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Developmental changes in cognitive persistence and academic achievement between grade 4 and grade 8

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Abstract

This study describes changes in cognitive persistence, a key measure of mastery motivation, between the ages of 10 (grade 4) and 14 (grade 8). Prior research in the field of mastery motivation has focused mainly on early childhood. No longitudinal research findings have been published about age changes in mastery motivation during the school years. The sample of this longitudinal study consisted of 372 students in Hungary and was representative of the Hungarian school population regarding parents’ level of education. Participants were in 25 school classes, each from a different town. The instrument was the cognitive persistence scale of the Hungarian version of the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ). Grade point average (GPA), parents’ level of education, the size of the class and of the town were analyzed as background variables. Cognitive persistence based on students’ self-reports decreased substantially in 61 % of the students, did not change in 33 %, and increased in only 6 % over the four school years. Changes in cognitive persistence correlated with changes in GPA. Significant differences were found among school classes in both the average level of cognitive persistence and in how much it changed. However, neither cognitive persistence nor changes in cognitive persistence correlated with parents’ level of education or town size. Aspects of the school and classroom climate seem to substantially impact changes in students’ cognitive persistence. In addition, this study considered educational applications and for further research.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund OTKA-K83850 application.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of Szeged, 30-34. Petőfi Sándor sgt., Szeged, 6722, Hungary

    Krisztian Jozsa

  2. School of Education, Colorado State University, 209 Education Building, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1588, USA

    George A. Morgan

Authors
  1. Krisztian Jozsa
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  2. George A. Morgan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Krisztian Jozsa.

Additional information

George A. Morgan School of Education, Colorado State University, 240 Education Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1588, USA

http://www.colostate.edu/

Current themes of research:

-Over the past 35 years, I have conducted a program of research on children’s motivation to master skills and solve problems.

-With colleagues in the USA and abroad, I developed the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire used in this study and others.

-I have also published textbooks on research methods and on the use and interpretation of SPSS.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:

Busch-Rossnagel, N. A. & Morgan, G. A. (2013). Introduction to the mastery motivation and self-regulation section. In K. C. Barrett, N. A. Fox, G. A. Morgan, D. J. Fidler, & L. A. Daunhauer. (Eds.) Handbook of self-regulatory processes in development: new directions and international perspectives (pp. 247-264). New York: Psychology Press.

Morgan, G. A., Wang, J., Liao, H.-F, & Xu, Q. (2013). Using the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire to assess mastery motivation of English- and Chinese- speaking children: psychometrics and implications for self-regulation. In K. C. Barrett, N. A. Fox, G. A. Morgan, D. J. Fidler, & L. A. Daunhauer. (Eds.) Handbook of self-regulatory processes in development: new directions and international perspectives (pp. 305-335). New York: Psychology Press.

Wang, P.-J., Morgan, G. A., Hwang, A.-W., & Liao, H.-F. (2013). Individualized behavioral assessments and maternal ratings of mastery motivation in mental-age matched toddlers with and without motor delays. Physical Therapy, 93, 79-87.

Sparks, T. A., Hunter, S. K., Backman, T. L., Morgan, G. A., & Ross, R. G. (2012). Maternal parenting stress and mothers’ reports of their infants’ mastery motivation. Infant Behavior and Development, 35, 167–173. doi:10.1016/j.inbeh.2011.07.002.

MacTurk, R. H., & Morgan, G. A. (Eds.). (1995). Mastery motivation: origins, conceptualizations and applications. Norwood: Ablex.

Krisztian Jozsa Institute of Education, University of Szeged, 30 − 34. Petőfi Sándor sgt., 6722 Szeged, Hungary

http://www.staff.u-szeged.hu/~jozsa/indexe.html

Current themes of research:

-His major field of research is mastery motivation.

-He is interested in age changes in mastery motivation and the relationship between mastery motivation and cognitive development.

-Currently, he works on a computer-based assessment of mastery motivation for 4–8-year olds. He runs preschool and elementary school skills improvement programs in Hungary and has publications in the field of reading comprehension.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:

Józsa, K., & Molnár, É. (2013). The relationship between mastery motivation, self-regulated learning and school success: a Hungarian and wider European perspective. In K. C. Barrett, N. A. Fox, G. A. Morgan, D. J. Fidler, & L. A. Daunhauer (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulatory processes in development: new directions and international perspectives. (pp. 265–304.) New York: Psychology Press.

Janurik, M., & Józsa, K. (2012). Findings of a three months long music training programme. Hungarian Educational Research Journal 2(4),

Józsa, K., & Steklács, J. (2012). Content and curriculum aspects of teaching and assessment of reading. In B. Csapó, & V. Csépe (Eds.), Framework for diagnostic assessment of reading (pp. 129–182). Budapest: Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó.

Nikolov, M., & Józsa, K. (2006). Relationships between language achievements in English and German and classroom-related variables. In M. Nikolov & J. Horvath (Eds.), UPRT University of Pécs Roundtable: empirical studies in english applied linguistics (pp. 179–207). Pécs: Lingua Franca Csoport.

Zsolnai, A., & Józsa, K. (2003). Possibilities of criterion referenced social skill development. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 1, 181–196.

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Jozsa, K., Morgan, G.A. Developmental changes in cognitive persistence and academic achievement between grade 4 and grade 8. Eur J Psychol Educ 29, 521–535 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-014-0211-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-014-0211-z

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