The Relation Of Theory Of Intelligence To Academic Motivation And Academic Outcomes

114 Pages·2015·0.96 MB·English

by  Erin Clevenger

Florida State University Libraries
Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School
2013
The Relation of Theory of Intelligence
to Academic Motivation and Academic
Outcomes
Erin Clevenger
Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected]
THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

THE RELATION OF THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE TO ACADEMIC MOTIVATION AND

ACADEMIC OUTCOMES

By

ERIN CLEVENGER

A Dissertation submitted to the
College of Education
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Awarded:
Spring Semester, 2013
Erin Clevenger defended this dissertation on October 25, 2012.
The members of the supervisory committee were:

Steven Pfeiffer
Professor Directing Dissertation

Sherry Southerland
University Representative

Georgios Lampropoulos
Committee Member

Angela Canto
Committee Member

The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members
and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university
requirements.

ii
This work is dedicated to my mother and kindred spirit, Andrea, who always told
me that I had the potential to do anything, and whose love, encouragement, teaching,
and wisdom made me who I am today.

Also, to my husband and best friend, Nick, whose unending love and support
helped see me through this process. I love you.

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the students, parents, and teachers who participated in this
study and whose generous information made the study possible. Thank you to Eileen
Lerner, who assisted in the data collection process and whose help and encouragement
were invaluable.
Thank you to the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Georgios
Lampropoulos, Dr. Angel Canto, and Dr. Sherry Southerland, for the time they spent
reading this manuscript and providing thoughtful and valuable feedback.
A special thank you to my major professor, Dr. Steven Pfeiffer, who helped make
this study become a reality and who has been an important and valuable teacher and
mentor throughout the doctoral program.
To my cohort members, I have enjoyed spending the last six years with you, and
I thank you for your support, encouragement, and camaraderie through this Ph.D.
process.
Thank you, also, to my family and friends for your unwavering confidence in me.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... viii
LIST OF FIGURES ..........................................................................................................ix
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 3
Research Questions and Hypotheses .......................................................................... 4
Social Significance ....................................................................................................... 4
Operational Definition of Terms ................................................................................... 7
Delimitations ................................................................................................................ 7
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................. 9
Theories of Motivation .................................................................................................. 9
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation............................................................................. 11
Self-Determination .................................................................................................. 12
Social Cognitive Theories of Motivation .................................................................. 13
Achievement Goals ................................................................................................. 14
Perceptions of Competence/Theories of Intelligence .............................................. 16
Role of Parents in Children’s Theories of Intelligence ............................................ 19
Research and Findings in the Areas of Motivation, Achievement, Goals, and Self-
Theories ..................................................................................................................... 20
Achievement Goals ................................................................................................. 20
Theories of Intelligence Related to Achievement Goals ......................................... 22
Role of Parents in Children’s Theories of Intelligence ............................................ 26
Motivation and Intelligence ..................................................................................... 27
Critical Analysis of the Literature ................................................................................ 31
Research Questions and Hypotheses ........................................................................ 33
CHAPTER 3: METHODS .............................................................................................. 34
Participants ................................................................................................................ 34
Measures ................................................................................................................... 38
v
Demographic Information Survey ........................................................................... 39
Motivation ............................................................................................................... 39
Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES) ............................................ 39
School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory (SMALSI) ........................ 41
Gifted Rating Scales (GRS) ................................................................................ 42
Theories of Intelligence ........................................................................................... 44
Achievement Goals ................................................................................................. 46
Academic Achievement .......................................................................................... 47
Procedures ................................................................................................................. 47
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................. 48
Additional Analyses ................................................................................................ 50
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ................................................................................................ 51
Variables and Preliminary Findings ........................................................................... 51
Research Questions and Hypotheses ....................................................................... 56
Findings ..................................................................................................................... 57
Research Question 1 .............................................................................................. 57
Research Question 2 .............................................................................................. 60
Research Question 3 .............................................................................................. 61
Additional Findings ................................................................................................... 61
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION .......................................................................................... 63
Research Questions and Hypotheses ....................................................................... 63
Research Question 1 ............................................................................................. 63
Research Question 2 ............................................................................................ 67
Research Question 3 ............................................................................................. 69
Additional Findings .................................................................................................... 71
Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................. 73
Limitations in Sampling .......................................................................................... 73
Limitations in the Measures.................................................................................... 74
Implications ............................................................................................................... 77
Implications for Theory Development ..................................................................... 77
vi
Implications for Research ....................................................................................... 78
Implications for Education ...................................................................................... 80
Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 81
APPENDIX A: Institutional Review Board Approval ...................................................... 83
APPENDIX B: Informed Consent Form ......................................................................... 84
APPENDIX C: Demographic Information Survey .......................................................... 87
APPENDIX D: Theories of Intelligence Scale ................................................................ 88
APPENDIX E: Task-Choice Goal Inventory .................................................................. 91
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 92
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 103

vii
LIST OF TABLES

3.1 Demographic Frequencies for All Participants ........................................................ 36

3.2 Demographic Frequencies for Participants, Excluding Outliers and
Incomplete Data ...................................................................................................... 37

3.3 Overview of Instruments Used ................................................................................ 39

3.4 Grading Scale ......................................................................................................... 47

4.1 Correlation of Motivation Measures ......................................................................... 52

4.2 Descriptive Statistics for Study Variables ................................................................ 53

4.3 Descriptive Statistics by Race for Study Variables .................................................. 55

4.4 Pearson Correlation Matrix among Study Variables, Including Child Theory of
Intelligence .............................................................................................................. 58

4.5 Pearson Correlation Matrix among Study Variables, Including Parent Theory of
Intelligence .............................................................................................................. 59

viii
LIST OF FIGURES
4.1 Q-Q Plot .................................................................................................................. 54

4.2 Path Diagram .......................................................................................................... 59

ix