frame of reference model for academic enjoyment

The present study focused on students’ academic enjoyment as predicted by achievement in multiple academic domains. Assumptions were based on Marsh’s internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model and Pekrun’s control-value theory of achievement emotions, and were tested in a sample of 1380 German students from grades 5 to 10. Students’ academic enjoyment, self-concept, and achievement were assessed in relation to mathematics and verbal language classes. In line with assumptions of the I/E model, mathematics performance assessed in the previous academic year positively predicted enjoyment in mathematics classes, and negatively predicted enjoyment in language classes. Language class performance positively predicted enjoyment in language classes, and negatively predicted enjoyment in mathematics classes. Corroborating assumptions derived from Pekrun’s control-value theory, achievement/enjoyment relations were mediated by academic self-concepts. Despite stereotypic gender differences in mean values, linkages between constructs were invariant across genders.

Beyond "Student Attitudes": Chemistry Self-Concept Inventory for Assessment of the Affective Component of Student Learning

The development of a 40-item Likert-style assessment instrument for measuring student self-concept as a learner of chemistry is described. Developed for college-student populations, the Chemistry Self-Concept Inventory has subscales that pertain to chemistry learning, mathematics learning, academics in general, academic enjoyment, and creativity. Detailed information on validity is provided by means of exploratory factor analysis, comparisons between different populations of students (general chemistry, undergraduate peer leaders, and chemistry majors), and comparison with course performance. Reliability is established by estimation of internal consistency of subscales and retesting correlation. The importance of establishing psychometric characteristics is argued using chemical analysis analogies. The Chemistry Self-Concept Inventory is broadly applicable in any curriculum setting for assessing longitudinal change or for drawing comparisons among curriculum structures.

Students' Experiences With Good and Poor University Courses

This collective case study describes preservice teacher descriptions of good and poor university instruction. A criterion-based sample of 60 education students was selected. They describe and compare the teacher, teaching, and the context of instruction in a 3-part essay. Essay responses were read holistically and then fractured into clauses and submitted to open coding to inductively generate concepts, and organize related concepts into categories and their dimensions. Good and poor instruction was markedly different on all major categories and dimensions. Student conceptions of good and poor instruction emphasized emotions more frequently than academic learning outcomes or personal enjoyment.

Inviting a statistician to join an evidence-based journal club

AIMS AND METHODIn response to frequent cancellations, we recently changed the format of our journal club. We invited a statistician to attend and each meeting focused specifically on critical appraisal and statistical analysis. Active learning principles were used where every participant critically appraised an aspect of the paper presented at each meeting. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the impact of the new format on attendance and satisfaction levels. Attendance and satisfaction levels were measured in the 3 months before and the 3 months after the new format was introduced.RESULTSAverage attendance increased from 10 to 15, with two psychologists and two trainees who did not work in the hospital starting to attend regularly. Satisfaction levels also increased significantly with respect to academic interest, enjoyment, usefulness and overall satisfaction.CONCLUSIONCombining statistical expertise with principles of active learning has led to increased satisfaction levels among participants in our journal club.