The extended Theory of Planned Behaviour and college grades: the role of cognition and past behaviour in the prediction of students’ academic intentions and achievements

Understanding the underlying processes influencing college students’ academic achievement represents an important goal of educational research. The aim of the present study was to examine the utility of the extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the relative influence of cognitive processes and measures of past behaviour in the prediction of grade intentions and actual grades in the context of higher education. Our results show that perceived behavioural control (PBC), subjective norms (SN) and past grades emerged as significant predictors and were able to explain 41% of the variance in grade intentions, while the influence of cognitive processes (planning and future orientation) wa…

The more the ‘Merrier’: A multi-sourced model of addiction

Very few contemporary approaches on addiction specifically aim to address the question of why people who are well-aware of harmful consequences continue to perform addictive behaviours. The aim of this article is to introduce a model of addiction which addresses this question. This model integrates the existing theoretical approaches on addiction in one framework by arguing that the majority of contemporary accounts of addiction are not mutually exclusive in the sense that the occurrence or prominence of one process does not preclude the occurrence of another. Moreover, the suggestion is that the majority of these accounts are in effect supportive of and cooperate with each other in order t…

Democracy in schools: qualitative analysis of pupils’ experiences of democracy in the context of the Norwegian school

A limited number of empirical studies have explored pupils’ democratic practice and the direct experiences of school children using a qualitative approach. The aim of the present study has been to analyse pupils’ experiences of the practice of democratic rights in the context of the Norwegian school. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with pupils. Three prominent school arenas were focused on: the mandatory pupil-teacher dialogue, the pupil council and classroom discussions. Three main markers of democracy have been used in the data analysis: contextual openness, participation and the ability to engage in democratic discussions. The findings reveal …

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The role of individual processes and learning environment in the prediction of grades in a sample of Norwegian students

Student grades are traditionally used to evaluate academic achievement in higher education. A review of previous research indicates a relatively clear tendency to adopt either an individual or contextual approach in exploring this subject. The present study represents an attempt to simultaneously examine effects of individual variables and learning environment on academic achievements as measured in grades. The study adopts a quantitative approach and reports data collected from students enrolled in early childhood education in a mid-sized university in Norway. Results of a stepwise hierarchical regression demonstrate that individual variables (e.g. nonmandatory school attendance, self-effi…

The distribution and role of causal beliefs ...

- The purpose of this study was to explore the distribution and role of causal beliefs, inferences of responsibility, and moral emotions on deservingness of help to addicts among Norwegian adults using the social motivational model of Weiner. The data derives from a web panel survey of Norwegian adults aged 20 to 69 years (N = 1062, response rate 67%) in 2011. They responded to a questionnaire tapping into the above measures for nine different addictions in terms of a hypothetical person: "Think of a person addicted to-." The respondents mainly located the cause of the addictions inside the person and attributed the responsibility for the problem to the individual. In general, addicted pers…

Educational inclusion and belonging: a conceptual analysis and implications for practice

The idea of educational inclusion has become a prevalent approach in school organisation and practice in many international contexts. However, theoretical challenges concerning definitional boundar...

Er generell pedagogisk kompetanse tilstrekkelig for å sikre en inkluderende skole?

Author's verision of an article published in the journal: Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift. Also available from the publisher at: http://www.idunn.no/ts/npt/2011/02/art02 Vi redegjør for forholdet mellom spesialpedagogikk og spesialundervisning, og beskriver det “pedagogiske dilemmaet” som uttrykkes i motsetningen mellom å skulle tilpasse opplæringen til enkeltelevens evner og forutsetninger, samtidig som eleven skal være en del av et inkluderende fellesskap. Vi reiser spørsmålet om hva som må til for å sikre tilpasset undervisning innenfor rammene av den ordinære opplæringen og gjennomgår forskningsresultater som gir et uensartet bilde av effekten av spesialundervisning, og som peker på hvilke …

Helping children in bullying situations: The role of intersubjective understanding and co-regulation

Contemporary definitions of bullying are strikingly in agreement that bullying represents aggressive behaviour involving premeditation, time span, power imbalance and clear role assignment. Even though useful in some situations, these premises are not as helpful if the aim is to improve the social environment in educational contexts. The aim of the present article is to argue that educators need alternative theoretical tools when attempting to improve relations between children. We argue that interpretations of bullying in educational contexts are not ‘owned’ by any specific party, but rather involve (1) intersubjective negotiation and (2) the co-regulative competence of educators and child…

Latent interaction effects in the theory of planned behaviour applied to quitting smoking.

