This empirical study focuses on students’ development of positive and negative achievement emotions during the first year and the beginning of the second year of secondary school. Using multilevel growth curve modelling, the development of the achievement emotions enjoyment, pride, anxiety, hopelessness and boredom during class in general was investigated. Data from 584 students (taken at three different time points during the first year and the beginning of the second year of secondary school in Germany) was analysed by controlling for gender and the type of school. The results confirm the main assumption: positive achievement emotions decline, whereas negative achievement emotions increase after transition to secondary school. The assumption regarding the effects of type of school was also confirmed: students entering a higher track school (German Gymnasium) experience more positive achievement emotions than students in middle track schools (German Realschule) do. However, the decline in these achievement emotions in higher track schools is comparatively worse than for students in middle track schools. The results are discussed with regard to students’ further studies, as well as the wider educational implications.

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This paper describes the development and validation of an instrument to assess how students deal with emotionally challenging classroom situations (the DECCS Questionnaire). The questionnaire is based on a vignette with one learning and one performance situation in a classroom, and is intended for students in grades 4 to 7. On a sample of N = 639 students ( M age = 10.6 years; SD = 1.25, 52.4% girls) in northwest Germany, factor analytic procedures for the subdimensions of students dealing with emotionally challenging classroom situations show that two factors can be distinguished each for students’ appraisals, for students’ adaptive behavior, for students’ maladaptive behavior, and for students’ desired teacher behavior. The questionnaire and subscales demonstrate good reliability and validity values. Thus, the DECCS questionnaire shows good psychometric properties and is well suited for determining how students deal with emotionally challenging classroom situations.

Background Since scholastic well‐being is connected with intrinsic motivation, positive emotions and effective learning, it is highly relevant for educational research. It is influenced by a variety of individual and contextual determinants and differs for several groups of students with respect to their environmental conditions. Aims Up to now, there has been neither approach in answering questions about group‐differences between students with high or low levels of scholastic well‐being nor in defining variables that are most different for these groups. The current study addresses this research gap by investigating differences in familial and scholastic aspects in two distinct groups of students (extreme high or low level of scholastic well‐being). Sample and Method Self‐report questionnaires from N = 852 fifth graders were evaluated using the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and a discriminant analysis. Results Results of the discriminant analysis show that attainment of academic educational track, good classroom‐management, positive social climate in class and high clarity of instruction, as well as low parental pressure on performance are characteristics that classify students with an extreme high level of scholastic well‐being. Therefore, those variables can be used to divide students into disjoint groups without having any information about their actual scholastic well‐being. Conclusion Firstly, it can be deduced from the findings that measures within the schools to promote scholastic well‐being should start with the improvement of instructional quality and social climate. Second, reduction of parental pressure on performance as well as the implementation of successful cooperation between families and schools is vital.

Due to their connections with positive educational outcomes, the maintenance of good health and scholastic well-being are highly relevant topics. However, to date, no studies have investigated developmental changes in scholastic well-being in the light of achievement emotions and instructional quality—although these predictors offer good approaches for intervention. A sample of N = 667 (age: M = 10.16; SD = 0.46; 81.7% female) students was questioned three times over one year, from the beginning of their fifth grade into sixth grade, using reliable questionnaires. The results of multilevel linear growth curve modelling calculations show that a decrease in scholastic well-being during the fifth grade was induced by changes in the predictors (achievement emotions and instructional quality). Since the highest effects are evident regarding achievement emotions, support programs should focus on facilitating these aspects in secondary school children.