Student-Situation Relations in Students’ Real-Time Perceptions of Instructional Quality

Scientific Conference (2022, July)

Student profiles of self-concept and interest in four domains: A latent transition analysis

in Learning and Individual Differences (2022), 95(5), 102-139

Dimensional comparisons lead to contrast effects between academic self-concepts, implying that students view themselves as a math-type or a verbal-type. This study examined the short-term stability of ... [more ▼]

Dimensional comparisons lead to contrast effects between academic self-concepts, implying that students view themselves as a math-type or a verbal-type. This study examined the short-term stability of these types and their generalizability to academic interest. N = 382 students completed questionnaires on self-concept and interest in math, physics, German, and English at two measurement waves over five weeks. Latent transition analyses were conducted with self-concepts and interests as indicators, revealing four profiles for both constructs. For self-concept a math + high profile, verbal + high profile, verbal + low profile and generally-moderate profile were found. For interest a math profile, verbal profile, generally-high profile, and generally-low profile were found. These profiles indicated that the formation of domain-specific self-concept and interest differs between groups of students. The profiles were stable across measurement waves. Relations to school grades and gender matched theoretical assumptions. [less ▲]

The generalized internal/external frame of reference model with academic self-concepts, interests, and anxieties in students from different language backgrounds

in Contemporary Educational Psychology (2022)

Student motivation and affect play an important role in successful language learning. To investigate the formation of language learning motivation and affect, this study extended the generalized internal ... [more ▼]

Student motivation and affect play an important role in successful language learning. To investigate the formation of language learning motivation and affect, this study extended the generalized internal/external frame of reference (GI/E) model framework to multiple languages (German and French, along with math) and multiple motivational-affective outcomes (academic self-concept, interest, and anxiety). We examined whether social and dimensional comparisons play similar roles in the formation of students’ self-concepts, interests, and anxieties concerning different languages and whether dimensional comparisons result in contrast or assimilation effects. Moreover, we tested the generalizability of the GI/E model assumptions across students with different language backgrounds. Using a data set comprising virtually all ninth-grade students (N=6275; 48.0% female) from Luxembourg’s multilingual educational system, our findings indicated (1) clear contrast effects in the formation of self-concept and interest in math, German, and French, and (2) a combination of contrast, assimilation, and no effects in the formation of anxiety in math, German, and French. Using a subsample of 5837 students with valid language information (48.0% female), invariance tests demonstrated that the GI/E achievement–outcome relations operated equivalently across students from different home language backgrounds. [less ▲]

Developing and Validating a Short-Form Questionnaire for the Assessment of Seven Facets of Conscientiousness in Large-Scale Assessments

in Journal of Personality Assessment (2022), 104(6), 759-773

Conscientiousness is the most important personality predictor of academic achievement. It consists of several lower order facets with differential relations to academic achievement. There is currently no ... [more ▼]

Conscientiousness is the most important personality predictor of academic achievement. It consists of several lower order facets with differential relations to academic achievement. There is currently no short instrument assessing facets of conscientiousness in the educational context. Therefore, in the present multi-study report, we develop and validate a short-form questionnaire for the assessment of seven Conscientiousness facets, namely Industriousness, Perfectionism, Tidiness, Procrastination Refrainment, Control, Caution, and Task Planning. To this end, we examined multiple representative samples totaling N = 14,604 Grade 9 and 10 students from Luxembourg. The questionnaire was developed by adapting and shortening an existing scale using an exhaustive search algorithm. The algorithm was specified to select the best item combination based on model fit, reliability, and measurement invariance across the German and French language versions. The resulting instrument showed the expected factorial structure. The relations of the facets with personality constructs and academic achievement were in line with theoretical assumptions. Reliability was acceptable for all facets. Measurement invariance across language versions, gender, immigration status and cohort was established. We conclude that the presented questionnaire provides a short measurement of seven facets of Conscientiousness with valid and reliable scores. [less ▲]

Facets of conscientiousness and their relation to academic achievement: a person-centered approach

Scientific Conference (2021, September 16)

Students’ lesson-to-lesson perceptions of the three basic dimensions of instructional quality

Scientific Conference (2021)

Measurement Invariance of Test Anxiety Across Four School Subjects

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2021)

Dimensional comparisons in the formation of domain-specific achievement goals

in Motivation Science (2021), 7(3), 306318

Students’ Personality Relates to Experienced Variability in State Academic Self-Concept

Scientific Conference (2020, November 11)

Attaining a positive academic self-concept (ASC) is linked to many desirable educational outcomes. Research on which student attributes relate to the formation of ASC is therefore considered to be central ... [more ▼]

Attaining a positive academic self-concept (ASC) is linked to many desirable educational outcomes. Research on which student attributes relate to the formation of ASC is therefore considered to be central. Past research on the association between personality traits and ASC has taken an interindividual perspective, while the intraindividual perspective has been disregarded. The present research explored the relation between students’ Big Five traits and intraindividual variability in state general-school ASC in everyday school life for the first time using intensive longitudinal data. We drew on N=294 German ninth and tenth graders who completed a three-week e-diary and a previously presented 60-item Big Five questionnaire (BFI-2; Danner et al., 2016; Soto & John, 2017) assessing Open-Mindedness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Negative Emotionality as well as their respective subfacets (i.e., resulting in 15 subfacets). To assess state ASC, students completed three items after every single lesson across four different subjects (resulting in Mlessons = 21.12). We ran six mixed-effects location scale models: one specified with all five Big Five domains, and five (one for each Big Five domain) with the subfacets as predictors of intraindividual variability in state ASC. We found that Open-Mindedness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Negative Emotionality as well as at least one subfacet of each Big Five trait were significant predictors of levels of state ASC independently of students’ gender and reasoning ability, and the narrower subfacets Organization (Conscientiousness) and Depression (Negative Emotionality) predicted variability in state ASC independently of students’ gender and reasoning ability. These findings thus provide first evidence that students’ ASC undergoes short-term fluctuations from school lesson to school lesson and that this intraindividual variability can be partly explained by students’ personality. Our results thus contribute to a more complete map of the formation of ASC and the role of personality therein. [less ▲]

Self-concept, interest, and achievement within and across math and verbal domains in first- and third-graders

Scientific Conference (2020, April)

The generalized internal/external frame-of-reference (G)I/E model explains the formation of domain-specific motivational-affective constructs through social and dimensional comparisons. We examined the ... [more ▼]

The generalized internal/external frame-of-reference (G)I/E model explains the formation of domain-specific motivational-affective constructs through social and dimensional comparisons. We examined the associations between verbal and math achievement and corresponding domain-specific academic self-concepts (ASCs) and interests for first-graders and third-graders (N=21,192). Positive achievement-self-concept and achievement-interest relations were found within matching-domains in both grades, while negative cross-domains achievement-self-concept and achievement-interest relations were only found for third-graders. These findings suggest that while the formation of domain-specific ASCs and interests seem to rely on social and dimensional comparisons for third-graders, only social comparisons seem to be in operation for first-graders. Gender and cohort invariance was established in both grade levels. Findings are discussed within the framework of ASC differentiation and dimensional comparison theory. [less ▲]