On the relationship between perceptions of classroom quality and cognitive flexibility with academic challenge and academic performance among high school students

Authors

1 PhD of Educational Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.

2 MA of Educational Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

3 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

10.22098/jsp.2020.868

Abstract

Rapidly progressive nature of today's world requires upbringing students who prepare themselves to face the new challenges. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between perceptions of classroom quality (appeal, challenge, choice, self-efficacy and meaningfulness) and cognitive flexibility with academic challenge and academic performance among Ize city high school students. To this end, 400 high school students of Ize city were selected by multistage random sampling and then, they completed Perceptions of Classroom Quality Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Scale and challenge subscales of Academic Hardiness Questionnaire. After data collection, path analysis was used to analyze the data. Based on the results, cognitive flexibility, appeal and self-efficacy had a significant relationship with academic challenge and appeal, self-efficacy, meaningfulness had a significant relationship with academic performance. Also, appeal and self-efficacy were significantly related to academic performance with the mediating role of academic challenge. These findings point to the importance of cognitive flexibility and students’ perceptions of the classroom quality, especially self-efficacy appeal in explaining academic challenge and academic performance in educational settings.

Keywords


ابوالمعالی، خدیجه، هاشمیان، کیانوش و اناری، فهیمه (1391). تعیین سهم مولفه‌های ادراک محیط کلاس درس در پیش‌بینی درگیری تحصیلی دانش‌آموزان دختر مقطع متوسطه شهر تهران. فصلنامه اندیشه‌های تازه در علوم تربیتی، 3، 33-19.
امانی، المیرا؛ فدایی، الناز؛ توکلی، مسعود؛ شیری، اسماعیل و شیری، ولی (1396). مقایسه ی برنامه‌ریزی، توجه انتخابی و انعطاف پذیری شناختی در دانش‌آموزان با و بدون اختلال یادگیری خاص (نارسایی خواندن). مجله ناتوانی­های یادگیری، 7(2)، 111-94.
شیربیم، زهرا و شفیع‌آبادی، عبدالله (1388). رابطه بین سلامت روانی و سرسختی روانشناختی. اندیشه و رفتار، 4 (13)، 16-7.
Abdollahi, A., & Noltemeyer, A. (2016). Academic hardiness: Mediator between sense of belonging to school and academic achievement? The Journal of Educational Research, 1-7.
Abolmoali, Kh, Hashemian, K., & Anari, F. (2012). Determining the contribution of classroom perception components to predicting academic engagement in high school female students in Tehran. Journal of New Thoughts in Educational Sciences, 3, 19-33. (Persian)
Amani, E., Fadaei, E., Tavakoli, M., Shiri, E., & Shiri, V. (2018). Comparison among children with specific learning disorder (SLD) and typically children on measures of planning, selective attention and cognitive flexibility. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 7(2), 94-111. (Persian)
Ames, C. (1992). Classroom: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 261–271.
Baek, S. G., & Choi, H. J. (2002). The relationship between students’ perceptions of classroom environment and their academic achievement in Korea. Asia Pacific Education Review, 3 (1), 125–135.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exe rcise of contro l. New York: Freeman.
Banerjee, P. A. (2016).  A systematic review of factors linked to poor academic performance of disadvantaged students in science and math’s in schools. Cogent Education, 3 (1), 1-17.
Barak, M., & Levenberg, A. (2016). Flexible thinking in learning: An individual differences measure for learning in technology-enhanced environments. Computers & Education, 99, 39-52.
Benishek, L. A., & Lopez, F. G. (2001). Development and initial validation of a measure of academic hardiness. Journal of Career Assessment, 9(4), 333-352.
Benishek, L. A., Feldman, J. M. R., Shipon, W., Mecham, S. D., & Lopez, F. G. (2005). Development and evaluation of the Revised Academic Hardiness Scale. Journal of Career Assessment, 13, 59-76.
Bossick, B. E. (2008). An Empirical examination of the relationship between posttraumatic growth and the personality traits of hardiness, sense of coherence, locus of control, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism. A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Akron.
Chae, Y., & Gentry, M. (2011). Gifted and general high school students’ perceptions of learning and motivational constructs in Korea and the United States. High Ability Studies, 22 (1), 103-118.
Chen, W. W. (2015). The relations between perceived parenting styles and academic achievement in Hong Kong: The mediating role of students’ goal orientations. Learning and Individual Differences, 37, 48–54.
Creed, P. A., Conlon, E. G., & Dhaliwal, K. (2013). Revisiting the academic hardiness scale revision and revalidation. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 537–554.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow, The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York (HarperPerennial).
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Where is Creativity? In Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention (1st ed. pp. 23–50). New York: HarperCollins.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., Rathunde, K., & Whalen, S. (1993). Talented teenagers: The roots of success and failure. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Delano-Wood, L. M. (2002). The relationship between cognitive flexibility, depression, and anxiety in older adults. The thesis of master degree. Michigan State University.
Feldhusen, J. F., & Kroll, M. D. (1991). Boredom or challenge for the academically talented in school. Gifted Education International, 7, 80–81.
Gentry, M., & Owen, S. V. (2004). Secondary student perceptions of classroom quality: Instrumentation and differences between advanced/honors and non-honors classes. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 16, 20–29.
Glasser, W. (1996). Then and now: The theory of choice. Learning, 25, 20–22.
Jang, S. K., & Liang, J. C. (2016). Perception of Academic Self-Efficacy and Academic Hardiness in Taiwanese University. Conference LocationKumamoto, Japan. 10.1109/IIAI-AAI.2016.84.
Lin, Y. W. (2013). The effects of cognitive flexibility and openness to change on college students' academic performance. Dissertation, La Sierra University.
Mahigir, F., Kumar, V. G., & Karimi, A. (2012). Social adjustment problems, Academic performance and academic hardiness in high school students. Journal of Psychosocial Research, 7, 265–270.
Martin, M., & Rubin, R. A. (1995). New measure of cognitive flexibility. Psychological Report, 76, 623–6.
Onen, A. S.  & Koçak, C. (2015). he effect of cognitive flexibility on higher school students’ study strategies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191 (2), 2346-2350.
Oshiro, K., Nagaoka, S., & Shimizu, E. (2016). Development and validation of the Japanese version of cognitive flexibility scale. BMC Research Notes, 9 (275), 1-8.
Park, S. (2005). Students’ perception of teaching activities and verbal interaction in science classes at the Gifted Science High School. Korean Earth Science Society, 26, 30–40.
Pintrich, P., & Schrauben, B. (1992). Students’ motivational beliefs and their cognitive engagement in classroom academic tasks. In D. H. Schunk & J. L. Meece (Eds.), Student perceptions in the classroom (pp. 149–183). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Renzulli, J. S. (1994). Schools for talent development: A comprehensive plan for total school improve m e n t. Ma n s field Center,CT: Creative Learning Press.
Sheard, M., & Golby, J. (2007). Hardiness and undergraduate academic study: The moderating role of commitment. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 579-588.
Shirbim, Z., & Shafi'abadi, A. (2009). The relationship between mental halth and psychological hardiness. Thought and Behavior, 4 (13), 7-16.(Persian)
Vashishtha, K., & Joshi, U. (2015). Impact of hardiness on academic performance of college students. Journal for Studies in Management and Planning, 1 (2), 143-148.