Differences in cognitive, motivational and contextual variables between under-achieving, normally-achieving, and over-achieving students: A mixed-effects analysis / Diferencias en variables cognitivas, motivacionales y contextuales entre alumnado con rendimiento menor, igual y mayor al esperado: análisis de efectos mixtos

Background: There are few studies in Spain which analyze the influence of individual, motivational and contextual variables, which might be different between underachieving, normally achieving and overachieving students. Method: A total of 1,398 Spanish high school students participated. Mixed-effects models were used to analyze data. Results: The results showed some evidence of: (a) Partial mediational effect of self-concept on the association between cognitive ability and academic achievement. (b) Higher levels of learning goals in the overachieving group than in the underachieving group, but no differences in achievement and reinforcement goals between groups. (c) Positive effect of learning strategies on attainment, both in the underachieving and the non-underachieving students. (d) Little effect of context variables on academic achievement, both in the underachieving and non-underachieving students. Conclusions: underachieving students seem to employ all the learning strategies considered to a lesser extent than normally and overachieving students. They also have a lower level of learning goals. On the contrary, overachieving students score more highly than under and normally achieving students in almost all of the above factors (AU)

Antecedentes: apenas existen estudios en España que analicen la influencia de variables cognitivas, motivacionales y contextuales capaces de establecer diferencias entre los estudiantes con rendimiento menor, igual y mayor al esperado. Método: participaron 1.398 estudiantes españoles de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Se emplearon modelos de efectos mixtos para el análisis de datos. Resultados: los resultados mostraron evidencia de: (a) efecto mediacional parcial del auto-concepto en la asociación de la habilidad cognitiva y el rendimiento académico; (b) mayores niveles de metas de aprendizaje en el grupo de estudiantes con rendimiento mayor al esperado; (c) efecto positivo de las estrategias de aprendizaje sobre el rendimiento en todos los grupos; (d) efecto pequeño de las variables contextuales sobre el rendimiento en todos los grupos. Conclusiones: los estudiantes con rendimiento menor al esperado emplean en menor medida las estrategias de aprendizaje y las metas orientadas al aprendizaje. Por el contrario, los estudiantes con rendimiento mayor al esperado muestran niveles superiores que el resto de grupos en la mayor parte de variables (AU)

Differences in cognitive, motivational and contextual variables between under-achieving, normally-achieving, and over-achieving students: A mixed-effects analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies in Spain which analyze the influence of individual, motivational and contextual variables, which might be different between underachieving, normally achieving and overachieving students. METHOD: A total of 1,398 Spanish high school students participated. Mixed-effects models were used to analyze data. RESULTS: The results showed some evidence of: (a) Partial mediational effect of self-concept on the association between cognitive ability and academic achievement. (b) Higher levels of learning goals in the overachieving group than in the underachieving group, but no differences in achievement and reinforcement goals between groups. (c) Positive effect of learning strategies on attainment, both in the underachieving and the non-underachieving students. (d) Little effect of context variables on academic achievement, both in the underachieving and non-underachieving students. CONCLUSIONS: underachieving students seem to employ all the learning strategies considered to a lesser extent than normally and overachieving students. They also have a lower level of learning goals. On the contrary, overachieving students score more highly than under and normally achieving students in almost all of the above factors.

Psychometric properties for the Spanish adaptation of the school attitude assessment survey-revised / Propiedades psicométricas de la adaptación española de la Actitud Escuela Evaluación Encuesta-Revisado

BACKGROUND: The assessment of attitudes toward school with the objective of identifying adolescents who may be at risk of underachievement has become an important area of research in educational psychology, although few specific tools for their evaluation have been designed to date. One of the instruments available is the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R). METHOD: The objective of the current research is to test the construct validity and to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the SAAS-R. Data were collected from 1,398 students attending different high schools. Students completed the SAAS-R along with measures of the g factor, and academic achievement was obtained from school records. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance tests supported the validity evidence. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the Spanish version of the SAAS-R is a useful measure that contributes to identification of underachieving students. Lastly, the results obtained and their implications for education are discussed