Objectives This study applies three latent interaction models in the theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1988, Attitudes, personality, and behavior. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press; Ajzen, 1991, Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process., 50, 179) to quitting smoking: (1) attitude × perceived behavioural control on intention; (2) subjective norms (SN) × attitude on intention; and (3) perceived behavioural control × intention on quitting behaviour. Methods The data derive from a longitudinal Internet survey of 939 smokers aged 15–74 over a period of 4 months. Latent interaction effects were estimated using the double-mean-centred unconstrained approach (Lin et al., 2010, Struct. Equ. Modeling, 17, 3…

The Role of Desire in The Prediction of Intention

This paper is based on the notion that desire represents an important motivational aspect of the decision-making process. Thus, we examined the hypotheses that desire (1) predicts behavioral intentions and (2) mediates the effects of theory of planned behavior (TPB) components and past behavior on an individual’s intention to quit smoking. The analysis is based on three separate conditions in which the intention to quit smoking during the next 1, 4, or 6 months, respectively, was measured; the three conditions contained identical variables. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis show that there are sufficient grounds for including desire as an additional predictor in the TPB m…

Being a teacher and teacher educator : The antecedents of teacher educator identity among mentor teachers

Access and use by the CC-BY-NC-ND user license Although teachers’ professional identities have been the subject of extensive study, the field still lacks knowledge about the development of a professional identity for mentor teachers. These teachers take on multifaceted professional roles as teachers and teacher educators. In the present paper, we investigate the professional identity of mentor teachers partnered with two universities in Norway. The study adopts a quantitative approach and report on survey data from the mentor teachers. The results demonstrate that school climate, individual beliefs about the role, and university collaboration predict the development of a teacher educator id…

Empirically based analysis of methodological and ethical challenges in research with children as participants: the case of bullying in kindergarten

ABSTRACTWhen conducting research with children it is essential to consider not only the data, which have been produced as a result of the research, but also the research process itself. This article represents an attempt to contribute the accumulation of knowledge regarding methodological and ethical issues concerning research with children. The data in this article are based on individual and focus-group interviews with children where ethical and methodical challenges related to dealing with children's experiences in the context of bullying in kindergarten are discussed. The topics that will be discussed related to methodical issues are (1) the nature of interaction between the researcher …

Mental States of Addiction

An increasing number of studies have examined lay meanings of addiction. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a generalized conception of an addiction mind-set was evident in the beliefs of a sample of 1,062 Norwegian adults responding to an online survey. The respondents were given a rating task in the following form: “Addiction to [substance/behavior] is/represents [descriptive term].” For each of the nine different addictive behaviors (cocaine, cannabis, alcohol, gambling, smoking, amphetamine, sedatives, snus, and heroin), the respondents rated their endorsement of 11 descriptive terms (mental states): reduced self-determination, obsession, strong urge, strong appetite, stro…

Are We Talking about the Same Thing? A Survey of Preschool Workers’ Attitudes and Beliefs about Bullying

The aim of the study was to examine the attitudes and beliefs of preschool workers with respect to the phenomenon of bullying in preschool. Participants comprised 694 employees in private and munic...

