Academic Performance Expectations Research Articles

Longitudinal study examining academic expectation stress and distrust for Chinese adolescents: The roles of internalizing problems and hope

AbstractDistrust in social interaction is linked to health issues during adolescence, ranging from loneliness to aggression engagement. Previous research has attempted to elucidate the decline in trust from the perspective of perceived pressures, yet the understanding of how academic‐related pressures are related to distrust among adolescents is still limited. This 1‐year longitudinal study aims to examine the psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between academic expectation stress (i.e., the stress due to the external and internal expectations of academic performance) and the development of adolescent distrust. A total of 1992 Chinese adolescents in 7th and 8th grades completed measures of academic expectation stress, distrust, internalizing problems (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression), and hope in a two‐wave longitudinal study (Time 1: December 2020; Time 2: December 2021; 54.42% girls; Mage at Time 2 = 14.02, SD = .76). Results showed that higher academic expectation stress at Time 1 predicted distrust 1 year later through increased internalizing problems. The relationship between academic expectation stress and later distrust as well as the longitudinal mediating effects of internalizing problems were stronger for adolescents with lower hope, whereas the total effect, direct effect, and mediation effects were nonsignificant for those with higher hope. The present study suggests that stressful academic expectations may impact adolescents’ intention to trust others, and highlights the protective role of hope in the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents who encounter stress from academic expectations.

Why do college students engage in in‐class media multitasking behaviours? A social learning perspective

AbstractPeople in modern society are media multitaskers due to portable devices and omnipresent wireless networks, and college students are no exception. Previous studies have indicated that students' media multitasking behaviours in class harm their academic performances, and understanding the reasons for college students' engagement in such behaviour is meaningful. However, the literature takes media multitasking behaviour as an audience behaviour, which ignores the interaction between students and their surroundings. This study fills this gap by emphasizing the role of the social learning process. A survey was conducted in a public and comprehensive university in western China, and a total of 457 valid respondents were obtained. The results from PLS‐SEM revealed that college students' in‐class media multitasking behaviours were influenced by both observational learning (ie, imitating others) and reinforcement learning (ie, in‐class interventions), and this learning process was shaped by students' media multitasking self‐efficacy and self‐management of learning. These findings contribute to the current literature by providing a relatively new perspective for understanding college students' in‐class media multitasking behaviours, and suggestions about how to deal with such behaviours are also provided. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic In‐class media multitasking behaviours (ICMMBs) damage college students' academic performance. College students' ICMMBs are affected by individual factors, such as internet addiction and sensation seeking. Social learning theory is widely adopted as a general theoretical background to explain those behaviours of which possible consequences are easily observed no matter from others or from individuals themselves. What this paper adds This work enriches the media multitasking literature by investigating the predictors of ICMMBs from a relatively new perspective, that is, the social learning perspective. This work also contributes to the literature on media multitasking by examining how the social learning process of college students' ICMMBs differs across students. This work extends the application scope of social learning theory to the context of college students' ICMMBs. Implications for practice and/or policy. The role of imitating others proves the importance of the learning atmosphere in classrooms, so teachers or lecturers should pay special attention to build a learning atmosphere away from ICMMBs. Some in‐class interventions should be established, especially the formal policy of schools to require students to hand in their smartphones or other media before class and students' own mindfulness of such behaviour. Teachers or lecturers should take actions to lower the academic performance expectations of students with higher media multitasking self‐efficacy (MMSE) because students with higher MMSE often overestimate their capabilities to have good performance when conducting other tasks simultaneously.

