Developed, tested, and validated a model of Head Start classroom quality incorporating characteristics and beliefs of teachers and aides and classroom structural dimensions. Found that teacher/aide education level directly affected inappropriate beliefs, which impacted inappropriate instructional activities, which influenced classroom quality.…

Little is known about first generation students whose parents did not attend college and specifically their experiences surrounding educational outcomes of college. This study used structural equation modeling to investigate differences in first generation and non-first generation students using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students…

In this article the relationships between three different types of intrinsic motivation and students' intention to be physically active after school graduation were examined. The participants were 400 school children aged 14-18 years. The modified version of SMS was used to measure the three different types of intrinsic motivation. The intention…

In studying online learning, researchers should examine three critical interactions: instructor-student, student-student, and student-content. Student-content interaction may include a wide variety of pedagogical tools (e.g., streaming media, PowerPoint, and hyperlinking). Other factors that can affect the perceived quality of online learning…

The relative influence of interest and self-efficacy beliefs on each other over 1 year was examined in 2 longitudinal samples of students, 1 of elementary school students (Grade 5, N = 126) and 1 of middle school students (Grade 7, N = 221). Interest and competence ratings on the Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and…

Language learning motivation plays an important role in both research and teaching, yet language learners are still largely understood in terms of North American and European cultural values. This research explored language learning motivation constructs in a Chinese cultural setting, where large numbers of students are required to study English.…

This study was performed to develop and test a theoretical model of the barriers and supports experienced by employees at a major land-grant university that affect their likelihood of incorporating place-based or indigenous knowledge (IK) into their teaching, research, and/or outreach activities. To test this model, we conducted a statewide survey…

Social capital may be particularly important for the well-being and future opportunities of African American adolescents living in low income families. In this study, linkages between interpersonal identity formation and adolescents' perceptions of social capital quality were examined in a cross-sectional study of 374 low income, rural, African…

This study tested two theoretical models of perceived understanding as a potential mediator of perceived teacher confirmation and students' ratings of instruction. Participants included 651 undergraduate students who completed survey measures. Results of structural equation modeling provided greater support for the confirmation process model,…

It has been suggested that students' belief of whether intelligence is malleable and flexible would affect their purpose of achievement (achievement goals). This might, in turn, influence their learning strategies. The present study examined the above relationships among 194 Grade 7 Chinese students in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling…

This research tested a structural equation model of educational outcomes for three socioeconomic status (SES) groups of African-American students enrolled in a community college (total sample of 315). The structural model, which was based on a variant of Tinto's (1987) model, contained two exogenous constructs, educational intentions and…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), offers the most comprehensive picture available of the education system in the United States. The aim of this study is to show the potential value of a linkage between SASS and data on student academic achievement. To achieve this aim, the…

Using cross-sectional data from a cohort of 8th-grade, urban, black youth, several latent-variable structural equation models were tested. Findings underscore the continued primacy of deviance in predicting drug use and the necessity of incorporating affective influences into current cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies for minority youth.…

Used a structural-equation model with latent constructs to differentiate the domains of adolescent emotional autonomy from parents and specify the intervening processes. Found that individuation was associated with lower academic achievement and higher rates of deviant behavior through the intervening effects of higher susceptibility to negative…

Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships among prewar factors, dimensions of war-zone stress, and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology using data from 1,632 female and male participants in the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. Discusses research findings. Recommends more attention be given…