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Fostering student motivation is an important educational goal. However, motivation in the classrooms is rather heterogeneous, particularly in mathematics and physics. This study examines the potential of (textbook) tasks to promote student motivation. Based on self-determination theory (SDT) and theory of interest , a low-inference coding scheme was developed and validated by applying the framework of item response theory (IRT) to assess the motivational potential of tasks. Current ninth grade mathematics and physics tasks ( N = 254 task units) were analyzed using the categories differentiated instruction, real-life context, autonomy support, competence support , and support for relatedness . Additionally, differences between mathematics and physics tasks were examined. Results indicate the coding scheme’s high interrater reliabilities and empirical validity. Furthermore, we found only a low occurrence of motivational features in mathematics and physics tasks, with few subject-specific differences in favor of mathematics. The coding scheme can contribute to optimizing motivation-supportive instructional designs.
Abstract
Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds tend to have more negative self-perceptions. More negative self-perceptions are often related to lower academic achievement. Linking these findings, we asked: Do children’s self-perceptions help explain socioeconomic disparities in academic achievement around the world? We addressed this question using data from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, including n = 520,729 records of 15-year-old students from 70 countries. We studied five self-perceptions (self-perceived competency, self-efficacy, growth mindset, sense of belonging, and fear of failure) and assessed academic achievement in terms of reading achievement. As predicted, across countries, children’s self-perceptions jointly and separately partially mediated the association between socioeconomic status and reading achievement, explaining additional 11% (Δ R 2 = 0.105) of the variance in reading achievement. The positive mediation effect of self-perceived competency was more pronounced in countries with higher social mobility, indicating the importance of environments that “afford” the use of beneficial self-perceptions. While the results tentatively suggest self-perceptions, in general, to be an important lever to address inequality, interventions targeting self-perceived competency might be particularly effective in counteracting educational inequalities in countries with higher social mobility.