scholarly journals Excessive boredom among adolescents: A comparison between low and high achievers

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241671
Author(s):  
Manuel M. Schwartze ◽  
Anne C. Frenzel ◽  
Thomas Goetz ◽  
Anton K. G. Marx ◽  
Corinna Reck ◽  
...  

Existing research shows that high achievement boredom is correlated with a range of undesirable behavioral and personality variables and that the main antecedents of boredom are being over- or under-challenged. However, merely knowing that students are highly bored, without taking their achievement level into account, might be insufficient for drawing conclusions about students’ behavior and personality. We, therefore, investigated if low- vs. high-achieving students who experience strong mathematics boredom show different behaviors and personality traits. The sample consisted of 1,404 German secondary school students (fifth to 10th grade, mean age 12.83 years, 52% female). We used self-report instruments to assess boredom in mathematics, behavioral (social and emotional problems, positive/negative affect, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression), and personality variables (neuroticism and conscientiousness). In comparing highly bored students (more than one SD above M, n = 258) who were low vs. high achievers (as indicated by the math grade, n = 125 / n = 119), results showed that there were no mean level differences across those groups for all variables. In conclusion, our results suggest that high boredom can occur in both low- and high-achieving students and that bored low- and high-achievers show similar behaviors and personality profiles.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel M. Schwartze ◽  
Anne C. Frenzel ◽  
Thomas Goetz ◽  
Anton Karl Georg Marx ◽  
Corinna Reck ◽  
...  

Existing research shows that high scholastic boredom is correlated with a range of undesirable behaviors and personality traits and that the main antecedents of boredom are being over- or under-challenged. No study to date, though, seems to have systematically compared students who are highly bored and low-achieving (thus, likely over-challenged) with students who are highly bored and high-achieving (thus, likely under-challenged). Hence, merely knowing that students are highly bored might be insufficient for drawing conclusions about students’ behavior and personality, without taking their achievement level into account. We, therefore, investigated if low- versus high-achieving students who experience strong mathematics boredom show different behaviors and personality traits. The sample consisted of 1,404 German secondary school students (fifth to 10th grade, mean age 12.83 years, 52% female). We used self-report instruments to assess boredom in mathematics, behavior (social and emotional problems, positive/negative affect, emotion regulation), and personality traits (neuroticism and conscientiousness). In comparing highly bored students (more than one SD above M, n = 258) who were low versus high achievers (as indicated by the math grade, n = 125 / n = 119), results showed that there were no mean level differences across those groups for the behavior and personality trait constructs, with only three exceptions: conduct problems and expressive suppression (higher for low achievers) and positive affect (higher for high achievers). In conclusion, our results suggest that high boredom can occur in both low and high achieving students and that bored low- and high-achievers show largely similar behaviors and personality profiles.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vítor Alexandre Coelho ◽  
Marta Marchante ◽  
Vanda Sousa

This study aims to analyze the differential impact of social and emotional learning programs between Portuguese elementary and middle school students, and to clarify developmental and gender differences in children and adolescents self-concept. The sample included 2682 students, 1237 elementary students (4th grade; Mage = 9.24; SD = 0.72) and 1445 middle school students (7th to 9th grade: Mage = 13.30; SD = 1.32). Self-report questionnaires were administered before and after intervention. Multilevel linear modeling with a repeated measures design was used to evaluate the effects of the program on self- concept. Results show significant intervention gains in social and emotional self-concept, which differ by grade level (elementary students benefited more). There were also differences between genders, boys showed more benefits in social self-concept and girls in emotional self-concept as well as a smaller decrease in academic self-concept. Participation in the programs led to more pronounced gains for elementary school students. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Ercan Çoban ◽  
Ömer Kamış

This study aimed to determine the affective and socioeconomic variables significantly predicting achievement level of low- and high-achieving students. The data of 1323 low-achieving and 2022 high-achieving Turkish students participated in the PISA 2015 were used in the study. The data were analyzed by using binary logistic regression. The findings showed that test anxiety; achievement motivation; enjoyment of cooperation; environmental awareness; environmental optimism; science self-efficacy; epistemological beliefs; economic, cultural and social status index (ESCS), and the information and communication technology (ICT) resources index were significant predictors of the achievement level of low- and high-achieving students. While test anxiety and environmental optimism scores of low- achieving students were higher, achievement motivation, enjoyment of cooperation, environmental awareness, science self-efficacy, epistemological beliefs, ESCS, and ICT resources scores were higher among high-achieving students. 


1973 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary S. Felton

47 high-achieving college students and 47 college dropouts were compared on the 24-item MMPI Underachievement Scale. The high achievers' mean score of 8.00 differed significantly ( p < .001) from the low achievers' mean score of 13.44. Probabilities of academic achievement level and score on the Underachievement Scale suggest that the scale may be useful in early detection of academic low achievement.


