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Are teachers’ approaches to teaching responsive to individual student variation? A two-level structural equation modeling

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Abstract

In the framework of teacher’s approaches to teaching, this study investigates the relationship between student-related variables (i.e., study time, class absence, domain knowledge, and homework completion), students’ approaches to learning, and teachers’ approaches to teaching using structural equation modeling (SEM) with two independent data samples. The participants were 61 biology teachers and their corresponding 1,518 high school students (12th grade). The first sample was used to fit the model, and the second sample was used to analyze the consistency of the data derived from the first sample. Using a two-level SEM analysis, we established whether the effects found at the individual level varied significantly at class level. The students’ approaches to learning were related to the teachers’ approaches to teaching as a function of the hypotheses established in the model, although the effect size was smaller than expected. However, approximately 48 % of the variance of the surface approach and 46 % of the deep approach sat at class level. At the individual level, the results of this study suggest that students’ approaches to learning significantly explain their teachers’ approaches to teaching and, thus, constitute important contextual variables. At the class level, the way students learn appears to be closely associated with class-related variables. Our data stresses the importance of promoting educational opportunities (e.g., school-based courses) for teachers to reflect upon the teaching methodologies used in class.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Pedro Rosário, Olímpia Paiva & Ricardo Pinto

  2. Universidad de Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

    José Carlos Núñez & Guilermo Vallejo

  3. University of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain

    António Valle

  4. Universidad Central de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Sonia Fuentes

Authors
  1. Pedro Rosário
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  2. José Carlos Núñez
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  3. Guilermo Vallejo
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  4. Olímpia Paiva
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  5. António Valle
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  6. Sonia Fuentes
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  7. Ricardo Pinto
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Correspondence to Pedro Rosário.

Additional information

Pedro Rosário. Psychology Department of University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.E-mail: prosario@psi.uminho.pt, Web site: www.guia-psi.com

Current themes of research:

Self-regulated learning. Programs to enhance self-regulation. Study skills and approaches to learning. Homework.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Rosário, P., Lourenço, A., Paiva, O., Valle, A., & Tuero-Herrero, E. ( 2012). Predicción del rendimiento en matemáticas: efecto de variables personales, socioeducativas y del contexto escolar. Psicothema, 24(2), 289-295.

Rosário, P., Lourenço, A., Paiva, O., Núnez, J., González-Pienda, J. & Valle, A. (2012). Autoeficacia y utilidad percibida como condiciones necesarias para un aprendizaje académico autorregulado. Anales de Psicologia, 28 (1), 37-44.

Rosário, P. Mourão, R., Trigo, L., Suárez, N., Fernández, E. & Tuero-Herrero, E. (2011). Uso de diarios de tareas para casa en el inglés como lengua extranjera: evaluación de pros y contras en el aprendizaje autorregulado y rendimiento. Psicothema, 23(4), 881-887.

Rosário, P., Núñez, J. C., González-Pienda, J., Valle, A., Trigo, L., & Guimarães, C. (2010). Enhancing self-regulation and approaches in first-year college students: A narrative-based program assessed in the Iberian Peninsula. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 25, 411-428.

Rosário, P., Costa, M., Núñez, J.C., González-Pienda, J., Solano, P., & Valle, A. (2009). Academic Procrastination: Associations with personal, school, and family variables. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 12(1), 118-127.

José Carlos Núñez. Psychology Department of University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, España. E-mail: jcnunezperez@gmail.com;Web site: www.uniovi.es/zope/departamentos/Psicologia

Current themes of research:

Self-regulated learning. Motivation in higher education. Approaches to learning. Homework and school achievement. Assessment.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Núnez, J. C., González-Pienda, J., Rodríguez, C., Valle, A., González-Cabanach, R. & Rosário, P. (2011). Multiple Goals Perspective in Adolescent Students with Learning Difficulties. Learning Disability Quarterly, 34, 273-286.

Núnez, J. Cerezo, R., González-Pienda, J., Rosário, P., Valle, A., Fernández, E. & Suárez, N. (2011). Implementation of training programs in self-regulated learning strategies in Moodle format: Results of a experience in higher education. Psicothema, 23(2), 274-281.

Rosário, P., Núñez, J. C., González-Pienda, J., Valle, A., Trigo, L., & Guimarães, C. (2010). Enhancing self-regulation and approaches in first-year college students: A narrative-based program assessed in the Iberian Peninsula. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 25, 411-428.

Valle, A., Cabanach, R.G., Rodríguez, S., Núñez, J.C., González-Pienda, J.A., Solano, P., & Rosário, P. (2007). A motivational perspective on the self-regulated learning in higher education. In P. B. Richards (Ed.), Global issues in higher education (pp. 99-125). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Valle, A., Núñez, J. C., Cabanach, R., González-Pienda, J., Rodríguez, S., Rosário, P., Cerezo, R., & Muñoz-Cadavid, M. (2008). Self-Regulated Profiles and Academic Achievement. Psicothema, 20(4), 724-731.

