OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS OF K6-8 STUDENTS’ LEARNING SHAPING

Year 2021, Volume: 18 Issue: 47, 174 - 192, 28.04.2021

Vali Mehdinezhad

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the opportunities and threats that shape student learning in middle schools. A quantitative method was used in this study; 380 subjects were selected, from middle school students in the sixth grade (12-year-olds) and eighth grade (14-year-olds). Samples selection was determined by stratified random sampling, proportionate to the size. Data was collected by questionnaire using measures for student attention during instruction as cited in Bru et al. (2002). Results showed that students gave relatively high scores to factors effective on shaping student learning. However, student influence and parental monitoring had more effect on shaping learning. In terms of factors that threaten shaping of student learning, respondents gave high scores to student and opposition to teachers and off-task orientation was given a score above the average. In order to compare beliefs between male and female students regarding opportunities for shaping student learning, findings showed significant difference between the two groups for the factor of teachers’ emotional support (average scores showed boys marked higher than girls) and in parental care (average scores showed that girls marked higher than boys). Regarding factors that threaten shaping student learning, opposition to teachers (average scores showed that girls marked higher than boys); and for the factor opposition to teachers (average scores showed that boys marked higher than girls).

Keywords

shaping of learning, opportunities, Threats, K6-8, students

References

• Annunziata, D., Hogue, A., Faw, L., & Liddle, H.A. (2006). Family functioning and school success in at-risk, inner-city adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(1), 105- 113.
• Attaway, N. M. & Bry, B. H. (2004). Parenting style and Black adolescents’ achievement. Journal of Black Psychology, 30(2), 229-247.
• Ayenibiowo, K. O., PhD., & Akinbode, G. A. (2011). Psychopathology of bullying and emotional abuse among school children. Life Psychologia, 19(2), 127-141.
• Baker, R.S., Corbett, A.T., Koedinger, K.R., & Wagner, A.Z. (2004). Off-task behavior in the cognitive tutor classroom: When students "game the system.” Proceedings of ACM CHI 2004: Computer-Human Interaction, (pp. 383-390), Vienna, Austria
• Birkemo, A. (2000). Kan ungdomsskolen forbedres? [Can the secondary school be improved?; in Norwegian]. In G. Grepperud (Ed.), Tre a˚rs kjedsomhet [Three years of boredom]. Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Akademisk
• Boggiano, A. K., Shields, A., Barrett, M., Kellam, T., Thompson, E., Simons, J., & Katz, P. (1992). Helplessness deficits in students: the role of motivational orientation. Motivation and Emotion 16(3), 271–296.
• Boulton, M., Trueman, M., & Flemington, I. (2002). Associations between Secondary School Pupils. Definitions of Bullying, Attitudes Towards Bullying, and Tendencies to Engage in Bullying: Age and Sex Differences. Educational Studies, 28(4): 353-370
• Bru, E., Stephens, P., and Torsheim, T. (2002). Students’ Perceptions of Class Management and Reports of Their Own Misbehavior. Journal of School Psychology, 40(4), 287–307. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-4405(02)00104-8
• Cakmakci, M. (2019). Interaction in Project Management Approach within Industry 4.0 Advances in Manufacturing II (pp. 176-189): Springer
• Carrera, M. V., Depalma, R., & Lameiras, M. (2011). Toward a more comprehensive understanding of bullying in school setting. Education Psychology Review, 23,479-499. doi:19.1007/s10648-011-9171-x
• Cheryl, T. Jeffries (2009.) Academic Support and Academic Identity of African American Males Labeled Emotionally Handicapped (EH)
• Chouinard, R., Karsenti, T., & Roy, N. (2007). Relations among competence beliefs, utility value, achievement goals, and effort in mathematics. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(3), 501-517.
• Crosnoe, R., Johnson, M. K., & Elder, G. H. (2004). Intergenerational bonding in school: The behavioral and contextual correlates of student – teacher relationships. Sociology of Education, 77(1), 60 – 81.
• De Wit, D. J., Karioja, K., Rye, B. J., & Shain, M. (2011). Perceptions of Declining Classmate and Teacher Support Following the Transition to High School: Potential Correlates of Increasing Student Mental Health Difficulties. Psychology in the Schools, 48(6), 556-572. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pits.20576
• DiPerna, J. C. (2006). Academic enablers and student achievement: Implications for assessment and intervention services in the schools. Psychology in the Schools, 43, 7-17
• Duchesne, S., & Larose, S. (2007). Adolescent parental attachment and academic motivation and performance in early adolescence. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37(7), 1501–1521.
