Non-Cognitive Attributes: Measurement and Meaning

Mary Ainley; John Ainley

doi:10.4135/9781526470379.N7

Non-Cognitive Attributes: Measurement and Meaning

Mary Ainley, John Ainley

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

This chapter discusses the development of motivational constructs that have been used in international comparative studies of reading, mathematics, and science. Their chapter pays particular attention to the achievement paradox first observed in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), in which the average level of achievement of a country is negatively related to the average level of interest in a subject; whereas, within countries, the relationship between interest and achievement is positive. Attempts to explain this paradox by examining biases in student reporting on the various attitude and achievement scales were unsuccessful. The chapter proposes that cultural differences in the conception of attitudes explain the paradox. Cultural values provide a context within which students develop attitudes to schooling domains. This is exemplified in the degree to which science and technology have been adopted and are embedded in the culture and reflected in access to science-relevant learning opportunities.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Sage Handbook of Comparative Studies in Education
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526470379.N7
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2019

Keywords

Academic achievement
Cultural differences
International comparisons
Measurement
Non-cognitive attributes
Student attitudes

Disciplines

Educational Psychology
Cognitive Psychology

Access to Document

10.4135/9781526470379.N7Licence: Unspecified

https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526470379.N7

Cite this

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title = "Non-Cognitive Attributes: Measurement and Meaning",

abstract = " This chapter discusses the development of motivational constructs that have been used in international comparative studies of reading, mathematics, and science. Their chapter pays particular attention to the achievement paradox first observed in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), in which the average level of achievement of a country is negatively related to the average level of interest in a subject; whereas, within countries, the relationship between interest and achievement is positive. Attempts to explain this paradox by examining biases in student reporting on the various attitude and achievement scales were unsuccessful. The chapter proposes that cultural differences in the conception of attitudes explain the paradox. Cultural values provide a context within which students develop attitudes to schooling domains. This is exemplified in the degree to which science and technology have been adopted and are embedded in the culture and reflected in access to science-relevant learning opportunities. ",

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author = "Mary Ainley and John Ainley",

note = "Educational practices have changed in the last few decades, and with the evolution of technology, the ways in which exchange of information and learning are Ainley, M., & Ainley, J. (2019). Non-Cognitive Attributes: Measurement and Meaning. In L. E. Suter, E. Smith & B. D. Denman (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Comparative Studies in Education (Chapter 6). SAGE Publishing, pp. 103-125. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526470379",

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