1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darcia Narváez

Research exploring the relationship of intellectual aptitude to moral judgment has indicated that, as a group, those with a high intellectual aptitude score significantly above their age peers on measures of moral judgment. These data support the contention that intelligence is a “general factor” that cuts across domains. Some theorists have advocated an alternative view, that intelligence is domain specific. In looking at high achievers, the current study offers support for both views by reporting data that indicate a dependence of moral judgment precocity upon high intellectual achievement. As a group, the high achieving students scored higher on the Defining Issues Test's Principled score. However, there was a wide variation in scores among the high achievers, indicating that apparent intellectual aptitude was not enough for high scores in moral judgment. This variance, along with the fact that no low achiever received an unusually high score, supports the “independent domains” hypothesis of intelligence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-334
Author(s):  
Muhammad Isa ◽  
Budi Gautama Siregar

The presence of students in a tertiary institution is an absolute requirement that must be met. IAIN Padangsidimpuan applies three different types of selection of new student candidates. These include the National Academic Achievement Selection (Seleksi Prestasi Akademik Nasional/SPAN - PTKIN), the State Islamic College Entrance Examination (Ujian  Masuk  Perguruan  Tinggi  Agama Islam Negeri/UM - PTKIN), and Independent Exams. SPAN - PTKIN is intended to recruit prospective new students from high achieving students. However, many prospective students who passed the SPAN-PTKIN pathway did not re-register again. This condition occurs almost every year. SPAN - PTKIN is intended to recruit prospective new students from high achieving students. However, many prospective students who passed the SPAN-PTKIN pathway did not re-register. This condition occurs almost every year. This has led to the presumption that there is a tendency for prospective new students from high achieving students through the SPAN-PTKIN pathway to have low interest in continuing education at the Padangsidimpuan IAIN. So it needs to be investigated how the actual image of IAIN Padangsidimpuan among high achieving students and other related aspects. This is important as input for improving the selection system for prospective new students or making decisions in the planning of promotion strategies for Padangsidimpuan IAIN in the future. This research is a descriptive quantitative research. The population of this study was all high achieving students at the State High School / Islamic High School level in Padangsidimpuan City. The main instrument was a questionnaire distributed to 220 respondents, which were selected by purposive sampling technique. Data analysis was performed by t-test and ANOVA. Data processing is done by SPSS software. From the results of data processing, it is known that the overall Iangs Padangsidimpuan imagery among Padangsidimpuan City achievers is included in the "good" category, with a value of 3,2353 from the maximum scale of 5. The t test results are known that, the Islamic High School students' point of view regarding the image of IAIN Padangsidimpuan is better than state school students. Therefore, it is necessary to do more frequent promotion to the state schools. From the ANOVA test results it is known that there is actually no difference in the image of the IAIN Padangsidimpuan between groups of respondents from different family classes. This indicates that IAIN Padangsidimpuan does not need to differentiate promotion methods for students from economically well-off families, middle class, or poor families.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kerri Cox

High-achieving students are those who enter the classroom ready and able to learn. They demonstrate their abilities by earning high grades in their coursework and by receiving high scores on standardized tests. The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to articulate the lived experiences of high-achieving elementary students in suburban schools in southwest Missouri. How would high-achieving elementary students, their parents, and their classroom teachers describe the academic experiences of high-achieving elementary students in suburban schools in southwest Missouri? Specific research probes looked at the degree to which these students received differentiated instruction and sought to uncover the classroom experiences and academic structures that best support and most hinder these students? growth. The findings show that students have limited differentiated opportunities. In speaking to parents, students, and teachers, the following classroom structures and academic structures emerged as those that most hinder learning: (a) mixed-ability classrooms, (b) a focus on standardization, (c) teaching to the middle, and (d) personality clashes with teachers. The following classroom structures and experiences emerged from the data as those that support high-achieving students: (a) pursuing their passions in and out of the classroom; (b) supportive teachers; and (c) confronting and conquering academic challenges. Implications from this study could provide researchers, educators, and administrators more insight into the needs of high-achievers and recommendations for supporting these students in the classroom.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janni Leung ◽  
C. Robert Cloninger ◽  
Barry A. Hong ◽  
Kevin M. Cloninger ◽  
Diann S. Eley

