Abstracts - Earli

level. Our third goal was to relate the motivational orientation and perceived competences. Thetwo scales were individually administrated to Portuguese students from sixth trough twelfth grade.We used to evaluate the self-concept, the self-perception profile for adolescents of Harter (1988).This scale provides a profile of student’s perceived competence in different subscales: competencein school, social competence with peers, physical competence in sports, behaviour, physicalappearance and general self-worth. To evaluate the motivation for learning we used the scale ofIntrinsic versus Extrinsic orientation in the classroom of Harter (1980). This scale taps a student’sintrinsic versus extrinsic orientation toward learning and mastery in classroom. Five separatedimensions are defined: challenge curiosity/interest, mastery, judgement and criteria forsuccess/failure. The reliability and factorial validity of the scale of Intrinsic versus Extrinsicorientation in the classroom have been adequately demonstrated. Developmental data revealed thatacross grades 6-9 there is a change from intrinsic to extrinsic on the motivational factor. Acrossgrades 10-12 we verified a tendency for the opposite. On the cognitive-informative factor there is achange from extrinsic to intrinsic, across grades 6-12. We also verified strong correlations betweensome subscales of self-perception (specially academic self-concept)and the different dimensions ofthe motivation.Activities, apreciation, and abstraction: Secondary school mathematics teachers’ beliefs aboutteaching and learning geometryBrenda Strassfeld, NYU/University of Plymouth, USAThis poster focuses on my journey through my doctoral research: investigating high schoolmathematics teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning geometry. Data was collected through520 questionnaires distributed to teachers from four countries. Factor analysis revealed a threecomponent model similar to the three dimensions of Ernest’s model (1991). Three philosophies ofmathematics occur in mathematics teaching (Ernest 1989). They are instrumentalist, Platonist, andproblem solving view of mathematics. The factors extracted in this analysis have correspondinglybeen named: a disposition towards appreciation of geometry, a disposition towards abstraction anda disposition towards activities.Students’ self-presentation strategies and academic achievement.Carlo Tomasetto, University of Bologna, ItalyMaria Cristina Matteucci, University of Bologna, ItalyStarting from the work of Goffman (1959) suggesting that people play roles for audiences, theself-presentation strategies have been studied in hundreds of studies. Self-presentation consists ofthe self’s effort to convey a particular image of itself, or information about itself, to other people(Baumeister, 1999). The idea that people are able to manipulate their image, often to secure somebenefit by making the optimal impression, has been well supported (Leary, 1995). In this case (thestrategic motive for self-presentation) self-presentation is guided by the audience’s beliefs andvalues. The present research is aimed to study self-presentation strategies on students, by the wayof causal ascription. Considering the theory of norm of internality (Dubois, 2003) and the socialmotivational approach (Weiner, 1995; Juvonen, 1996), an experimental study involving 91subjects has been performed. We anticipated that people recognize the function of differentexplanation strategies, in order to make a good impression on others. The results confirm thehypothesis and, particularly, prove the role of effort as normative explanation in school context.Implications of the results for research on impression management and performance appraisal arediscussed.– 662 –