Students home alone—profiles of internal and external conditions associated with mathematics learning from home

AbstractsThis study aims at describing differences in internal and external resources of students to handle mathematics learning from home. Based on data from N = 223 7th-grade secondary school students gathered via an online survey at the end of the first school year during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used latent profile analysis to identify student profiles defined by the internal factors perceived value and success of students’ math learning from home and the external factors family support and teacher support—all specifically related to home learning. A number of general learning conditions, comprising internal (e.g., sustained attention) and external factors (e.g., socioeconomic status), are included as outcome variables. The best-fitting four-profile solution suggests one profile with comparably unfavorable internal and external resources. About 35% of the students are assigned to that profile. The other three profiles show combinations of, relative to the sample, more and less promising specific home learning and general learning conditions suggesting that these students have different resources available in the face of learning mathematics from home.

The role of different school organizational models in the psychological adaptation of refugee adolescents

Given the high number of refugee children and adolescents around the globe, it is critical to determine conditions that foster their adaptation in the receiving country. This study investigated the psychological adaptation of recently arrived adolescent refugees in Germany. We focused on whether psychological adaptation reflects the organizational approach taken by the school that refugee adolescents initially attended. School is an important context for the development and acculturation of young refugees. As in other European countries, the schooling of refugee adolescents in Germany is organized in different models: separate instruction in newcomer classes, direct immersion in regular classes, and mixed approaches. To answer our research questions, we used self-reported data from 700 refugee adolescents (12-, 14-, and 17-year-olds) in a representative survey of refugees in Germany. As indicators of their psychological adaptation, we analyzed their sense of school belonging, their emotional and behavioral problems, and their life satisfaction. Comparing them to non-refugee peers, the refugee adolescents showed similar levels of psychological adaptation, and an even higher level in the case of school belonging. Multiple regression analyses provide limited support for the assumed advantage of the mixed school organizational model: While students who initially attended a mixed approach reported higher levels of school belonging than those in other models, no differences emerged on the other indicators. We discuss the implications of our findings for the schooling of newly arrived refugees.

Profiles of competence development in mathematics and reading in early secondary education

This article examines the development of reading and mathematical competence in early secondary education and aims at identifying distinct profiles of competence development. Since reading and mathematical competences are highly correlated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, we expected to find a generalized profile of competence development with students developing parallel in reading and mathematical competences. Moreover, previous research confirmed individuals’ specific focus on one of the two domains, for example, in their interest, self-concept, or motivation. Also, differences in competence levels between both domains were found in cross-sectional studies. Therefore, we hypothesized that additional to the generalized profile, there are specialized profiles of competence development with students developing distinctively faster in one of the two domains. To identify both types of profiles, latent growth mixture modeling was used on a sample of 5,301 students entering secondary education from the German National Educational Panel Study. To demonstrate the robustness of the results, these analyses were repeated using different model specifications and subgroups with higher homogeneity (with students belonging to the highest track, i.e., “Gymnasium”). The results indicate only small to non-existent specialized profiles of competence development in all conditions. This finding of roughly parallel development of reading and mathematical competences throughout early secondary education indicates that potential specializations are less important at this point in students’ educational careers.

Motivational regulation strategies, academic self-concept, and cognitive learning strategies of university students: does academic self-concept play an interactive role?

The present study aimed to examine the specific relations between five motivational regulation strategies (i.e., interest enhancement, environmental control, self-consequating, performance self-talk, mastery self-talk), academic self-concept, and three cognitive learning strategies (i.e., organization, elaboration, rehearsal) of 415 university students. A total of n = 238 students were in the first year of their university program, while n = 178 students were in the mid-term of their university program. Results of correlation analysis revealed that all five motivational regulation strategies were positively related to the three cognitive learning strategies. In contrast, regression analysis showed that organization was only significantly linked to interest enhancement, self-consequating, and performance self-talk, while elaboration was only significantly linked to self-consequating, and rehearsal was only significantly linked to interest enhancement and performance self-talk. Academic self-concept proved to interact with interest enhancement in predicting elaboration. Furthermore, the measurement separability of the three constructs (i.e., motivational regulation strategies, academic self-concept, cognitive learning strategies) and measurement invariance across sample for the five motivational regulation strategies were also supported.

Student teachers’ knowledge integration across conceptual borders: the role of study approaches, learning strategies, beliefs, and motivation

There is widespread agreement that student teachers need to construct an integrated knowledge base across multiple domains. This study examined the contributions of intraindividual factors of self-regulated learning to explaining student teachers’ (a) integration of knowledge across topics and domains (i.e., integrative learning) and (b) disjointed processing of potentially domain-specific learning content (i.e., separative learning). The factors considered were study approaches; cognitive, metacognitive, and resource-related learning strategy use; epistemological and pedagogical beliefs; and career choice motivation. The study applied a cross-sectional survey design and examined separative and integrative learning in N = 103 student teachers by way of multiple regression analyses with backward eliminations. A key finding is that deep and strategic study approaches and certain cognitive learning strategies contributed significantly to explaining integrative learning in student teachers. Epistemological and pedagogical beliefs were not able to predict integrative learning. Regarding separative learning, the study identified the surface study approach, specific epistemological and pedagogical beliefs, and the “usefulness” motive for career choice as positive predictors and critical thinking as a negative predictor. The study demonstrates differences in how integrative and separative learning are shaped by distinct intraindividual factors. Implications are discussed with regard to student teachers’ self-regulated learning and pre-service teacher education.