Wang, John Chee Keng

This study, undertaken in Singapore, investigates aspects of students' motivation in undertaking Project Work (PW), and explores the link between motivation and the quality of students' discourse during group discussions. It uses a Self-Determination framework to answer questions on students' perceived satisfaction ofbasic psychological needs, motivation and performance outcomes. Analysis of students' discourse during PW helped to substantiate survey findings, which showed that the participating students perceived satisfaction in the need for competence and relatedness, but less in autonomy support. Furthermore, many students were extrinsically motivated in PW, appreciating its value but not necessarily finding enjoyment in the process. Students' talk during PW group discussions tended to be of the practical (problem-solving) mode and cumulative (collaborative, non-critical) type. The findings suggest that, in order to enhance motivation and task engagement, students should be encouraged to share knowledge explicitly and to make their thinking visible through discourse.

The purpose of this study was to validate the factorial validity of the Parents as Social Context Questionnaire for investigating parental influence in youth sport in a non-western cultural context. Data were collected from 258 secondary student athletes in Singapore. Using confirmatory factor analyses, the model fit for the hypothesised six-factor model was compared against that of the highly plausible alternative three-factor model. Analyses showed that scores obtained from the questionnaire are best represented by six unipolar factors and exhibited evidence of measurement model validity. Findings also indicated that the constructs of chaos and coercion as assessed by the questionnaire may not be perceived as distinct by the participants. The factorial validity of the questionnaire is supported by the findings. However, careful examination of the scores from the chaos and coercion subscales in future use of the questionnaire in a similar context is advised.

The purpose of this study was to examine individual- and classroom-level differences in the longitudinal change in motivational regulations during physical education students’ transition from elementary (Grade 6) across middle school (Grades 7 to 9). A sample of 757 Finnish adolescents (M = 12.71, SD = 0.23) participated in this study. Participants of the study responded to questionnaires collected six times. A multilevel latent growth modelling approach was used to analyze the data. Results showed that motivational regulations in physical education developed at different rates during middle school. More specifically, students’: (a) identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9; (b) amotivation increased during middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7; and (c) introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9. Other motivational regulations remained stable across time. The changes in amotivation and introjected regulation were largely due to individual factors, whereas the changes in identified regulation were due to environmental factors.

This study aimed to determine verbal memory performance differences between obese and normal-weight adolescents among high academic achievers as measured by a computerised version of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. 58 normalweight and 47 obese adolescents were recruited from two Secondary Schools (aged 13 to 16 years) and one Junior College (aged 17 to 18 years) in Singapore. Eight trials of word recall and memory test scores, the sum of total number of words correctly recalled for Trials 1 to 5 [Total Learning (TL)], and difference in word recall between Trial 5 and Trial 1 [Learning Rate (LR)] were measured. Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by the summative ranking of the housing category and the educational levels of the parents. Obese participants recalled significantly lesser words in all trials and TL memory category. There was no significant difference between normal-weight and obese participants on the indicators of housing category, father’s education, mother’s education, overall SES, and LR memory category. Obese adolescents had poorer verbal memory performance as compared to the normal-weight participants. The role of SES could not adequately account for the memory difference between both groups. This finding suggested difficulty in memory acquisition and retrieval ability in the obese group.

