Affective-motivational Variables Research Articles

Cognitive and affective-motivational states as mediators of the association between presenteeism and job satisfaction

BackgroundThe rising number of people with long-standing illnesses, coupled with increasing retirement ages, may result in more workers suffering from health problems. This is important because health issues may interfere with job satisfaction and worker performance. Although some studies have sought to analyze the antecedents and consequences of presenteeism, very few have focused on exploring how certain cognitive and affective-motivational states (work-health balance, work engagement, flourishing) affect its association with job satisfaction. Given the characteristics of the current job market, it is vital to explore the factors that may contribute to increasing workers’ wellbeing and performance, and ultimately prolonging their working life in a balanced way. MethodUsing a cross-sectional sample of 238 healthy workers aged between 20 and 63, the present study analyzed the mediating role of flourishing, the different dimensions of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption) and work–health balance in relation to the different dimensions of presenteeism (distraction avoided and work completed) and job satisfaction. ResultsThe data suggest that work-health balance and the vigor and dedication dimensions of work engagement mediate the association between distraction avoided and job satisfaction, whereas only the vigor and dedication dimensions of work engagement mediate the association between work completed and job satisfaction. ConclusionsOur findings are consistent with our current understanding of the role played by certain cognitive and affective-motivational variables in workers’ occupational health and wellbeing.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Computer Literacy and Attitude: Gender Perspective of Freshers in the Colleges of Education

Empirical evidence has revealed that affective-motivational variables such as pre-service teachers’ attitudes, computer literacy skills, self-efficacy, self-concept and concerns play a key role in their pedagogical decisions regarding how to integrate technology within classroom practices. This study sought to investigate pre-service teachers’ computer literacy skills and attitude when they first enter the teacher training institutions. By means of hierarchical cluster analysis, this study also examined the relationship between male and female pre-service teachers’ attitudes as well as their respective computer literacy skills. A total of 449 pre-service teachers participated voluntarily in the study through a multistage sampling procedure. The results revealed that pre-service teachers’ computer literacy skills is generally basic. Also, respondents in the study indicated a positive attitude regarding the use of technology in classroom instruction. Lastly, findings in this study further indicated that there is no significant difference between male and female students in terms of computer literacy and attitude to use computers for teaching and learning. These findings will contribute to stakeholders’ realization that gender disparity is being bridged. It will afford stakeholders the opportunity to consolidate the gains that have been achieved by giving male and female equal opportunities to the access and use technology in schools.

How to Continue? New Approaches to Investigating the Effects of Adaptive Math Learning Programs on Students' Performance, Self-Concept, and Anxiety.

Math learning programs were expected to revolutionize students' learning, but their effects so far have mostly been disappointing. Following the debate about why to continue research on math learning programs, we aimed to reformulate this question into how to continue this research. Investigations to date have neither considered a sufficiently wide set of outcome variables nor differentiated between performance measures (e.g., measuring addition and subtraction performance separately) and affective-motivational variables. Moreover, as students can only benefit from a program if they use it, researchers need to take practice behavior into account. Thus, we investigated whether the adaptive arithmetic learning program Math Garden fostered students' addition and subtraction performance, their math self-concept, and a reduction of their math anxiety. We also investigated how practice behavior (practiced tasks/weeks) affected these outcomes. We used a randomized pretest-posttest control group design with 376 fifth-grade students in Germany. Students in the experimental condition practiced with Math Garden for 20.7 weeks and had an increase in math self-concept. The more subtraction tasks the students practiced, the more they improved their subtraction performance. We found no effects on math anxiety. The results are discussed in terms of providing a starting point for new directions in future research.

Text quality and changing perceptions of teacher feedback and affective-motivational variables: a study with secondary EFL students

IntroductionFeedback can support students’ writing and has the potential to enhance writing motivation and reduce writing anxiety. However, for feedback to fulfill its potential, it has to be accepted by students and perceived as motivating.MethodsIn this study, we investigate changes in less proficient English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ (N = 53) writing motivation and affect, as well as their perceptions of teacher feedback and how these relate to students’ argumentative text quality. Measurements were taken before EFL teachers attended a professional learning intervention on feedback (T1) and 8 months later (T2).ResultsFrom T1 to T2, students felt that general feedback quality improved, their writing self-efficacy increased, and their writing anxiety decreased. However, no significant changes in text quality could be observed between T1 and T2, and students continued to struggle with creating structure and coherence in their texts. Regression analyses revealed that feedback perceptions and affective-motivational variables did not predict students’ text quality at T1. Yet at T2, students’ perception of general feedback quality and the effect of feedback on writing motivation were significant predictors of text quality; self-efficacy and writing anxiety were not.DiscussionOur results suggest that more attention needs to be paid to feedback’s motivational impact, especially among less proficient EFL writers.