Guillermo Vallejo. Psychology Department of University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, España. E-mail: gvallejoseco@gmail.com

Current themes of research:

Linear mixed models, with an emphasis on longitudinal data analysis. Specific areas of investigation include statistical approaches to assessing the effects of multicolineality. Heteroscedasticity on inference, selecting, and multilevel models.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Núñez, J.C., Vallejo, G., Rosário, P., Tuero-Herrero, E., & Valle, A. (in press). Variables from the students, the teachers and the school context predicting academic achievement: A multilevel perspective. Journal of Psychodidactics.

Vallejo, G., Tuero-Herrero, E., Núñez, J. C. & Rosário, P. (in press). Performance evaluation of recent information criteria for selecting multilevel models in behavioral and social sciences. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology.

Núñez, J. C., Rosário, P., Vallejo, G. & González-Pienda, J. A. (2013). A longitudinal assessment of the effectiveness of a school-based mentoring program in middle school. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38, 11-21.

Livacic-Rojas, P., Vallejo, G., Fernández, M. P. & Tuero-Herrero, E. (2013). Covariance structure selection and Type I error rates in split-plot designs. Methodology: Journal of Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, 9, 129-136.

Vallejo, G., Fernández, M. P., Livacic-Rojas, P. E., & Tuero-Herrero, E. (2011). Comparison of modern methods for analyzing unbalanced repeated measures data with missing values. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 46, 900-937.

Olímpia Paiva. Psychology Department of Psychology, E-mail: olimpiapaiva0212@gmail.com; Web site: www.guia-psi.com

Current themes of research:

Self-regulated learning. Approaches to learning. Higher education.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Rosário, P., González-Pienda, J. A., Pinto, R., Ferreira, P., Lourenço, A. & Paiva, O. (2010). Efficacy of the program “Testas’s (mis)adventures” to promote the deep approach to learning. Psicothema, 22 (4), 828-834.

Rosário, P., Lourenço, A., Paiva, O., Núnez, J., González-Pienda, J. & Valle, A. (2012). Autoeficacia y utilidad percibida como condiciones necesarias para un aprendizaje académico autorregulado. Anales de Psicologia, 28 (1), 37-44.

Rosário, P., Lourenço, A., Paiva, O.,Valle, A., & Tuero-Herrero, E. ( 2012). Predicción del rendimiento en matemáticas: efecto de variables personales, socioeducativas y del contexto escolar. Psicothema, 24(2), 289-295.

Antonio Valle. Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071, A Coruña, España. E-mail: vallar@udc.es;Web site:http://www.udc.es/dep/psee

Current themes of research:

Goals. Self-regulated learning. Higher education. School achievement.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Valle, A., Rodríguez, S., J. C. Núñez, J.C., Cabanach, R., González-Pienda, J. A. & Rosário, R. (2010). Motivación y Aprendizaje Autorregulado. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 44, 1, 86-97.

Valle, A., Núñez, J.C., Cabanach, R., González-Pienda, J., Rodríguez, S., & Rosário, P. (2009). Academic Goals and Learning Quality in Higher Education Students. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 12(1), 96-105.

Valle, A., Núñez, J. C., Cabanach, R., Rodríguez, S., González-Pienda, J., & Rosário, P. (2009) Perfiles Motivacionales en Estudiantes de Secundaria: Análisis Diferencial en Estrategias Cognitivas, Estrategias de Autorregulación y Rendimiento Académico. Revista Mexicana de Psicología, 26 (1), 113-124.

Valle, A., Cabanach, R.G., Núñez, J.C., González-Pienda, J.A., Rodríguez, S., & Piñeiro, I. (2003). Multiple goals, motivation and academic learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 71-87.

Núnez, J. C., González-Pienda, J., Rodríguez, C., Valle, A., González-Cabanach, R. & Rosário, P. (2011). Multiple Goals Perspective in Adolescent Students with Learning Difficulties. Learning Disability Quarterly, 34, 273-286.

Sonia Fuentes. Universidad Central de Chile, Toesca 1783 Santiago, Chile.

Current themes of research:

Self-regulated learning. Higher education. School achievement. Elementary school.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Rosário, P.; Núñez, J. C., Trigo, L., Guimarães, C., Fernández, E., Cerezo, R.. Fuentes, S., Orellana, M., Santibáñez, A., Fulano, C., Ferreira, A., Figueiredo, M. (in press). Transcultural analysis of the effectiveness of a program to promote self-regulated learning in Mozambique, Chile, Portugal, and Spain. Higher Education Research and Development.

Rosário, P., Pereira, A., Núñez, J.C., Cunha, J., Fuentes, S., Polydoro, S., & Gaeta, M. (2013). Non-traditional university students at University: an explanatory model of the intention to continue studying. Psicothema.

Ricardo Pinto. Universidade do Minho. E-mail: rmnpslb@gmail.com.

Current themes of research:

Self-regulated learning. Approaches to learning. ICT.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education (max: 5):

Rosário, P., González-Pienda, J. A., Pinto, R., Ferreira, P., Lourenço, A. & Paiva, O. (2010). Efficacy of the program “Testas’s (mis)adventures” to promote the deep approach to learning. Psicothema, 22 (4), 828-834.

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Rosário, P., Núñez, J.C., Vallejo, G. et al. Are teachers’ approaches to teaching responsive to individual student variation? A two-level structural equation modeling. Eur J Psychol Educ 29, 577–601 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-014-0214-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-014-0214-9

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