The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of variations in the levels of self-focus and general and task-specific self-concepts of ability on performance, effort, and continuing interest. It was hypothesized that in addition to a main effect for self-focus, there would be an interaction among level of self-focus and general and task-specific self-concept of ability. It was further hypothesized that the difference in outcome measures would be greater when task-specific self-concept of ability and self-focus were considered than when general self-concept of ability and self-focus were involved. / A total of 129 ninth and tenth graders from a high school in a small southern city participated in the study. Premeasures of reading and problem solving ability and test anxiety were collected and used as covariates. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the high self-focus group, students were told that performance scores achieved while completing a computer-based lesson and a posttest, would be made available to classmates via the lesson's online management system. This system was said to produce a rank-ordered list based on several performance criteria, and would allow social comparisons of performance. Additionally, a video camera was present during treatment sessions to increase the levels of self-focus among participants. In the low self-focus group, subjects were told that their performances would be more private, and no video camera was used. On task behavior in both groups was recorded as a measure of effort. All students completed a posttest and an interest survey. / The treatment effects for performance, effort, and interest were analyzed using ANCOVA. The results indicate that students in the high self-focus group performed more poorly on the lesson posttest, and expended less effort than students in the low self-focus group. The results obtained were not conclusive, but they suggest that instructional practices that invoke high levels of self-focus may impair some types of performance and the amount of effort expended by learners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3480. / Major Professor: John Keller. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76764 |
| Contributors | Lombardo, Charles J., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 161 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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