BackgroundCertain personal attributes, such as perfectionism and tolerance of ambiguity, have been identified as influential in high achieving students. Medical students have been identified as high achievers and perfectionistic, and as such may be challenged by ambiguity. Medical students undertake a long and challenging degree. Personality has been shown to influence the well-being and coping and may equip some students to better cope with challenges. This paper examines the association between temperament and character personality profiles with measures of tolerance of ambiguity and with both adaptive and maladaptive constructs of perfectionism.MethodsA self-report questionnaire collected data on a sample of 808 Australian medical students in 2014 and 2015. Personality was measured using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCIR-140) and classified traits as profiles using a latent class analysis. Two profiles were found. Profile 1 was characterized by low-average levels of Harm Avoidance, and high to very high levels of Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness. Moderately-high levels of Harm Avoidance and high levels of Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness characterized Profile 2. Moderation regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the personality profiles with levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity (MSAT-II), Perfectionism-Concern over Mistakes and Perfectionism-High Standards (FMPS), considering demographic characteristics.ResultsStudents with Profile 1 were higher in levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity, and Perfectionism-High Standards, and lower levels of Perfectionism-Concern over Mistakes compared to Profile 2. These findings remained statistically significant after adjusting for age and gender. A significant personality by age interaction on Tolerance of Ambiguity was found. While higher levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity were associated with older age overall, it remained low across age for students with a personality Profile 2.ConclusionsA particular combination of personality traits was identified to be associated with low Tolerance of Ambiguity and high levels of maladaptive Perfectionism. An intolerance of ambiguity and over concern about mistakes may be maladaptive and underlie vulnerability to stress and poor coping. The psychobiological model of personality provides insight into traits that are stable and those that can be self-regulated through education and training. The interaction between biological mechanisms and socio-cultural learning is relevant to a sample of medical students because it accounts for interaction of the biological or innate aspects of their personal development within an intense and competitive learning environment of medical school.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Enyu Zhou

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] College access is one of the most studied areas in higher education, and yet college enrollment rates remain problematically stratified by socioeconomic status (SES) (Baum, Ma, and Payea, 2013). Low-income high-achieving students apply to different sets of colleges compared to high-income high-achieving students. Most low-income highachievers do not apply to selective universities. The lack of information regarding the college application process, college cost and financial aid was a reason why low-income high-achieving students fail to apply to selective colleges (Hoxby and Avery, 2013; Hoxby and Turner, 2013). This study examined the relation between contact with college admissions representatives as a source of information and college choices by high school students. In particular, it focused on how these relations vary across the spectrum of SES and academic achievement groups. The sample for this study drawn from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This study used the Hossler and Gallagher (1987) three-stage college choice model, Perna's (2006a) multi-layer college choice model, and Tierney and Venegas' (2009) cultural ecological theory for its theoretical framework. This theoretical framework provided guidance to understand the relation between college information and college application behavior of high school students. Logistic regression, fixed effects, and propensity score weighting (PSW) models were used to examine the relation between contact with college admissions representatives and college application. These models by SES and academic achievement were also used to identify differential effects of contact with college representatives across SES and academic achievement. Overall interpretation of the results suggested that there was a positive relationship between contact with college admissions representatives and college application. Aligning with the literature, this study also found that students' demographic characteristics, academic preparedness and other information sources were strongly associated with the probability of college application. However, the influence of college representatives did not vary across SES and academic achievement significantly. Results of this study provided valuable insights on the role of college admissions representatives on college application, which can lead to better insights on improving college choice strategies for high school students. The study concluded with discussions and implications for theory, practice, and future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-344
Author(s):  
Diego Ardura ◽  
Arturo Galán

Durante las últimas décadas se han encontrado importantes diferencias por sexo en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de las disciplinas científicas. Por otro lado, la autoevaluación por parte de los estudiantes supone un aspecto fundamental en el ciclo de autorregulación del aprendizaje y, por tanto, en su rendimiento. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la metacognición de los estudiantes de secundaria y, en particular, el efecto del sexo en las mismas. Para ello se ha medido la calibración de 507 estudiantes. Nuestros análisis muestran que las chicas calibran mejor su nota que los chicos a pesar de que estos últimos muestran más seguridad en sus juicios. Se ha encontrado una tendencia de ambos sexos a la sobreestimación de sus calificaciones en una prueba escrita. Por otro lado, los estudiantes con alto rendimiento son más precisos y tienden a sobrevalorar sus actuaciones. En cambio, los de rendimiento bajo son más imprecisos y tienden a subestimar sus calificaciones en la prueba. Aunque este efecto se observa en ambos sexos, su tamaño es superior en el caso de las chicas. En vista de los resultados, los estudiantes de rendimiento alto utilizan con más eficacia la retroalimentación que generan durante la prueba que los de rendimiento bajo. Las diferencias por sexo podrían tener su origen en las diferentes actitudes y motivaciones de los chicos y las chicas hacia la ciencia. During the last decades, important sex differences have been found in the context of science education. Besides, self-assessment is crucial in the cycle of self-regulated learning and, consequently, in students’ performance. The main goal of the present investigation is to analyze secondary school students’ metacognition and, in particular, the effect of gender. To this aim, a sample of 507 students took part in our study. Our analyses show that girls are better calibrated than boys in spite of being the latter more confident in their predictions. A general tendency towards overestimations has been found for both sexes. Moreover, high-achieving students tend to be more precise and underestimate their performance and low-achieving students tend to be less precise and overestimate their grade in the test. Although this effect was found in both sexes, the size effect was large in the case of girls. In light of our results, high-achieving students make a better use of self-generated feedback than low-achievers. Sex differences in calibration could be explained by the different attitudes and motivations of boys and girls towards science.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document