This study investigated the predictive validity of school-subject-specific self-concepts of ability, intrinsic task values, and cost (operationalized as task effort) for motivation regarding unclassified novel learning content--a fictional project management course--as a function of perceived similarity between school subject and novel learning…

Students' school success and general well-being can improve when they believe in their academic abilities and are aware of the purpose of their studies. This paper explores the development of Icelandic students' academic self-concept and sense of purpose in their learning. The focus is directed at the period from the end of compulsory school…

This article explores the tensions between the concept of powerful knowledge, developed by social realist scholars Michael Young, Leesa Wheelahan and others, and the history of thinking about school subject English. In it I outline why, since its inception, the study of literature has had an ambivalent relationship with the notion of academic…

In this study I examine the academic self-concept (ASC) of students who changed from vocational to academic tracking at the transition to upper secondary education in Germany. I ask (1) how their ASC differs to the ASC of their established peers in academic tracking, and (2) how their ASC is affected by the change in the learning environment.…

Classroom climate has been considered as an important factor influencing students' learning motivation, achievement and psychological and behavioural health in schools. With the data from German National Educational Panel Study and the latent profile approach, we explored students' perception of German classroom climate including learning and…

Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing…

Undergraduate research experiences can have a powerful impact on career aspirations and research skills, particularly among students from historically underrepresented groups. This study explores the conference-going experiences of first-generation, Mexican American undergraduates from migrant/seasonal farmworker backgrounds in the College…

Contribution: This article illustrates a theoretical model and an analytical tool for understanding the influence of diverse elements of the project-based learning (PBL) environment on engineering identity development in students. Supportive elements in three dimensions that contribute to students' identities as future engineers are identified to…

Motivation and self-concept count among the educationally most relevant factors and the evaluation of many educational interventions requires their valid measurement. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the Students' Approaches to Learning questionnaire measuring 10 distinct motivational and…

In this article we introduce key concepts from critical psychology to explore their potential when operationalised in qualitative, empirically-based analyses of career guidance and counselling. Critical psychology is particularly concerned with understanding the concrete lines of action that can support generalised human agency -- a focus that is…