Abstracts - Earli

the intricacies of defining its properties but with distinguishable goals in mind. The researchpresented by Kempler, Cortina, & Blumenfeld aims at the development and improvement of a newcurriculum which is, at lest to a certain degree, independent of the teacher. The presentations byTamara Murdock and Angela Miller are specifically interested in the motivational atmosphere thatteacher create in the classroom which is at least in part irrespective of the curriculum. Similar toAngela Miller’s presentation, the work by Katrin Rakoczy, Eckhard Klieme & Christine Paulitriangulates inconsistencies between teacher and students in their assessment of the classroom byintroducing systematic observer rating. Interestingly, they used a similar technique as Kempler etal. while asking a very different question. In the Kempler et al. study, the observer ratings are inplace to order to assess teachers’ congruence and the quality of their curriculum’s enactment. Thefinal presentation by Clausen underscores that despite its complexity and the multitude of researchquestions that lead to its measurement, there is a limited number of concepts and constructs ofrelevance and avenues to measure them.Perceptions matter – convergence and divergence of teacher, student and observer reports inmeasuring classroom goal structureAngela D. Miller, University of Kentucky, USAAchievement goal theory focuses on the meaning that students make of learning as well as of thelearning environment which teachers create through their classroom behaviors. Given theconsiderable variability within any classroom in how the classroom goal structure is perceived bythe students, we assume that the students’ perceptions are not only a function of the teacher’sbehavior, but also a result of the students’ own personal histories and personal goals. The purposeof this longitudinal study is to examine the convergence and divergence of student and teacherreports of classroom goal structure over the academic year by contrasting both data sources withstructured observational data. Students and teacher perceptions of classroom goal structures werecollected using the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey at two time points during the academicschool year. Twelve math classrooms were selected from a larger study based on the variability instudents’ perceptions of goal structures at the first measurement point. Three independentobservers completed running records of classroom interactions for a minimum of 4 hours ofobservation time. Observers also completed a rating sheet at the end of each observation blockfocused on major classroom indicators including student-teacher interaction, level of questioning,student on task behavior, and student autonomy. Examination of observer ratings indicated strongagreement with students perception data rather than teacher report in terms of noted teachersbehaviors that indicated performance goal structures (focus on evaluation and grades) and masterygoal structures (focus on effort and learning). The findings suggest that idiosyncratic elements instudents’ assessments of the classroom environment tend to even out when aggregated informationis used.Motivational support in the classroom – different perspectives on instruction and their impact onstudents’ learning motivation in mathematicsKatrin Rakoczy, DIPF Frankfurt, GermanyEckhard Klieme, DIPF Frankfurt, GermanyChristine Pauli, University of Zurich, SwitzerlandAccording to Self-Determination Theory three basic psychological needs determine motivationalprocesses: need for competence, need for autonomy, and need for social relatedness. Severalinstructional features are known to cater to these needs from the students’ perspective: a) thelearning environment that provides the students with real alternatives and choices, b) transparent– 506 –