"Fuelling" Cognitive Judgments: Worry as a Mediator Between Risk Perceptions and Intentions to Quit Smoking

Published version of an article in the journal: Europe's Journal of Psychology. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v8i3.479 Open access. The aim of the present study was to assess the importance of cognitive and affective risk perceptions along with measures of self-prediction of future smoking status and confidence in one’s ability to quit on intentions to quit smoking. Additionally, the purpose was to explore the mediating effect of worry on the relation between risk perception and quitting smoking intentions. The data consist of 415 participants defined as daily and “sometimes” smokers who were interviewed by telephone. The results showed significant dir…

Trusting Trust in the Context of Higher Education: The Potential Limits of the Trust Concept

There is a convincing body of empirical evidence supporting the benefits of trust. A number of recent publications have paid a great deal of attention to possible negative consequences of the trusting process, but there has been little interdisciplinary focus on the potentially unconstructive aspects of the trusting process between learners and teaching authorities. The authors argue here that unmonitored student trust in a teacher's expertise in the context of higher education might sabotage the use and development of higher cognitive skills (for example, the ability for critical thinking), and that the direct consequence of this is a further amplification of the existing asymmetrical dis…

The ‘Why, What and How’ of Inclusion from the Practitioner's Point of View: Inclusion of Immigrant Children in the Norwegian Educational System

The aim of the article is to explore teachers' perceptions of the concept of multicultural inclusion. The study adopts a qualitative approach where 14 individual semi-structured interviews have been used to assess and analyse teachers' reflections when considering the ‘why, what and how’ questions surrounding inclusion. The overall findings indicate that teachers view multicultural inclusion as a desirable and positive process which should be practised in contemporary schools. However, the findings also indicate that teachers use rather common and imprecise terms and generally hold that this process is straightforward and unproblematic in terms of its definition. This is further supported …

“Two Schools under one Roof” in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Exploring the challenges of group identity and deliberative values among Bosniak and Croat students

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the challenge of engaging Bosniak and Croat students in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in deliberative democracy within the context “two schools under one roof,” students receiving education in the same school building, yet attending separate classes and following distinct curricula. Findings suggest that group identity for Bosniak students was strongly tied to “being Bosnian” while Croat students expressed ambivalence and unease about their identity, balancing feelings between having their home in BiH and maintaining their Croat roots. The students’ relationships were complicated by an imbalance in perceptions of power, discriminatory attitud…

“Bridging Old Relations”: The (De)Construction of Ethnic Identity in the Educational Context of Bosnia and Herzegovina From the Teachers' Point of View

ABSTRACTThe present study focuses on an educational arrangement in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) known as “two schools under one roof.” The term refers to two different ethnic groups (Bosniaks and Croats) physically sharing the same school building, but maintaining separate administrations, teaching staff, and curricula. The purpose of the study is to explore the manner in which teachers (seven Bosniak and four Croat) from the two ethnic groups perceive and construct their group identities within this context. Findings indicate that the teachers’ sense of belonging to different ethnic groups is strong and that the use of language functions as a vital marker for expressing group identity. In …

Evolve or perish: A theoretical propositon for development of Bildung concept

Published version of an article in the journal: International Journal of Human Sciences. Also available from the publisher at: http://www.insanbilimleri.com/ojs/index.php/uib/article/view/2133/873 Open access. The contemporary idea of Bildung is in danger of becoming a concept of mere historical significance as its content is poorly elaborated upon in terms of underlying processes. The main aims of the present paper are to (1) argue that this concept must evolve by specifying its content or perish from contemporary use in educational settings (2) present a model of Bildung which builds on a combination of current global educational movements and basic adaptive psychological processes common…

Metacognitive Habits: Contradiction in Terms or Valid Theoretical Concept? The Role of Metacognition in Habitual Behavior

The aim of the present article is to present data showing that habitual actions might be conceptualized as metacognitive habits. The study is based on 3 data collections assessing smoking and schoo...