• Eccles, J. S., Early, D., Fraser, K., Belansky, E., & Mc Carthy, K. (1997). The relation of connection, regulation, and support for autonomy in the context of family, school, and peer group to successful adolescent development. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 263–286.
• Firestone, W., & Rosenblum, S. (1988). The alienation and commitment of students and teachers in urban high schools. Washington, DC: Rutgers University and Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
• Fraser, B. J., & Fisher, D. L. (1982). Predicting students’ outcomes from their perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment. American Educational Research Journal 19(4), 498–518.
• Furrer, C., & Skinner, E. A. (2003). Sense of relatedness as a factor in children’s academic engagement and performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 148 –162.
• Glover, D., Gough, G., Johnson, M., and Cartwright, N. (2000). Bullying in 25 Secondary Schools: Incidence, Impact, and Intervention. Educational Research, 42(2), 141-156. doi.org/10.1080/001318800363782
• Goldberg, L. (1989). Implementing cooperative learning within six elementary school learning disability classrooms to improve math achievement and social skills. Practicum, Nova University (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 262915)
• Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O’Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American Psychologist. Special Issue: Prevention that Works for Children and Youth, 58(6/7), 466 – 474.
• Gregory, A., & Weinstein, R. S. (2004). Connection and regulation at home and in school: Predicting growth in achievement for adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19(4), 405 – 427.
• Grolnick, W. S., & Ryan, R. M. (1987). Autonomy in children’s learning: an experimental and individual difference investigation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52(5), 890–898.
• Ibanez, G. E., Kuperminc, G. P., Jurkovic, G., & Perilla, J. (2004). Cultural attributes and adaptations linked to achievement motivation among Latino adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33(6), 559–568.
• James, D., Flynn, A., Lawlor, M., Courtney, P., Murphy, N., & Henry, B. (2011). A friend in deed? Can adolescent girls be taught to understand relational bullying? Child Abuse Review, 20, 439-454. doi: 10.1002/car.1120
• Jimerson, S.R.; Swearer S.M.; and Espelage, D.L. (2010). Handbook of bullying in schools: An international perspective, Rutledge, New York.
• Khairo, M. O. (2014). Information System in Monitoring Education Students Achievements, International Journal of Computer Applications, 95(2), 33-36
• Klomek, A. B., Kleinman, M., Altschuler, E., Marrocco, F., Amakawa, L., & Gould, M. (2011). High school bullying as a risk for later depression and suicidality. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 41(5), 501-516. doi: 10.1111/j.1943-278X.2011.00046.x
• Krejcie, R.V., & Morgan, D.W., (1970). Determining Sample Size for Research Activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 30, 607-610
• Malecki C.K. and M.K. Demaray. (2003). what type of support do they need? Investigating student adjustment as related to emotional, inshapingal, appraisal, and instrumental support, School Psychology Quarterly, 18(3), 231–252.
• Legault, L., Green-Demers, I., & Pelletier, L. G. (2006). Why do high school students lack motivation in the classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and the role of social support. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 567-582
• Marchant, G. J., Paulson, S. E., & Rothlisberg, B. A. (2001). Relations of middle school students’ perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 38(6), 505–519.
• Merrett, F., & Wheldall,K. (1987). Natural rates of teacher approval and disapproval in British primary and middle school classrooms. British Journal of Educational Psychology 57(1), 95–103.
• Midgley, C., Feldlaufer, H., & Eccles, J. (1989). Student/teacher relations and attitudes toward mathematics before and after the transition to junior high school. Child Development, 60(4), 981–992.
• Murberg, T. A., & Bru, E. (2003). School related stress and psychosomatic symptoms among Norwegian adolescents. School Psychology International, 25(3), 317-332. doi. org/10.1177/0143034304046904
• Murdock, T. B., Miller, A., & Kohlhardt, J. (2004). Effects of classroom context variables on high school students’ judgments of the acceptability and likelihood of cheating. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(4), 765–777.
• Myers, A., & Anderson, S. (2010). How Teacher Positioning in the Classroom Affects the On-Task Behavior of Students, e-Journal of Student Research, 2(1), 1-9
• Niemiec, C. P., Lynch, M. F., Vansteenkiste, M., Bernstein, J., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2006). The antecedents and consequences of autonomous self-regulation for college: A self-determination theory perspective on socialization. Journal of Adolescence, 29(5), 761–775.