ANTECEDENTES: la evaluación de las actitudes hacia la escuela con el objetivo de identificar adolescentes que pueden estar en riesgo de tener un rendimiento menor a lo esperado en un área importante de investigación en psicología de la educación, aunque se han diseñado pocos instrumentos de evaluación hasta la fecha. Uno de los instrumentos disponibles es el School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R). MÉTODO: el objetivo de este trabajo es examinar la validez de constructo y analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la Escala Revisada de Evaluación de Actitudes hacia la Escuela (SAAS-R). Los datos se obtuvieron de 1.398 estudiantes que asistían a diferentes institutos de Educación Secundaria. Los estudiantes cumplimentaron el SAAS-R junto con medidas del factor g, y se obtuvo el rendimiento académico de las actas escolares. RESULTADOS: los análisis factorial confirmatorios, el análisis multivariado de la varianza y las pruebas de análisis de varianza sustentaron la evidencia de validez. CONCLUSIONES: los resultados indican que la versión española del SAAS-R es una medida útil que contribuye a la identificación de estudiantes con rendimiento menor a lo esperado. Finalmente, se discuten los resultados y sus implicaciones educativas

Psychometric properties of the Spanish Adaptation of the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of attitudes toward school with the objective of identifying adolescents who may be at risk of underachievement has become an important area of research in educational psychology, although few specific tools for their evaluation have been designed to date. One of the instruments available is the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R). METHOD: The objective of the current research is to test the construct validity and to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the SAAS-R. Data were collected from 1,398 students attending different high schools. Students completed the SAAS-R along with measures of the g factor, and academic achievement was obtained from school records. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance tests supported the validity evidence. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the Spanish version of the SAAS-R is a useful measure that contributes to identification of underachieving students. Lastly, the results obtained and their implications for education are discussed.

An explanatory model of academic achievement based on aptitudes, goal orientations, self-concept and learning strategies.

As a result of studies examining factors involved in the learning process, various structural models have been developed to explain the direct and indirect effects that occur between the variables in these models. The objective was to evaluate a structural model of cognitive and motivational variables predicting academic achievement, including general intelligence, academic self-concept, goal orientations, effort and learning strategies. The sample comprised of 341 Spanish students in the first year of compulsory secondary education. Different tests and questionnaires were used to evaluate each variable, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to contrast the relationships of the initial model. The model proposed had a satisfactory fit, and all the hypothesised relationships were significant. General intelligence was the variable most able to explain academic achievement. Also important was the direct influence of academic self-concept on achievement, goal orientations and effort, as well as the mediating ability of effort and learning strategies between academic goals and final achievement.

An explanatory model of academic achievement based on aptitudes, goal orientations, self-concept and learning strategies

As a result of studies examining factors involved in the learning process, various structural models have been developed to explain the direct and indirect effects that occur between the variables in these models. The objective was to evaluate a structural model of cognitive and motivational variables predicting academic achievement, including general intelligence, academic self-concept, goal orientations, effort and learning strategies. The sample comprised of 341 Spanish students in the first year of compulsory secondary education. Different tests and questionnaires were used to evaluate each variable, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to contrast the relationships of the initial model. The model proposed had a satisfactory fit, and all the hypothesised relationships were significant. General intelligence was the variable most able to explain academic achievement. Also important was the direct influence of academic self-concept on achievement, goal orientations and effort, as well as the mediating ability of effort and learning strategies between academic goals and final achievement (AU)

En el estudio de los factores que intervienen en el proceso de aprendizaje, se han desarrollado distintos modelos estructurales con el fin de ofrecer una explicación de los efectos directos e indirectos que se producen entre el conjunto de variables contempladas en los mismos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue contrastar un modelo estructural de variables cognitivo-motivacionales, predictoras del rendimiento académico, entre las que se incluyeron la inteligencia general, el autoconcepto académico, las orientaciones de meta, el esfuerzo y las estrategias de aprendizaje. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 341 alumnos españoles de primer curso de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Se emplearon distintas pruebas y cuestionarios para la evaluación de cada una de las variables y se aplicó SEM para contrastar las relaciones del modelo inicial. El modelo propuesto obtuvo un ajuste satisfactorio, siendo significativas todas relaciones hipotetizadas. La inteligencia general fue la variable con mayor poder explicativo sobre el rendimiento académico. También destacó la influencia directa del autoconcepto académico sobre el rendimiento, las orientaciones de meta y el esfuerzo, así como la capacidad mediadora del esfuerzo y de las estrategias de aprendizaje entre las metas académicas y el rendimiento final (AU)