An empirical study exploring pre-service teachers’ profiles and their prospective ICT integration: is it a matter of attitudes, self-efficacy, self-concept or concerns?

Empirical evidence has revealed that affective-motivational variables such as pre-service teachers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, self-concept and concerns play a key role in their pedagogical decisions regarding whether and how to integrate technology within their classroom practices. However, there is still little research on interaction between pre-service teachers’ affective-motivational variables and their resulting impact on their ICT integration. By means of hierarchical cluster analysis, this study examines the relationship between pre-service teachers’ internal variables of ICT attitudes, self-efficacy, self-concept and concerns and its resulting effect on their future ICT in-class integration. A total of 155 pre-service teachers in Germany participated voluntarily in the study. The results revealed two distinct and opposite pre-service teachers’ profiles based on the four internal variables explored: ICT attitudes, self-efficacy, self-concept and concerns. In addition, the findings reveal no significant associations between the teacher profiles, age, teaching programme (school track), and more interestingly, amongst gender. Lastly, the results also indicate that the two pre-service teacher clusters significantly differ in their prospective ICT integration. An in-depth discussion, limitations as well as practical implications are presented in the paper.

Fostering pre-service teachers’ knowledge of ‘teaching games for understanding’ via video-based vs. text-based teaching examples

ABSTRACT Background A topical research question is how pre-service teachers develop professional competencies with regard to game-centered approaches such as ‘Teaching Games for Understanding’ (TGfU). In this context, research on teacher education assumes reflection on teaching examples – including real-life classroom practices – to have positive effects on teachers’ professional development. The role of media used in such examples is unclear, however. While text-based teaching examples might be more favorable for novice learners due to a step-by-step presentation of information, video-based examples that capture the complexity and reality of teaching situations might better foster the learning of advanced pre-service teachers. Method In a field experiment, we taught principles of TGfU to 136 undergraduate physical education (PE) pre-service teachers and randomly assigned them to three conditions: they either reflected by themselves on a video-based or on a text-based teaching example or completed an open-ended planning-task. For the video-based example, a PE teacher and his class staged different scenes of a teaching unit following a script that focused on ‘badminton-like’ games considering steps and pedagogical principles of TGfU. The video-based example was transcribed and converted into a text-based example. Before the intervention, we assessed the pre-service teachers’ knowledge of game-centered approaches. After the intervention, we measured their knowledge of TGfU and affective-motivational variables (interest, challenge, enjoyment, annoyance). Results The participants had a (rather low) comparable knowledge before the intervention. After the intervention, we found that reflecting on the video-based example had increased the knowledge of TGfU more than reflecting on the text-based example or completing an open-ended planning-task (medium effect). We found no interaction effect of prior knowledge and condition on the knowledge of TGfU at posttest. Participants with a video-based example reported higher interest and enjoyment after the intervention (medium effect). All other affective-motivational variables did not show significant differences. Discussion Other studies concentrating on teaching in classrooms found that text-based examples fostered pre-service teachers’ competencies better than video-based examples if they had rather low prior knowledge. One explanation for the present finding could refer to the specific field of study: For novice PE pre-service teachers the supposed benefit of text-based teaching examples does not advance the learning process more than the supposed benefit of video-based examples (realistic display of constitutional aspects of PE). Since interest is closely related to (intrinsic) motivation, and the learners’ motivation is fostered by realistic and authentic context, our finding regarding the condition effect on interest and enjoyment is consistent with assumptions of situated learning theory. Higher motivation, in turn, could lead to a more elaborate analysis of the video-based example, which may ultimately explain the higher level of knowledge, too. Conclusion The current findings indicate that video-based examples are a very promising means for PE teacher education. This refers in particular to autonomous work in teacher education because in the present study the pre-service teachers reflected on the teaching examples by themselves.

Pain memory in patients with chronic pain versus asymptomatic individuals: A prospective cohort study.

