Hand raising is a key student behavior in everyday teacher--student interactions. Using a longitudinal research design, we explored the stability of hand raising and its directional relations with student learner characteristics over time. We observed students' hand-raising behavior using video-recordings of 376 German high school students taken…

The Reciprocal Effects Model (REM) posits that academic self-concept and corresponding achievement measures are reciprocally related over time. Although there is considerable support for the REM based on short-term, narrowly focused educational accomplishments, little research evaluates the long-term implications of this reciprocal pattern of…

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) proposes that students' appraisals of success expectancy and task value are the main drivers of their study and career choices. Dimensional comparison theory proposes that these beliefs are themselves affected by students comparing their ability across different domains. However, only a few studies have aimed to…

Academic acceleration of intellectually precocious youth is believed to harm overall psychological well-being even though short-term studies do not support this belief. Here we examine the long-term effects. Study 1 involves three cohorts identified before age 13, then longitudinally tracked for over 35 years: Cohort 1 gifted (top 1% in ability,…

Understanding how classrooms influence a student's motivation and engagement is a persistent concern in the field of educational psychology. Social-cognitive theories postulate that individual students' perceptions of their environment influence their motivation and subsequent behavior. However, empirical research directly testing the core tenets…

This 14-year prospective study investigated the effect of retention in Grades 1-5 on high school completion (diploma, GED, or drop out). Participants were 734 (52.7% males) ethnically diverse, academically at-risk students recruited from Texas schools into the study when they were in first grade (mean age = 6.57). Propensity score weighting…

Self-concepts of ability (SCA) and intrinsic task values (ITV) are key determinants of students' choice of study program and dropout. Both constructs are multidimensional (i.e., specific to curricular learning content) and hierarchically structured (i.e., aggregate into one or more higher-order factors). The present study investigated German…

Math achievement, math self-concept, and vocational interests are critical predictors of STEM careers and are closely linked to high school coursework. Young women are less likely to choose advanced math courses in high school, and encouraging young women to enroll in advanced math courses may therefore bring more women into STEM careers. We…

A foundation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is critical for students' college and career advancement, but many U.S. students fail to take advanced mathematics and science classes in high school. Research has neglected the potential role of parents in enhancing students' motivation for pursuing STEM courses.…

Students face several challenges when transitioning to a new school level. This necessitates an exploration of the personal features supporting their adjustment, which may provide valuable insights for intervention programs and counseling services at institutions. We employed a sample of 9th- to 10th-grade high school students (N = 255) and 1st-…

Background: There has been increasing interest in growth approaches to students' academic development, including value-added models, modelling of academic trajectories, growth motivation orientations, growth mindsets, and growth goals. Aims: This study sought to investigate the relationships between implicit theories about intelligence…

Background: The Internal-External frame of reference (IE) model suggests that as self-concept in one domain goes up (e.g., English) self-concept in other domains (e.g., mathematics) should go down (ipsative self-concept hypothesis). Aims: To our knowledge this assumption has not been tested. Testing this effect also provides a context for…

Changes in motivation anticipate changes in engagement, but the present study tested the reciprocal relation that changes in students' classroom engagement lead to corresponding longitudinal changes in their classroom motivation. Achievement scores and multiple measures of students' course-specific motivation (psychological need satisfaction,…

The present study revisited the unresolved issue of the long-term effects of part-time working intensity during high school on students' achievement, participation in postsecondary education, time allocation, and work-related values and expectations. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (N = 14,654), the effects of part-time…

Background: A good deal of evidence indicates that students' motivational beliefs and attitudes play a critical role in their academic success. Research studies on how motivational factors may help determine whether students remain in high school or drop out, however, are relatively few. More specifically, there is a lack of research…