Testing a motivational model of achievement: How students’ mathematical beliefs and interests are related to their achievement

Abstract

Blackwell et al. (Child Development 78(1):246-263, 2007) tested a motivational model of achievement in which an incremental theory of intelligence leads to learning goals and positive effort beliefs, which leads to fewer ability-based, helpless attributions, and more positive strategies, which leads to improved grades. In the present study, we tested this model by using a different population, using domain-specific items, comparing the results across gender, including "interest" as another variable in the model, and assessing the impact of achievement as an antecedent and outcome variable in the model. Participants included 163, mostly White, ninth-grade Algebra students from a suburban school in southwest Virginia, USA. We established that the model had a relatively good fit to the data and all paths were statistically significant when achievement was used as both an antecedent and outcome variable. The standardized path coefficients were consistent with those reported by Blackwell et al. and the model was invariant across genders. Furthermore, we documented that interest could be included as another mediating variable in the model. The results of this study provide evidence to support the validity of the relationships between the constructs in the Blackwell et al. model for the population examined.

Adolescents’ autonomous functioning and implicit theories of ability as predictors of their school achievement and week-to-week study regulation and well-being

“…Indeed, study efforts have been found to relate positively to incremental beliefs (Jones, Wilkins, Long, & Wang, 2012) and negatively to entity beliefs (Bodill & Roberts, 2013) whereas procrastination has been associated positively with entity beliefs (Howell & Buro, 2009). …”

“…We expected ability beliefs to predict the study-related correlates, because the more students believe that ability is a fixed entity, the less likely they are to see a reason to invest more effort in studying (Jones et al, 2012) as for these students the locus of control seems to reside to some uncontrollable sources (Bodill & Roberts, 2013). Concomitantly, students with strong entity beliefs may tend to procrastinate their homework more as postponing a should-be-done activity for a later time and substitute it with an enjoying one, may help them cope with the negative emotions arising due to school-related tasks (King, McInerney, & Watkins, 2012) and with an uncomfortable situation where any effort for studying hard is futile (Cury et al, 2008).…”

Implicit theories of intelligence and motivation for learning mathematics in high school students

“…Тачније, мотивација за учење математике код ученика средњих школа у већини истраживања није мерена упитницима намење-ним за процену ове врсте мотивације, већ путем појединачних индикатора попут труда у учењу математике (Blackwell et al, 2007), процене корисности самог градива из мате-матике или интересовања за сам предмет (Jones et al, 2012).…”

“…Када се говори о инкременталним теоријама интелигенције и мотивацији за учење математике, у истраживањима се најчешће добија позитивна повезаност ових конструката. У истраживању Џоунса и сарадника (Jones et al, 2012), ученици средњих школа који су поборници инкременталне природе интелигенције показују веће интересовање за учење математике, као и за усавршавањем у овом домену услед уочавања корисности математике за будућу професионалну улогу. Та-кође, инкрементална схватања интелигенције утичу на повећање мотивације за учење математике и редуковање математичке анксиозности код средњошколаца (Burns & Isbell, 2007), а ученици средњих школа који су заговорници инкременталне природе интелектуалних способности уједно улажу више труда у учењу математичког градива (Blackwell et al, 2007).…”

Changes in Motivational Beliefs Among First-year Engineering Students: Relations to Academic Achievement and Retention Status

“…Intrinsic value, often associated greatly with enjoyment of doing an activity or task, is quite conceptually similar with interest 4,6 . Interest is a motivational variable that is related to academic achievement 9,10 . Attainment value is the perceived importance and meaningfulness of doing a task; it may also be described as someone's perception of how engaging in a task or domain is consistent with one's identity 4,6 .…”