Abstracts - Earli

changes in motivation and well-being were more positive after the transition than before, and thatthose changes were more pronounced among the vocational students. Increase in mastery-focusedorientations was associated with positive changes in well-being, whereas an increase inperformance- and avoidance-focused orientations was related to negative changes in well-being.The findings add to our understanding of the consequences of adopting certain achievement goalorientations, and provide new insights into the question of what constitutes adaptive motivation.Developmental differences between student following different academic tracks will be discussedin terms of person-environment fit.Middle-adolescents’ goal orientations and identity formation stylesAvi Kaplan, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelHanoch Flum, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelThis study aimed at investigating the relations between middle-adolescents’ academic goalorientations towards their enhanced subject in high-school and their identity formation styles, andmore specifically their coping styles in dealing with identity issues: avoidance, postponing, closedminded,commitment, and active self-construction. Theoretical hypotheses relate masteryapproachgoal orientation to active self-construction, performance-approach goal orientation tocommitment and perhaps closed-minded, and performance-avoidance goal orientation to closedmindedand perhaps to avoidance. Data from 284 10th graders were analyzed using multidimensionalscaling, and suggested that generally, goal orientations were associated withcommitment rather than avoidance of engaging in identity issues. However, in addition, masteryapproachgoal orientation seem to represent active self-construction, performance goals did notrepresent identity styles, and mastery-avoidance goal orientation represented a verity of stylesincluding closed-mindedness, self-construction, and even avoidance of engagement in identityissues.A 1928 August 2007 15:00 - 17:00Room: 0.99SymposiumPractices and cultures of assessmentChair: Lucie Mottier Lopez, University of Geneva, SwitzerlandOrganiser: Lucie Mottier Lopez, University of Geneva, SwitzerlandDiscussant: Linda Allal, University of Geneva, SwitzerlandIt is generally acknowledged that the multiple, embedded contexts of teaching-learning practicesmay constraint of facilitate educational change (e.g., Shepard, 2001). The symposium will focuson classroom assessment (formative or summative) tied to "cultures" conceptualized at differentlevels: (a) classroom microcultures in terms of norms and practices co-constructed during teacherstudentsformative interactions in mathematics education (Mottier Lopez), (b) subject mattercultures, in particular teaching English as a foreign language with the implementation of a newpragmatic approach to language learning in secondary school (Raby & Campanale), (c) teachers’expectations, conceptions and practices tied to a national educational reform in primary school(Grange), (d) teachers’ assessment practices and grade retention decisions in primary school in– 56 –