The main objective of this study was to assess pain memory as well as long-term episodic memory, both in patients with chronic pain (CP) and in asymptomatic participants (AP). A prospective cohort study design was used. Sixty-eight participants were divided into two groups: CP (n=34) and AP (n=34). The protocol consisted of taking eight tests, four painful provocation tests and four distracting tests, and completing a memory test on the order of the tests at the end of the experiment and at 1-month post-experiment. Patients with CP showed acceptable concordance in the classification, in ascending order from lower to higher pain perception, both post-experiment and 1-month post-experiment (κ=0.41-0.60, p<.001). No differences were found regarding recall of the order of the tests, but differences were found in painful tests isolated only post-experiment in the CP group with a moderate effect size (p<.05, d=0.77). Patients with CP had a more reliable memory than AP in relation to the memory of the pain caused experimentally until at least 1month after the experiment. Interspersing distraction tests appeared to result in increased complexity and difficulty in coding and decoding information in patients with CP, leading to similar reliable long-term memory consolidation in comparison with AP. Treatments directed towards chronic pain should consider the influence of painful memories and their establishment towards long-term explicit episodic memories in patients with chronic pain, as well as the influence of cognitive-evaluative and affective-motivational variables on memory. Not causing pain while implementing a treatment whose objective is to reduce pain could reduce the probability of developing new painful memories in patients with chronic pain.

Exploring the L2 Motivational Self System in Spain: Study Design and Preliminary Findings

This paper details the design and validation of a Motivational Factors Questionnaire (MFQ) used to explore the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) (Dörnyei 2009) of over 500 Spanish learners of English. The mixed methods Spanish study was a partial replica of Ryan (2009) in Japan and Taguchi, Magid and Papi (2009) in Asia. The final validated version of the MFQ we present here thus contains 67 items comprising 13 psychometric scales targeting the ideal L2 self, the ought L2 self, as well as a diverse range of goal-related and affective motivational variables. We were able to confirm that the ideal L2 self is a relevant construct for the sample although the ought L2 self emerged as having a negative relationship with L2 learning. The L2 learning experience was explored in this study from the perspective of past L2 learning in compulsory education and we ascertained somewhat negative opinions in this regard.

How affective-motivational variables and approaches to learning predict mathematics achievement in upper elementary levels

The relationship between students' motivation and attitudes towards mathematics, the approaches to learning they use, and their achievement in mathematics has been widely documented in middle school and further academic levels. However, the empirical research in earlier educational stages remains scarce. This study analyzed the predictive value of affective-motivational variables and deep and surface approaches to learning on mathematics achievement in a sample of 524 upper elementary students. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the predictors of mathematics achievement. Mathematics enjoyment positively predicted mathematics achievement and age and the use of the surface approach to learning negatively predicted mathematics achievement. The variables in the model explained 21.3% of the variance in mathematics achievement. Mean differences in the affective-motivational variables and approaches to learning occurred between students with very high and very low achievement in mathematics, yielding further evidence of important differences between the achievement extremes.

Teacher self-efficacy and its relationship with students’ affective and motivational variables in higher education

During the past few decades, researchers have proposed that teacher self-efficacy influences student achievement and motivation. The main aim of this work is to identify possible teacher self-efficacy profiles and to determine possible differences in some affective-motivational variables of students. 95 teachers and 1924 students from five Spanish public Universities took part in this study. Using cluster analysis, three distinctive profiles of teachers were generated: high self-efficacy, medium self-efficacy, and low self-efficacy. ANOVA results suggest that teachers with intermediate self-efficacy perception have more learning-oriented students than teachers with high self-efficacy. Students of teachers who are overconfident of their teaching capacity seem to engage less in studying to learn, they are more indifferent to the subjects, and they value the contents of the subject less. These students could also be less confident about the results of their efforts, showing a low perception of self-efficacy, greater academic work avoidance, and more anxiety than students of teachers with a moderate perception of self-efficacy. The results are discussed in light of the hypothesis of overconfidence.