Privatister – hvem er de, og hva motiverer dem til å lykkes på eksamen? Kartlegging av bakgrunnsvariabler og deres intensjon i lys av en utvidet versjon av teorien om planlagt atferd

Det finnes fa empiriske studier i Norge som kartlegger bakgrunnsvariabler av privatister og undersoker motivasjonsprosesser ved bruk av teoretisk tilnaerming. Hensikten med denne studien er todelt. Det forste malet er a kartlegge ulike sider ved privatistenes bakgrunn, i lys av aldersmessig sammensetting, kjonnsfordeling, antall pameldte eksamener, tidligere erfaring med privatistordningen, grunnene for a ta eksamen, privatistenes tilrettelegging av eksamen pa grunn av saerskilte behov, tidligere kontakt med PPT, og normativ pavirkning. Det andre malet er en teoretisk tilnaerming med fokus pa intensjonelle prosesser i lys av utvidet teori om planlagt atferd (TPB). Resultatene viser at priva…

Learning Environment in Light of Positional, Institutional, and Cultural Interpretations: An Empirically-Based Conceptual Analysis

This study explores the possibility that the concept of learning environment (LE) is understood and interpreted differently by various users, depending on their relative positions in the educational system, institutional affiliation, and cultural heritage. The study employs a qualitative approach and is based on 14 semistructured separate interviews with professionals in the field of education. The participants in the study have been chosen from 3 different levels in the educational system (assistants, kindergarten and school teachers, and principals/county government representatives) and across different institutions (kindergartens and schools). The data reveal a clear pattern in which the…

An examination of parents’ and preschool workers’ perspectives on bullying in preschool

ABSTRACTParents (n = 141) and preschool workers (n = 81) completed a survey regarding their perspectives towards: (a) the existence of bullying in preschool, (b) interpretations of bullying, (c) the roles of bullies and victims, and (d) gender differences. Findings suggest that both groups largely believe that bullying occurs in preschool. Excluding others from play, conditional threats, and the victim's perception of being bullied were the three conditions most likely to be associated with bullying. Parents were significantly more likely than workers to hold a negative view of bullies and believe that bullying differs with regard to gender. Whereas most participants felt that bullying coul…

Premeditated automaticity : the role of explicit cognition in the development of obsessive smoking

- Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of explicit cognitions in relation to the development of obsessive smoking passion. Data derives from a longitudinal internet survey conducted among 939 daily smokers over a period of four months. Mental representations were the strongest predictor of obsessive smoking passion (ß=.47, p<.001) followed by habit strength (ß=.25, p<.001) and number of cigarettes smoked (ß=.09, p<.01). Altogether the variables accounted for 48% of the variance in obsessive smoking passion. The results indicated that mental representations, along with automatic processes, play an important role in the prediction of obsessive smoking passion. The…

Emosjonell kompetanse i gruppeveiledning

Emosjonell kompetanse hos gruppeveiledere er viktig for å kunne håndtere egne følelser og samtidig evne å forstå andres følelser på en konstruktiv måte. Hensikten med denne studien er å utforske hvordan gruppeveiledere opplever og intensjonelt anvender sin emosjonelle kompetanse i veiledning av grupper. Datamaterialet er basert på dybdeintervjuer med tre gruppeveiledere og analysert ved bruk av den konstant komparative metode. Tre hovedtema ble identifisert: (1) emosjonelle responser, (2) empatisk tilstedeværelse, og (3) fasilitering av emosjonell kompetanse hos veisøkere. Resultatene understreker betydningen av selvbevissthet og empatisk tilstedeværelse hos veilederen som danner grunnlag f…

Directional motion: An empirically based model of development in educational institutions

Although the quantity of literature on organizational sustainability in the realm of education represents a well-developed research area, the literature in this field does not sufficiently emphasize the notion of directional motion as important to institutional change. The aim of this work is the attempt to propose an empirically based model of ‘directional motion’ that is based on the intrinsically motivating process of experiencing movement. The study draws upon empirical material from six different educational institutions. The model systematically maps representations of the various stakeholders in terms of experienced motion in the participating institutions. The main elements in the …

Professional digital competence in initial teacher education: An examination of differences in two cohorts of pre-service teachers

Co-teaching that works; Special and General Educators’ Perspectives on Collaboration

There are surprisingly few studies analysing collaboration between special and general educators that has been proven to work well. The aim of the present study is to explore the perspectives of sp...