Developmental Psychology 350
Lecture 13
11-1-00
Education and Development
Outline
Intelligence & IQ testing
Assessment of achievement & learning
Cognitive obstacles to understanding
Motivational orientations
Children’s theories about education
Educational reforms
Literacy development
Issues in the Study of Intelligence
Approaches & definitions
Intuitive views
Piagetian views
Information processing
Practical intelligence
Fluid & crystallized
Multiple intelligences
Psychometric approaches
Issues in the Study of Intelligence: Development of IQ tests
Galton - 1884
Binet - 1904
Stanford-Binet test - 1916
Wechsler’s tests of intelligence: WISC, WPPSI, WAIS
Issues in the Study of Intelligence
Is intelligence inherited or learned?
Twin studies
Adoption studies
Intervention studies
Issues in the Study of Intelligence
Uses and Abuses of IQ tests
Screening tool & psychoeducational assessment
Qualification for special services or educational placement
• LD, EMR
• Gifted
What are the goals of K-12 education?
Increase intelligence?
Promote learning?
Vocational training?
College preparation?
Teach life skills?
Enhance self-esteem?
And how do we know if goals are attained?
Assessing Academic Achievement
Grades, report cards, conferences
Teacher-made tests, curriculum tests
Standardized, norm-referenced tests
State-mandated proficiency tests
Performance assessments
Portfolio assessments
Perspectives on Achievement Tests
Policy makers
Administrators
Parents
Teachers
Students
Students’ Views of Standardized Tests
From Karmos & Karmos (1984):
Taking achievement tests is a waste of time - 47%
I think more about getting the test over with than doing well - 36%
There’s no good reason to try to do well on achievement tests - 22%
I don’t try hard on achievement tests - 21%
Students’ Views of Standardized Tests
Developmental trends from Grades 2 -11
From Paris et al. (1991)
Increasing skepticism
Increasing anxiety
Increasing dissatisfaction
Decreasing effort
Increasing negative strategies
Assessment Features
Positive
Self/criterion-ref
Diagnostic
Personal goals
Personal voice
Self-assessment
Reflective
Mastery orientation
Negative
Norm-referenced
Evaluative
Public comparison
Impersonal
External evaluation
Routinized
Performance orientation
Obstacles to Conceptual Understanding
Mindless routines & compliant students
Failure to know or apply appropriate strategies
Inert & decontextualized knowledge
Learning for the test
Some Solutions to Enhance Learning
Process writing
Concept-based, Problem-based, &
Case-based curricula
Personalized projects & info searches
Study strategies to manage:
information
attention
distractions
anxiety
Reading & Thinking Strategies
Before reading
Activate background knowledge
Identify purpose & plans
During reading
Identify & paraphrase main ideas
Monitor comprehension
After reading
Reread selectively
Elaborate key ideas
Motivational Obstacles
Maladaptive attributions
Internal
Ability
Effort
External
Others, Luck
Task Difficulty
Motivational Obstacles
Self-Handicapping Tactics
Cognitive disengagement
Shift blame from self
Invite failure
Guarantee cheap success
Motivational Obstacles
Superficial vs Meaningful Goals
Performance & ego goals
Mastery goals
Social collaboration goals
Motivational Obstacles
Negative Self-Perceptions about:
Ability
Control
Efficacy
Worth
Keys to Intrinsic Motivation
Choice
Control
Challenge
Collaboration
Constructing personal meaning
Consequences that build self-efficacy
Children’s Developing Theories About Education
Incremental vs Entity Theories of Ability
Trade-offs between Effort & Ability
Passive, Compliant vs Active, Self-Regulated roles
Extrinsic vs Intrinsic standards
Transitions from Elementary to Middle School
Authority & Control
Affective Relationships
Instructional Organization
Teacher Efficacy
Academic Content & Challenge
Grading Practices
Negative Consequences of School Transitions
Performance orientation
Intrinsic motivation declines
Attitudes toward school decline
Lower self-esteem
Disrupted social networks
Person x Environment Mismatch
Personal Keys to Successful School Transitions
High but reasonable expectations
Positive values for subjects & success
Mastery orientation
Educational Crises Are Inevitable Because
Education embodies students’ growth & developmental crises
Education is historically & culturally dynamic
Educational practices & public opinions are not always based on scientific evidence
Pendulums of change swing periodically fueled by money, power, & politics
Some Issues in School Reform
Compensatory education programs
Special education & inclusive education
Tracking by ability
Blocked scheduling & integrated units
Inquiry-guided & project-based learning
National standards
Assessment to guide instruction
Teacher education
Literacy learning
Literacy Development
0-4 years
Oral language, vocabulary growth
Word play, rhyming
Metalinguistic & phonemic awareness
Environmental print recognition
Literacy Development
3-6 years
Alphabet recitation
Sound-symbol correspondence
Inventive spelling
Joint storybook reading
Concepts about print
Literacy Development
5-8 years
Story telling, letter writing
Automatic word recognition
Decoding by shape, sound, & context
Interactive-Compensatory Model
(both top-down and bottom-up processes)
Literacy Development
7-12 years
Fluent oral reading & silent reading
Uses strategies for reading and writing
Reads & writes in different genres and with computers
Improving grammar, spelling, & text conventions
Literacy Development
10-18 years
Reading to learn in content areas
Uses study skills & graphic organizers
Searches bibliographic & electronic databases
Motivated, self-regulated strategies
Approaches to Literacy Instruction
Basal readers
Whole language
Language experience approach
Guided reading & strategy instruction
Process writing
Remedial programs
Reading Recovery
Success For All
Key Features of Effective Instruction
Developmentally appropriate practices
Interesting text & shared activities
Constructing & communicating meaning
Skills & strategies for independence
Modeling, practice, & feedback that increase awareness & use of literacy
Collaborative & extended learning
Conclusions
Children’s academic learning reflects:
increasing knowledge organization
increasing strategic problem-solving
increasing awareness & control
Classroom instruction varies in:
learner vs teacher centered responsibility
conceptual vs procedural orientation
Cognitive & motivational obstacles lead to effort avoidance & shallow engagement