Teacher self-efficacy and its relationship with students’ affective and motivational variables in higher education

During the past few decades, researchers have proposed that teacher self-efficacy influences student achievement and motivation. The main aim of this work is to identify possible teacher self-efficacy profiles and to determine possible differences in some affective-motivational variables of students. 95 teachers and 1924 students from five Spanish public Universities took part in this study. Using cluster analysis, three distinctive profiles of teachers were generated: high self-efficacy, medium self-efficacy, and low self-efficacy. ANOVA results suggest that teachers with intermediate self-efficacy perception have more learning-oriented students than teachers with high self-efficacy. Students of teachers who are overconfident of their teaching capacity seem to engage less in studying to learn, they are more indifferent to the subjects, and they value the contents of the subject less. These students could also be less confident about the results of their efforts, showing a low perception of self-efficacy, greater academic work avoidance, and more anxiety than students of teachers with a moderate perception of self-efficacy. The results are discussed in light of the hypothesis of overconfidence.

The Affective Dimensions of Mathematical Difficulties in Schoolchildren

Mathematical difficulties (MDs) are frequently characterised by cognitive deficits such as ineffective problem solving strategies and a lack of computational fluency. The established literature indicates that mathematical achievement is not only a function of cognitive factors but it also points to the importance of affective factors for the development of mathematical achievement. In the light of this evidence, the exploration of children's affective responses towards mathematics becomes a central issue. Whereas previous studies tended to research affective motivational constructs such as self-efficacy in isolation from other related constructs, the literature suffers from a shortage of research on the relationship between different affective motivational variables and their impact on mathematical achievement in different age and achievement bands. The present paper aims to address this aim by employing a newly developed instrument to measure affective motivational variables. Overall, the present findings support the assumption that children of average ability are less influenced by affective factors than children with mathematical difficulties.

Academic self-efficacy and academic self-concept: Reconsidering structural relationships

The current study investigates (1) whether academic (e.g. math) self-efficacy and academic self-concept represent two conceptually and empirically distinct psychological constructs when studied within the same domain, (2) the nature of the relationship existing between both self-constructs, (3) their antecedents, and (4) their mediating and predictive qualities for background variables such as gender and prior knowledge and outcome variables such as math performance, math interest, and math anxiety. Results indicate that (1) math self-efficacy and math self-concept do indeed represent conceptually and empirically different constructs, even when studied within the same domain, (2) students' academic self-concept strongly influences their academic self-efficacy beliefs, (3) academic self-concept is a better predictor (and mediator) for affective–motivational variables, while academic self-efficacy is the better predictor (and mediator) for academic achievement. These findings underpin the conceptual and empirical differences between both self-constructs as suggested by Bong and Skaalvik [Bong, M., & Skaalvik, E.M. (2003). Academic self-concept and self-efficacy: How different are they really?. Educational Psychology Review, 15, 1–40.].

The Relationship of Learning Environment, Quality of Life, and Study Strategies Measures to Anesthesiology Resident Academic Performance

We designed this study to determine the academic performance of anesthesia residents as related to their differential characteristics on some affective-motivational variables, represented by perceptions about their educational environment, subjective quality of life, and learning and study strategies. The study sample consisted of 63 anesthesia residents who completed the World Health Organization Quality of Life Inventory, the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, and a progress test on basic sciences on two to four measurement occasions during a 2-year period. A growth curve model was fit to the academic performance. Mantel-Haenszel tests identified independent predictors of academic performance on progress tests. Mean rating at the first measuring occasion was 41%. There was a statistically significant improvement over time (slope = 7% per 6-m period; P < 0.01). Analysis of the random effects showed significant individual differences in the intercept. The residents' scores improved at an equivalent rate over the course of the residency. The independent predictors of academic performance were anxiety, motivation, and ability in selecting main ideas. Knowledge growth on basic sciences during anesthesia residency is significantly associated to the level of anxiety related to study and achievement, to the motivation for learning and for personal improvement, and to the ability in selecting main ideas from subject matters to which residents are exposed during learning episodes.

Affective-structural effect and the characters' perception in reception of short stories: An American-Hungarian cross-cultural study

To see cross-cultural differences during reading short stories, the study of affective-motivational variables was connected with that of structural variables and perception of characters. American and Hungarian subjects read an American and a Hungarian short story, as well as revised versions in which characters' situation and traits were manipulated. The texts were split into three parts. Following each part, the subject's affective reactions, understanding, and perceptions about characters and structure of the text were measured by several scale-items. Differences between the original and the manipulated stories and between the populations are presented and discussed in detail from the point of view of constructing different mental models.