This paper proposes three new measures of components STEM career preferences (affinity, certainty, and goal), and then explores which dimensions of "science learning activation" (fascination, values, competency belief, and scientific sensemaking) are predictive of STEM career preferences. Drawn from the ALES14 dataset, a sample of 2938…

We examine the intrinsic value students placed on schoolwork (i.e. academic intrinsic value) and social relationships (i.e. social intrinsic value). We then look at how these values predict middle and high school achievement. To do this, we came up with four profiles based on cluster analyses of 6,562 South Korean middle school students. The four…

Research validating mindfulness-based interventions with youths and in schools is growing, yet research validating measures of youths' mindfulness in schools has received far less empirical attention. The present study makes the case for and reports on the preliminary development and validation of a new, 15-item, multidimensional, self-report…

Three methodological approaches were applied to understand the role of interest and self-efficacy in reading and/or writing in students without and with persisting specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in literacy. For each approach students in grades 4 to 9 completed a survey in which they rated 10 reading items and 10 writing items on a Scale 1…

The present study investigates whether gender-related public self-consciousness moderates the relationship between students' gender and emotions in mixed-gender physical education classes. The Positive and Negative Affect Scales and the Gender-related Public Self-Consciousness Scale were administered to 380 middle-school students in South Korea.…

The study utilized a quantitative multiple regression research design looking at the association between home technology use to complete school work and student achievement scores as measured on an online diagnostic assessment. Despite a tremendous amount of literature studying the potential effect of home use of technology on student achievement,…

This research examines the relationship between ethnicity, ethnic identity, self-efficacy, and academic achievement within a multi-ethnic mid-sized city in the US Midwest. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, middle and high school adolescents (Fall, N = 482; Spring, N = 392) were surveyed and interviewed over the course of one year to investigate…

This study explored predictors of adolescent problem behavior utilizing panel data from the National Youth Policy Institute. Data were collected from June 2013 to August 2013 from 3195 middle school students living in 15 cities of South Korea. Data were analysed using hierarchical regression in two steps. The first step included gender and school…

The middle level years continue to be of significant concern to educational stakeholders, policymakers, theorists, and researchers. Chief among this concern is the degree to which middle level students adapt to the middle level climate and eventually begin to feel attached to or a sense of belonging at their school. The research literature has…

Learners encounter science in a wide variety of contexts beyond the science classroom which collectively could be quite influential on student attitudes and abilities. But relatively little is known about the relative influence of different forms of informal science experiences, especially for the kinds of experiences that students typically…

Using an international educational database, PISA 2009, this study investigates and analyzes 15-year-old students' attitudes toward school in 11 Asia-Pacific units (country, city, or area). For each unit, the study demonstrates four types of students' attitudes toward school, compares male and female students, and examines the relationships of the…

This study examined the reliability and validity of a parent rating scale, the "Self-Regulation Strategy Inventory: Parent Rating Scale" ("SRSI-PRS"), using a sample of 451 parents of sixth- and seventh-grade middle-school students. Principal axis factoring (PAF) analysis revealed a 3-factor structure for the 23-item SRSI-PRS:…

The aim of this study was to examine how well seventh grade students' engagement in science can be predicted by their achievement goals. For the specified purpose, a correlational research design was utilized. Data were obtained from 153 seventh grade students through administration of Achievement Goal Questionnaire and Engagement Questionnaire.…

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of discrepancies between teachers' perceptions of students' motivation and students' reports of their motivation on math and English grades and to identify possible gender and ethnic differences. Participants included 215 low-income, ethnic-minority students and their teachers in academically…

This study investigated the use of a student evaluation of teaching survey designed by a suburban school district. Several statistical methodologies were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the instrument. One hundred sections of grades 6-8 reading and mathematics courses were used to examine the research question: Is the Student…