We present results of a randomized controlled study that compared different types of affective messages delivered by pedagogical agents. We used animated characters that were empathic and emphasized the malleability of intelligence and the importance of effort. Results showed significant correlations between students who received more…

This research aimed to develop an assessment tool for students' Positive Experiences about Science (PES). A preliminary version of PSE was developed through literature review, consisting of academic emotion, self-concept, learning motivation, career aspiration, and attitude in science. A pilot test was conducted with 198 students and a main test…

Studies, such as Programme for International Student Assessment 2012, indicate that there are gender based differences in measures of mathematics anxiety, self-concept and self-efficacy among students. In this study we explore self-efficacy, self-concept and mathematics anxiety in a sample of Year 7 and 8 South Australian students to examine if…

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the changes that were found to occur pre- to post intervention in students' cognitive structures (Mills, 2013; Knezek, Christensen, Tyler-Wood, & Periathiruvadi, 2013) continued to persist two years later. Major findings were: a) semantic perception of science and STEM as a career became more…

This study investigated the effect of similarity and reciprocity on dyadic friendship choices. Subjects were 34 third graders and 30 sixth graders. Reciprocal (mutual) and nonreciprocal (nonmutual) friendships were identified through use of the roster sociometric technique, whereby children choose their three best friends from an alphabetized list…

The study investigated self concept, environmental support, environmental availability, and delinquency proneness in 95 gifted sixth grade rural students. Ss were given an Environmental Support/Environmental Availability questionnaire in which environmental support was a measure of perceived parental support divided by the number of activities…

This paper discusses the relation between feelings about body development and other aspects of self-image such as social relations, external mastery and impulse control. The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire was administered to about 400 sixth grade students in two middle class suburban school districts. Results indicate that, compared to boys of the…

Goal theory of achievement motivation provided the framework for an investigation of the relationship among young adolescents' motivational orientation, perceptions of the educational environment, and psychological well-being. One hundred sixty-eight sixth graders' reports of personal achievement goals and perceptions of the school as stressing…

The high school dropout rate is a matter for serious concern. Nationally, dropout prevention programs for at-risk youth have emerged and are increasing. In response to this situation a model middle school dropout prevention program was implemented for a small city public school system. This study assessed the effectiveness of the first year of the…

The study examined the self-concept of rural elementary children to ascertain if differences occur according to sex. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was used to determine cluster scores on: behavior, intellectual and school status, physical appearance and attributes, anxiety, popularity, and happiness and satisfaction. Administered…

To determine the multivariate relationships of measures of convergent thinking, divergent thinking, and self-concept with reading achievement was the purpose of this study. Measures of verbal divergent thinking and self-concept were administered to 188 fourth and sixth grade students from an urban, lower middle class elementary school. Reading…

Focusing on the point that female identities continue to form using the reference point of the male image or identity, a study juxtaposed a qualitative research project and the expressions of patriarchy represented in two television milk commercials. Subjects, 12 sixth-grade girls at a small Catholic elementary school in central New York, were…

To study the effects of motivation on cognition, 55 fifth- and sixth-grade students were randomly assigned to 3 motivational treatment groups: (1) ego-involved (ability oriented); (2) task-involved (mastery oriented); and (3) control (no orientation). The ego-involvement treatment attempted to make subjects feel that their abilities on the tasks…

The purpose of this educational research project is to assess whether teachers actually encourage and foster (invite) their elementary students to solve problems. Teacher invitations are verbal and nonverbal messages sent to students either intentionally or unintentionally. Teacher invitations are significant because they indicate the teacher's…

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between self-esteem and achievement and to explain why changes in self-esteem have not resulted in changes in achievement. It is postulated that self-esteem affects achievement indirectly through the medium of coping skills. Data from a study of 1657 students in 53 sixth grade classrooms in…