Abstracts - Earli

P 801 September 2007 11:00 - 12:20Room: 0.79 JánossyPaper SessionMotivationChair:Sanna Järvelä, University of Oulu, FinlandThe influences of classroom context on educational resilienceBridget Ammon, University of Michigan, USAElisabeth De Groot, University of Michigan, USAStuart Karabenick, University of Michigan, USAThis study explored the effects of teacher support, academic press, and classroom mastery focuson students’ motivation and mathematics achievement. These effects of the classroom contextwere framed as potential protective factors in promoting resilience among at-risk SES and ethnicgroups (Gutman, Sameroff, & Cole, 2003). Vietnamese, Hispanic, and Caucasian students (n =644) in grades 7 through 9 participated in the present study. Student ethnicity was found to be abetter predictor of math achievement than SES. Hispanic and Caucasian students were the most atriskin our sample. Among all students, classroom mastery focus predicted student motivation,which in turn predicted changes in math achievement over the course of an academic year. Amongthe at-risk groups, teacher fairness and respect additionally predicted student motivation. Overallthe results indicate that aspects of the classroom can operate as protective factors for motivationalresilience, and the importance of motivation as a mediator between context and changes inachievement.The Effects of autonomy-supportive teaching on students‘ perceived autonomy in learning andacademic functioning: An examination of Self Determination Theory among various SES groups,different ages, boys and girlsHaya Kaplan, Kaye Academic College of Education and Ben Gurion, IsraelAvi Assor, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelGuy Roth, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelYaniv Kanat-Maymon, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelAccording to SDT teachers should support students’ need for autonomy (Deci & Ryan, 2000).Despite recent advances there are still a number of gaps in the evidence demonstrating theimportance of teachers’ support for students’ need for autonomy. This study provides data bearingon three questions: 1) Does autonomy supportive teaching lead to students‘ perceived autonomy inlearning and academic functioning irrespective of students’ SES, their gender or age? 2) Doperceptions of autonomy support promote engagement and achievement by gratifying students’need for autonomy? (What is the mediating, need-related, experience? 3) Do we get effects ofautonomy supporting teaching at both the within and the between classroom levels? Participantswere 850 Israeli students in grades 3-11, from five schools. Students completed questionnaires attwo time-points in the first half of the year. Then, in February teachers rated students’ engagementin learning and reported students’ grades. The scales were developed and validated by Assor andhis colleagues (Assor et al., 2002) and were based, in part, on Ryan and Connell (1989).Reliability coefficients ranged between .77 and .90. An HLM analysis (Lee, 2000) was conducted.Autonomy support by teacher had positive effects on perceived autonomy, engagement and– 837 –