Children's Help-Seeking in the Classroom: The Role of Motivational Factors and Attitudes

Structural modeling was used to explain children's intentions to seek help with schoolwork. One hundred seventy-seven 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders were administered questionnaires assessing perceived academic competence, intrinsic orientation (preference for challenge and striving for independent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of educational psychology 1990-03, Vol.82 (1), p.71-80
Main Author: Newman, Richard S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Academic Aptitude
Age Differences
Beliefs
Biological and medical sciences
Child Development
Classroom Techniques
Comparative Testing
Competence
Educational psychology
Elementary Education
Elementary School Students
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Grade 3
Grade 5
Grade 7
Help Seeking
Help Seeking Behavior
Human
Instructional Program Divisions
Intrinsic Extrinsic Classroom Orientation
Intrinsic Motivation
Junior High School Students
Mathematics
Middle Schools
Motivation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Questionnaires
Structural Equation Models
Student Attitudes
Student Motivation
Students
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Summary:Structural modeling was used to explain children's intentions to seek help with schoolwork. One hundred seventy-seven 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders were administered questionnaires assessing perceived academic competence, intrinsic orientation (preference for challenge and striving for independent mastery), and attitudes and intentions regarding help-seeking in math class. A multisample procedure tested for grade differences in covariance structures. At Grades 3 and 5, the child's expressed likelihood of seeking help was explained by intrinsic preference for challenge, extrinsic dependence on the teacher, and attitudes about the benefits of help-seeking. At Grade 7, expressed likelihood of seeking help was explained by attitudes about the benefits as well as the costs of help-seeking. Discussion focuses on developmental and individual-difference factors related to instrumental help-seeking and academic performance.
ISSN:0022-0663
1939-2176
DOI:10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.71