The children of immigrants are often entrusted with the task of interpreting linguistic and cultural information between their native communities and their Anglo American communities, a process called language brokering. Much of the research indicates that the responsibilities of the task positively affect the social and cognitive development of brokers. The present quantitative study examined the social and academic self-efficacy of brokers as they relate to brokering frequency, the ways in which single and dual parent structures affect the bond between the broker and the parent(s), and the ways in which the parent-child bond affects the social and academic self-efficacy of the brokers. There were slight correlation in the results but not a lot of significance.

The United States is experiencing a major shift in the population as more students who are considered ethnic minorities enter the school system. These students are at an increased risk for school failure due to language barriers, challenges with experiencing potential discrimination, and debating their identities across two cultural contexts. Although students who are considered ethnic minorities risk many potential stressors, the literature has shown that ethnic identity is a factor that facilitates positive academic adjustment and engagement among this population. Previous literature has also documented mixed findings regarding the relationship between ethnic identity and school outcomes. The current study explored: (a) the associations between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals among early adolescents, (b) to what extent school belonging moderates the association of ethnic identity with academic efficacy and academic achievement goals, and (c) how associations between ethnic identity and outcomes vary by race (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Other, and White students) and gender. The archival dataset analyzed consisted of data collected from 436 participants in the Adolescent Development Longitudinal Study when they were in the spring of their 6th grade year. Findings revealed significant positive relationships between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals with the exception of performance-avoidance goals. School belonging did not moderate these relationships. Further, group differences (gender, race, and school) in the relationships between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals were not detected among the current sample. Implications for educators and researchers are discussed.

The goal of this study was to investigate if participation in collaborative professional development workshops - on learned helplessness, self-efficacy, and metacognition - would impact teachers' beliefs in their capacity to address students' helplessness. The underlying assumption was that, with deeper understanding of the theoretical background upon which instructional practices should be constructed, teachers would develop a stronger belief that, through their pedagogical practices, they could impact students' individual learning outcomes as well as the classroom environment. In order to achieve this endeavor, an eight-week intervention was conducted in a low-achieving and low SES public school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study's design, development, implementation, and evaluation were oriented by guidelines derived from the formative and design experiment methodology. The study benefited from quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. Triangulation of data showed strong consistency between quantitative and qualitative findings. After the intervention, participating teachers acknowledged implementing the theories in their classrooms. Reported impacts included (a) strengthened teachers' beliefs about their capacity for effective teaching in this school environment; (b) increases in teachers' instructional efficacy and metacognitive abilities; (c) increased capacity to exercise reflective practice through evidence- based self-evaluations; (d) increased capacity to create comprehensive lesson plans including the Nine Events of Instruction (Gagne, 1985), the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation (Jones, 2009), and metacognitive strategies (Schraw, 1998). As teachers implemented the strategies in their classes, they reported positive impacts on the students' interests, attitudes towards classroom activities, and efforts to achieve. / Ph. D.

6 Title: The relationship between teachers' educational styles and the perceived academic efficacy of primary school students Author: PhDr. Mgr. Tomáš Komárek Department: Department of Psychology Supervisor: PhDr. Simona Horáková Hoskovcová, Ph.D. Abstract: The presented doctoral thesis examines the issue of perceived academic efficacy in relation to teachers' educational styles in the transitional period between the first and second half of primary school (equivalent to transition from primary school to secondary school). The main research aim was to test the hypothesis that teachers' educational styles influence the perceived academic efficacy of students using quantitative statistical methods. The second aim was to compare regular schools with schools using the teaching programme 'Step by Step' in both main variables and to determine the extent to which these schools differ. The research sample was comprised of fifth-grade students from both types of schools (N = 896). The data was obtained using three questionnaires: the questionnaire 'Interaction of the teacher and students' examines the teacher's educational style; questionnaires 'Myself as a learner scale' and 'Children self-efficacy scale' focus on measuring the students' perceived academic efficacy. The results confirmed a statistically significant...

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the predictive utility of the achievement goal and Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) frameworks for characterizing Chinese students’ motivation and achievement, and (b) to investigate how Confucian-heritage culture (CHC) may combine with achievement goals or SAL to generate different learning processes and outcomes and to promote optimal motivation. A questionnaire was conducted during a two-week period with over 700 first-year students who took both of the two courses—college English classes for non-English majors and advanced mathematics classes for science students—at a university in northern China. The questionnaire consisted of students’ self-reported demographic information and the instrument that was designed to measure: (a) goal orientations, (b) attitudes towards the specified CHC values, (c) SAL constructs, and (d) two variables widely used in research in this field—metacognitive strategy and school well-being. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the consistency of the extracted factor solutions with the four goal constructs postulated by the 2 x 2 conceptualization, the two SAL contructs posited by the SAL framework, and the five cultural value contructs derived from the literature review. Standard analysis procedures were used to calculate the reliability of the scales and to determine which items should be retained for further analyses. Then regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship of the goal orientation framework and SAL framework to cultural values, school well-being, metacognitive strategies, and grades. Results indicated that the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework was an appropriate model for characterizing the types of achievement goals these Chinese students pursued and for predicting a number of achievement-relevant processes and outcomes, as was the revised two-factor SAL framework for characterizing the different ways students approached their learning and for predicting these learning processes and outcomes. The results supported Chinese students’ multiple goal pursuit in an additive goal pattern, an interactive goal pattern, or a specialized goal pattern to promote their optimal motivation and achievement. The results also provided evidence that CHC values combined with achievement goals or SAL either in an additive or interactive pattern to facilitate Chinese students’ learning processes and outcomes. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 12:20:50.812

Secondary Education reform efforts have focused on perpetual achievement gaps for more than a decade, highlighting the essence of state level standardized test scores in reading and math, among diverse student groups in relation to their white peers. The reauthorization of ESEA (2013), is a reform effort described as the Student Success Act, whereby the expectation of student success is described in terms of all students graduating from high school, both college and career ready. The concept of no child left behind remains at the base of the law, which designates federal funds for education programs designed to ensure equal access to educational opportunities for all students regardless of their demographics. In the 21st century, a major challenge of secondary school reform efforts is to guarantee equal access while supporting overall student success in accelerated learning environments. The major purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of African American high school students’ on their experiences of success in accelerated learning programs, including Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Advanced Program (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB). Other key interest areas of influence on their perceptions of success included academic efficacy, ethnic identity awareness, and future aspirations. The theoretical frameworks of Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1986), Erikson’s (1968) identity development theory, McClelland’s (1961) human motivation theory, Benard’s (1993) resiliency theory, and Phinney’s ethnic identity development model (1992) framed this research study. Using a qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain thick, rich, detailed materials to gain a deep understanding of the self-concepts, beliefs, and views of how African American high school students think about key influences on their success in accelerated learning programs. Data analysis applying a thematic approach through an inductive and interactive systematic process of data coding and analysis generated themes regarding knowledge strengths, academic and cultural diversity, resource systems, stereotypical expectations, future focused, commitment to give back to the community, and networking for progress. Implications for secondary education policy makers include the need for a more comprehensive resource system, to address opportunity gaps in accelerated learning programs, and expectations gaps in the preparedness of diverse students for college and careers. Understanding African American high school students’ experiences of success may assist in fostering an environment of wholeness and inclusion, in turn possibly leading to a full health approach to student success, including the physical, psychological, mental, and spiritual/inspirational aspects of human development for optimal learning and increased academic and overall life success among African American high school students and all diverse student groups.