This study tested the motivational and achievement-related factors associated with immigrant adolescents' high educational and occupational aspirations. Adolescents residing in Austria (457 girls; 235 first-generation, 418 second-generation and 238 2.5-generation immigrants) aged 11 to 15 years (M[subscript age] = 12.50, SD[subscript age] = 1.08)…

Complex Problem Solving (CPS) can be defined as those psychological processes that enable a person to achieve goals under complex conditions, which are characterized by their complexity, connectivity, dynamics, lack of transparency, and polytely. Although many hypothesized influences have previously been tested concerning their relevance for the…

Adolescents typically exhibit a marked decline in academic intrinsic motivation throughout their school careers. Following self-determination theory, it is hypothesised that traditional school environments insufficiently satisfy three basic psychological needs of youths during maturation, namely the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness.…

The goals of this study were (1) to identify groups of bullies and victims, (2) to investigate level differences in depression, peer relationships, and academic variables, and (3) to examine how peer relationships and academic variables were associated with depression in these groups. The sample comprised 1,451 students (48.6% girls) aged 10-15…

Achievement goal orientations are important for students' ongoing motivation. Students with a mastery goal orientation show the most advantageous achievement and motivational patterns. Much research has been conducted to identify classroom structures which promote students' mastery goal orientation. The TARGET framework is one example of these…

This study focuses on the goal orientation of students with and without special education needs (SEN) in inclusive schools. Participants were 186 students (110 boys; 76 girls) from Grade 7 (mean age = 13.83). Of these, 93 were diagnosed as having SEN, while the other 93 were mainstream students matched on IQ. Students without SEN scored…

Within only a few years, the use of e-learning has increased rapidly in Austria. In certain subjects, up to 60% of university students report using e-learning platforms at least "sometimes" or "frequently" (Unger & Wroblewski, 2006). Yet, which aspects of e-learning do students consider important for their learning…