Influence of parental factors on upper basic students’ performance in Social and Islamic Studies in Ilorin, Nigeria

Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. The study therefore examined the influence of parental factors on upper basic students’ academic performance in Social and Islamic Studies in Ilorin, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The sample for this study was all upper basic Social and Islamic Studies students in Ilorin. Systematic random sampling was employed to select seven upper basic schools in Ilorin. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 180 upper basic 2 Social and Islamic Studies students. A Pro-Forma was used as the instrument for data collection. Data analysis was done using ANOVA and Scheffe-Post Hoc analysis for research hypotheses. The result of the study showed that there was a significant difference in the academic performance of upper basic students’ in Social and Islamic Studies based on parental educational level and Socio-economic Status, the parental educational level. The finding of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in the academic performance of upper basic students’ in Social and Islamic Studies based on parental occupation and marital status. Based on these findings, it was recommended among other that parents should create enough time with their children especially in the area of communication concerning school activities, expectations of academic performance, the importance of achieving good results and they should always ask, and give encouragement to the children about the importance of homework.

Rapid Transitioning to Remote Learning: Shared Responsibility and Coping Strategies

This study examined the impact of shared responsibility on the relationship between marketing and other business students’ coping strategies and their satisfaction with the rapid transitioning to remote learning and academic performance expectations. COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) rapidly altered and challenged higher education to maintain pedagogical services provided to students, regardless of faculty or student readiness or experience. As such, shared responsibility can be critical in times of crisis when the university community must pull together for mutual success. Findings indicate that students’ sense of shared responsibility and healthy coping mechanisms lead to student satisfaction with the transition process and more positive academic outcomes. This study is the first to empirically examine shared responsibility in higher education during a crucial period to the authors’ knowledge. By promoting shared responsibility, marketing educators can improve student outcomes and identify those who may need additional support resources.

Imagination as Anchor and Cue: Latina/o Middle School English Learners in a College-Going Program

English learners have long been defined as faulty linguistic beings, liabilities in a school system that values immediate academic readiness to perform like those in the mainstream. With a need to look at the many other facets that constitute who English learners are and what they are capable of in their academic pursuits, this case study looked at how academically marginal middle school English learners used the imagining of college to anchor, cue, and redefine their practices, identities, and perspectives as students in the pursuit of post-secondary possibilities. The paper explores tensions and contrasts in learning identity and practices based on movement from being academically peripheral to participating in a new learning community with high expectations for academic performance. Findings reveal how English learners negotiated new expectations of academic performance that forced a realignment of practices and trajectory; and how their experiences surfaced new understandings of their identities as students.

Sexting Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates in Spanish Secondary School Students

This research analyzes the prevalence of sexting and socio-demographic correlates in a sample of 647 adolescents administered a questionnaire at secondary schools in Valencia (Spain). The questionnaire results indicate that 61% of respondents reported being involved in at least one case of sexting, with 24, 58, and 18% reporting having sent a sext, received a sext, and forwarded a sext, respectively. More males and older adolescents reported having received and forwarded sexts than female and younger adolescents. Furthermore, time spent using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) devices, use and frequency of use of social media, grade repetition, low academic performance expectations in Math, and a single-parent family situation appear to correlate with an increase in the prevalence of sexting experiences. Our study also provides results that can support new lines of inquiry into analyzing the relationship between sexting and certain socio-demographic, family situation, and educational variables in relation to adolescents.

Balancing the readiness equation in early childhood education reform

As policy-makers continue to implement early childhood education reforms that frame the field as a mechanism that is to ready children for elementary school success, questions arise as to how the multiple variables in the readiness equation, such as the child, family, and program, are affected by these policies. The instrumental case study presented in this article looks at this dilemma by examining how a collection of prekindergarten stakeholders in the United States aligned their academic performance expectations for students with their district’s standards-based kindergarten through grade 12 education system. Such an analysis highlights the issues that arise for early educators who are asked to define the ready student within a standards-based education environment. Through this case study, the author makes suggestions for early childhood advocates and educators that can assist them in working with policy-makers and administrators to develop a balanced vision of the readiness equation that takes into account not only children’s academic skills and knowledge but also the capacity of the family, the school, and the community to prepare these children for school success.

Adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in medical students: a longitudinal investigation

Objectives The personality of medical students may have an important impact on both their academic performance and emotional adjustment during medical school. There has been little systematic study of the impact of perfectionism on medical students. The present study sought to compare the perfectionism profile of medical students with that of a general arts student group and to examine the relationship among perfectionism, distress symptoms and academic expectations and satisfaction. Design Medical students (n=96) and arts students (n=289) completed a baseline assessment including two multidimensional perfectionism scales. The medical students also completed measures of distress symptoms, personality (neuroticism, conscientiousness) and questions about their perceptions of their academic performance. Of the medical students, 58 completed a second set of questionnaires 6 months later (time 2). Subjects First-, second- and third year medical students and first-year arts students. Results In comparison with arts students, the perfectionism profile of medical students showed higher personal standards, lower doubts about actions and lower maladaptive perfectionism scores. In the medical students adaptive perfectionism (achievement striving) was significantly correlated with baseline academic performance expectations and conscientiousness and was predictive of dissatisfaction with academic performance at time 2. Maladaptive perfectionism (excessive evaluative concerns) was significantly correlated with baseline distress symptoms and neuroticism and was predictive of symptoms of depression and hopelessness at time 2. Conclusions Perfectionism in medical students differs systematically from perfectionism in general arts students. Distinguishing adaptive and maladaptive aspects of perfectionism is important in understanding the cross-sectional and longitudinal implications of perfectionism for medical students.

College Freshmen Smokers versus Nonsmokers: Academic, Social, and Emotional Expectations and Attitudes toward College

In September 1996, 544 college freshmen completed a 142-item survey assessing their academic, social, and emotional expectations of college and attitudes toward cigarette smoking. Differences were explored based on gender and smoking status. Twenty-seven percent (n=148) were smokers, 58% (n=86) of whom were female. Chi-square analyses revealed several significant relationships. Smokers rated themselves significantly higher than nonsmokers in several measures of academic performance, including reading speed, reading comprehension, and earning a B average or higher. They also had significantly higher expectations of the college experience than did nonsmokers. Female smokers were less likely than nonsmoking females to expect to be popular and to be depressed; however, their academic performance expectations were higher than nonsmoking females. Male smokers were more likely than nonsmoking males to expect to be held to the “highest academic standards” and rated themselves as more competitive and more committed to learning than did nonsmoking males. Seventy-three percent of smokers cited stress as a reason for smoking. Smokers rated “having friends and roommates who don't smoke” as the most helpful quitting method. Implications for effective smoking cessation among college students are discussed.

Research Commentary. Academic Rewards for Teaching, Research, and Service: Data and Discourse

In most institutions faculty members are expected to teach, research, and perform community service. The emphasis placed on each activity is expected to vary considerably between institutions and departments. To examine this expectation, a nationwide survey was made of both American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) institutions and non-AACSB institutions, participants rated 80 publications for their value in reviews of research performance, and responded to a series of questions pertaining to the importance of publication types on the merit compensation, promotion, and tenure processes. These results were made available to the IS community, and approximately 150 comments were obtained. The survey results and the comments suggest that there might be some convergence in expectations of academic performance across institutions, as research-oriented institutions require better performance on teaching, teaching-oriented institutions require better performance in research, and all institutions impose greater service demands on IS faculty.

Self-concepts, locus of control and performance expectations of learning disabled children.

General and academic self-concepts, general and academic locus of control beliefs and academic performance expectations were examined among 45 learning disabled (LD) and 45 normally achieving (NA) children aged 7 years, 6 months to 12 years, 9 months. The LD children were significantly different from the NA children on the set of affective variables and on each of the individual variables. The LD children had lower self-concepts, more external locus of control orientations and lower performance expectations. LD children newly enrolled in resource room programs (NLD) were significantly different from LD children with more than six months of experience in such programs (ELD) on the set of affective variables. However, the only individual variable to significantly differentiate these groups was academic performance expectation. The NLD children had higher expectations for future success than the ELD children. Among the affective variables, only general and academic locus of control and academic self-concept contributed significantly to the prediction of the extent to which the ELD children were academically successful (teacher-rated) in their special programs. The study provided some insights into the affective characteristics of LD children.