• Patrick, H., Kaplan, A., & Ryan, A. M. (2011). Positive Classroom Motivational Environments: Convergence Between Mastery Goal Structure and Classroom Social Climate. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(2), 367-382. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/A0023311
• Patrick H., Ryan, A. M., & Kaplan, A. (2007). Early adolescents’ perceptions of the classroom social environment, motivational beliefs, and engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 83–98.
• Plunkett, Scott W.; Henry, Carolyn S.; Houltberg, Benjamin J.; Sands, Tovah; Abarca-Mortensen, Sandra. (2008). Academic Support by Significant Others and Educational Resilience in Mexican-Origin Ninth Grade Students from Intact Families. Journal of Early Adolescence, 28(3), 333-355
• Racz, S. J., & McMahon, R. J. (2011). The Relationship between Parental Knowledge and Monitoring and Child and Adolescent Conduct Problems: A 10-Year Update, Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev, 14(4), 377–398, DOI 10.1007/s10567-011-0099-y
• Ratelle, C. F., Larose, S., Guay, F., & Senecal, C. (2005). Perceptions of Parental Involvement and Support as Predictors of College Students’ Persistence in a Science Curriculum. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(2), 286–293.
• Reeve, J., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Self-determination theory: A dialectical framework for understanding the sociocultural influences on student motivation. In D. M. McInerney & S. Van Etten (Eds.), Research on sociocultural influences on motivation and learning: Big theories revisited (Vol. 4, pp. 31–59). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Press
• Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., LaParo, K. M., Downer, J. T., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). The contribution of classroom setting and quality of instruction to children’s behavior in the kindergarten classroom. Elementary School Journal, 105(5), 377 – 394.
• Roeser, R. W., Midgley, C., & Urdan, T. C. (2000). Perceptions of the school psychological environment and early adolescents’ psychological and behavioral functioning in school: The mediating role of goals and belonging. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88(3), 408–422.
• Ryan, A.M., Patrick, H., & Shim, S.O. (2005). Differential profiles of students identified by their teacher as having avoidant, appropriate or dependent help-seeking tendencies in math class. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(2), 275-285.
• Ryan, S., & Yerg, B. (2001). The effects of cross group feedback on off-task behavior in a physical education setting. Journal of Teaching Physical Education, 20(2), 172–188.
• Semmer, N. K., Elfering, A., Jacobshagen, N., Perrot, T., Beehr, T. A., & Boos, N. (2008). The emotional meaning of instrumental social support. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(3), 235-251. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.15.3.235
• Shapiro, E. S. (2004). Academic skills problems: Direct assessment and intervention (3rd. Ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
• Soenens, B., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2005). Antecedents and outcomes of self-determination in three life domains: The role of parents’ and teachers’ autonomy support. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(6), 589–604.
• Spera, C. (2006). Adolescents’ perceptions of parental goals, practices, and styles in relation to their motivation and achievement. Journal of Early Adolescence, 26(4), 456-490.
• Thuen, E. & Bru, E. (2000). Learning environment, meaningfulness of schoolwork and ontask-orientation among Norwegian 9th grade students. School Psychology International, 21, 393-413.
• Thuen, E., Bru, E. and Ogden, T. (2007) ‘Coping Styles, Learning Environment and Emotional and Behavioural Problems. Students’ Perceptions of Learning Environment’, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 51: 347–69.
• Van Der Mars, H., & Cusimano, B. (1988, May). The effects of differential proximity on student off-task behavior in physical education. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Philadelphia.
• Wentzel, K. R. (2002). Are effective teachers like good parents? Teaching styles and student adjustment in early adolescence. Child Development, 73(1), 287-301.
• Wentzel, K. R. (1998). Social support and adjustment in middle school: The role of parents, teachers, and peers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 202–209.
• Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Chipuer, H. M., Hanisch, M., Creed, P. A., & McGregor, L. (2006). Relationships at school and stage-environment fit as resources for adolescent engagement and achievement. Journal of Adolescence, 29(6), 911-933.
• Zins, J. E., Bloodworth, M. R., Weissberg, R. P., & Walberg, H. (2004). The scientific base linking social and emotional learning to school success. In J. E. Zins, R. P. Weissberg, M. C. Wang, & H. J. Walberg (Eds.): Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? New York: Teachers College Press.