This study examined the relationships between the approach-avoidance dimension, as well as the mastery-performance dimension of achievement goals, implicit theory of intelligence, and behavioral regulations among engineering students in a polytechnic in the academic domain. Polytechnic students (n = 1359) from Singapore participated in the survey. They were assessed on achievement goal orientations, implicit beliefs, behavioral regulations, values, effort and enjoyment towards their course of study using questionnaires. Cluster analysis was conducted and the results showed that five distinct clusters could differentiate the students in terms of their achievement goals profiles. Follow-up tests between the clusters showed that the five clusters had differing psychological characteristics, and differing values, effort, and enjoyment towards their course of study. Taken together, the present study offers some insights into intraindividual‟s differences in achievement goals and its impact and offers some useful implications for interventions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sport experiences and psychological needs satisfaction of Singapore high school athletes who were involved in inter-school competition. A total of 1250 school athletes from 22 sports participated in the study. The athletes were between 13 and 18 years old and had an average of 3 years of experience in school sport (SD=.18). Cluster analysis was employed to identify homogenous groups based on the seven developmental experiences domains of the Youth Experience Survey (YES 2.0; Hansen & Larson, 2005). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine whether differences existed among the clusters in terms of psychological needs satisfaction (i.e., sense of autonomy, perceived competence and relatedness). The results of the cluster analysis showed that there were different subgroups of athletes with distinct developmental experiences, and they varied in the degree to which their psychological needs were satisfied. Generally, subgroups that had high levels of positive experiences and low levels of negative experiences in sport had better fulfillment of psychological needs. It is important to ensure that policies and programmes are formulated, delivered and monitored effectively to promote positive experiences for youth who are involved in competitive sports.

A key aim of many expeditions is to facilitate personal development, however, while there is much anecdotal evidence that this is the case, there is less empirical work that explores the exact nature of such benefits. As such, this exploratory study examined three summer BES expeditions (Norway, Namibia & Amazon) on 122 young people (aged between 16 and 22) using mixed methods methodology. Open ended and likert scale survey questions (on line) and interviews were used alongside the measurement of four psychological attributes associated with effective character development and motivation – mental toughness, coping skills, GRIT and leadership skills. Surveys were filled out at 3 stages; 1) pre expedition, 2) immediately post expedition and 3) three months post expedition, with interviews completed post final survey. Results indicated that the expeditions impacted positively on the psychological attributes of young people, with lasting effects. Specifically, the quantitative analysis revealed a significant difference and large effect size for increased ‘use of coping strategies’ (P< 0.05; ηp2 .29) and large effects were also found for improved leadership (ηp2 .23), GRIT (ηp2 .17) and mental toughness (ηp2 .16). Furthermore, data suggested there might be a differential impact of 5-week over 3-week expeditions. However, due to the exploratory nature of this work and the small numbers involved in analysis, interpretation needs to be taken with caution and further work is advised. Qualitative data indicated that young people experienced enriching expeditions and were positive about the science, adventure and social elements of the expeditions in particular.

Our students today face a knowledge-based economy, which requires the ability to learn independently, to be innovative in using and synthesizing knowledge, and to adapt fast to the changing world. Project Work (PW) is introduced as one of the instructional models for a more student-centered approach of learning in Singapore. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of project work (PW) and study the motivational processes of PW using a self-determination theory (SDT) framework. A total of 435 students from Normal Academic stream (NA) and Normal Technical stream (NT) were recruited from four secondary schools in Singapore. Students‟ perceptions of the values of PW, basic psychological needs, relative autonomy, enjoyment, and grades were measured across three time points. Results showed that students valued the PW experience. However, their enjoyment, needs, and relative autonomy decreased significantly in the 10 to 12 weeks of PW experience. Multiple regression analyses revealed that post-PW enjoyment negatively predicted PW grades, while psychological needs, relative autonomy and pre-PW enjoyment positively predicted post-PW enjoyment. After 6-month PW, post-PW enjoyment emerged as a stronger predictor than grades in predicting the perceived skills learned from PW. The study applies self-determination theory to the PW context and highlights the importance of facilitating the three psychological needs in the PW context to enhance students‟ motivation and achievement in PW.

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the physical activity patterns measured through pedometers among primary, secondary, and college students. A sample of 571 school children wore pedometers for 5 consecutive weekdays and one weekend day. Results showed that male students were more active than female students across all categories, except during co-curricular activity (CCAs). Primary school students were more active than secondary school and college students. Taken together, the findings of this study support the idea that, as children get older, the differences between boys and girls reduce drastically until the college level, at which point boys are equally as inactive as girls.