Global-local processing impacts academic risk taking

Abstract

Research has shown that academic risk taking-the selection of school tasks with varying difficulty levels-affords important implications for educational outcomes. In two experiments, we explored the role of cognitive processes-specifically, global versus local processing styles-in students' academic risk-taking tendencies. Participants first read a short passage, which provided the context for their subsequent academic risk-taking decisions. Following which, participants undertook the Navon's task and attended to either global letters or local letters only, i.e., were either globally or locally primed. The effects of priming on academic risk taking were then assessed using a perception-based measure (Experiment 1) and a task-based measure (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 provided preliminary evidence, which Experiment 2 confirmed, that globally focused individuals took more academic risk than did locally focused individuals after controlling for participants' need for cognition (how much they enjoy effortful cognitive activities). Additionally, the inclusion of and comparisons with a control group in Experiment 2 revealed that locally focused participants drove the observed effects. The theory of predictive and reactive control systems (PARCS) provides a cogent account of our findings. Future directions and practical applications in education are discussed.

To approach or to avoid: The quadripolar model of achievement motivation revisited in a Confucian-heritage context

“…Results of the profile analysis in the main study were consistent with the previous studies that FF would lead to an avoidance tendency toward academic risk-taking (Clifford, 1988(Clifford, , 1991Tan et al, 2017). However, the results of the profile analysis also revealed differences between the two CHC categories and their corresponding quadripolar categories.…”

“…The SFT has three subscales, including failure feelings, preferred difficulty, and actions in response to academic challenges. It has been found to be effective in predicting academic risk-taking, with the subscale of preferred difficulty demonstrating better effects (Clifford et al, 1988(Clifford et al, , 1989Tan et al, 2017). The current study focused academic risk-taking on students' choices between challenging and easier tasks and on their choices of action between persistence or quitting.…”

“…Lastly, we would like to argue that although the failure acceptors constituted a very small part of the sample in the main study (3.5%), these students required more attention than they had received in the literature. The failure acceptors showed the least risk-taking tendency among the six categories, that could disadvantage them in such competitive learning environments as research-intensive universities where academic challenges were inevitable (Tan et al, 2017). Engaging the failure-accepting students with inquiry-based learning activities might help them find an area of interest as sources for intellectual and emotional satisfaction.…”

Figure-Disembedding Is Inferior in Non-autistic Compared to Autistic Individuals but Can Be Improved by Training

“…In other versions of priming with NF participants had to search at the local or global level to respond. For example, Tan and colleagues ( Tan et al, 2017 ) did not use target letters, but merely instructed participants to attend to either the large or the small letters (see also Macrae and Lewis, 2002 ; Förster and Higgins, 2005 ). In yet another version ( Gao et al, 2011 ), two Navon stimuli were presented to participants simultaneously in the left and right visual field, respectively, and participants were instructed to match the two displays, focusing either on the large letters, ignoring the small letters (global level), or on the small letters, ignoring the large letters (local level).…”

Identifying the Impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Evidence of Academic Risk-Taking in Culturally and Economically Diverse Nova Scotia Classrooms

“…Yet, as learners age, their tolerance for failure decreases and they are less willing to take risks (Beghetto, 2009;Clifford et al, 1990Clifford et al, , 2014, circumstances that may be partially attributed to the importance of grades (i.e., post-secondary plans, scholarships, etc.) (Dachner et al, 2017;Teagarden et al, 2018), the fear of negative criticism (Çetin et al, 2014;Varışoǧlu & Çelikpazu, 2019), and the impact of poverty on learner willingness to take risks (Brownell et al, 2006(Brownell et al, , 2010Clifford et al, 1990;Roos et al, 2006;Tan et al, 2016). Furthermore, if a teacher's expectations are not understood, or perceived as beyond the student's own abilities, again, learners are less likely to participate in IRT (Clifford et al, 1990;Dachner et al, 2017;Teagarden et al, 2018).…”