Abstracts - Earli

Effects of age and schooling on the development of intellectual performance: Estimates obtainedfrom analysis of continuous variation in age and length of schoolingChristina Cliffordson, University of Gothenburg, SwedenIn the study, the relative effects of age and schooling on intellectual performance, taking tracks ofstudy into account, is examined. The analyses were based on military enlistment test scoresobtained by 48 269 males. The battery contains four tests (Instructions, Synonyms, Metal foldingand Technical Comprehension), and measure Fluid ability (Gf), Crystallized intelligence (Gc), andGeneral visualization (Gv) ability. A regression method, relying on simultaneous variation in ageand length of schooling at the time of the testing that allows separation of the relative amount ofinfluence of age and schooling, was used. In the models, test scores constitute the dependentvariable and age and length of schooling, measured in days, constitute the independent variables.The results indicate that both age and schooling increase intellectual performance, even if theschooling effects generally are considerably stronger. The trucks with technical and natural scienceorientation caused the generally strongest total improvements. The schooling effects are, however,between two- and fivefold as strong as the effects of age. The strongest effects are shown for theSynonyms and Technical comprehension tests, which constitute the poorest measures of Gf, butare also measures of Gc and Gv, respectively.B 628 August 2007 17:30 - 18:50Room: 1.71 PóczaPaper SessionMotivational, social and affective processesChair:Marcel Crahay, Universite de Geneve, SwitzerlandMultiple goals : an investigation of developmental trends and learning outcomes in a Hong Kongeducational contextDavid Watkins, University of Hong Kong, Hong KongThis paper reports a study of multiple motivational goals and their relationship to learningstrategies, self-attributes, and achievement. It extends previous research by being a longitudinalstudy in a non-Western setting and by considering social goals as well as mastery and performancegoals as possible multiple goals. The participants were 697 Hong Kong secondary school children.Measures were obtained at two times points twelve months apart of their academic goals andlearning strategies. Their academic achievement was also obtained. A median split was used toassign each participant to one of eight motivational groups: 2 (high - low) x 3 goal types.Multivariate analysis showed that for achievement there were no significant main or interactioneffects. For learning outcomes a Time main effect was found for achieving strategy only butsignificant differences were for the Motivation group main effects but not for the interactions (notethe latter would be evidence of multiple goals). For the self-attributes again only significant maineffects were found. The findings did not support traditional multiple goal theory let alone itsextension to include social goals or the particular benefits of a strong mastery goal orientation interms of associated deeper learning strategies or more positive self-attributes. Rather it seems that– 81 –