This case study examines students' perception, motivation, and learning gain of a teaching unit featuring wireless sensors as tools to collect scientific data in the classroom. Students analyze data using the corresponding cellphone app, communicate findings to the class, and learn about a changing environment. Wireless sensors are produced for…

The following survey study uses a quantitative research design to investigate motivational and affective aspects of students (aged 14-17) in a mathematical workshop on graph theory. Motivational and affective aspects are related to heart rate measurement (using the digital medium of a pulse watch) in mathematical knowledge development processes in…

In their recently renamed theory, situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), Eccles and Wigfield (2020) emphasized the importance of situations in influencing individuals' motivational beliefs and academic choices. Adopting a novel approach--network analysis--this study aimed to examine how situations may impact the associations among expectancies,…

The relationship between students' subject-specific academic self-concept and their academic achievement is one of the most widely researched topics in educational psychology. A large proportion of this research has considered cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs), oftentimes synonymously referred to as reciprocal effects models (REMs), as the gold…

Introduction: Studies have investigated the beginning of the decline in motivation during the transition of students to secondary school, with a low point in year 9. However, there are only a few studies that have researched the course of learning and achievement motivation separately for high-tracking school students, although--following the…

Can immigrant school students profit from an immigrant teacher sharing their minority background? We investigate preservice teachers' (Study 1; M[subscript age] = 26.29 years; 75.2% female) and school students' (Study 2; M[subscript age] = 14.88 years; 49.9% female) perceptions of a teacher as well as immigrant school students' learning gains…

Formative assessment has been long emphasised as a powerful means for enhancing science learning. However, there is still a lack of research to investigate the impacts of formative assessment on both students' motivational beliefs and behaviours in science learning. This study examined such impacts using data from six Western and six East Asian…

Stage-Environment Fit Theory underlines the role of learning environments and their match with students' needs as crucial for students' motivation and learning. This study explores the mediation role of goal orientations in the interplay of academic self-concept and achievement in mathematics and verbal domains in student-directed and…

Studies have shown that teacher perceptions of student achievement influence teacher-student interactions, subsequently affecting student outcomes. However, teachers may also take note of and respond to the motivation and engagement of their students in a differential way, which could affect student outcomes as well. In the present study, we thus…

Educational science has consistently examined what drives adolescents to aspire to occupations in math-related fields -- and which factors, such as gender stereotypes, may drive them away. In this study, we utilized a large longitudinal data set (N = 1,092) to test whether past grades, gender, and the math level of mothers' and fathers'…

For plant identification in school biology, many digital and analogue identification methods have been developed to make this demanding and little motivating process more student-orientated. In this experimental field study, we examine two empirically developed tools: the digital identification app "ID-Logics' and the paper-based key,…

All over the world, educational science outreach programs in which students can perform laboratory work have been developed. A common goal of these programs is to counteract students' decreasing motivation in STEM education. In Germany, several outreach science labs have been established over the last 20 years. It is assumed that the…

Students' intrinsic motivation to read, which is relevant to all forms of learning, tends to decline throughout secondary school. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines whether this downward trend is slowed when students perceive greater autonomy support in the classroom. We used large-scale panel data from the NEPS…

To examine developmental processes, intervention effects, or both, longitudinal studies often aim to include measurement intervals that are equally spaced for all participants. In reality, however, this goal is hardly ever met. Although different approaches have been proposed to deal with this issue, few studies have investigated the potential…

Nature conservation and environmental protection are not only visible in the media, but also play a role in the everyday life of young people, as evidenced by 'Fridays for Future', a demonstration for climate justice. To facilitate the embedding of conservation in school contexts, this study addresses the ideas and approaches which students have…