Students' goal preferences, ethnocultural background and the quality of cooperative learning in secondary vocational education

Hijzen, D.M. (2006)

Doctoral Thesis

The thesis presents an exploration of the relationships between students’ motivation, represented by students’ personal goals, and the quality of cooperative learning (CL) processes of first and second year students, enrolled in secondary vocational schools. Special attention has been paid to contextual factors and their influence on the quality of CL, and to differences between students that are related to their gender, program type and ethnocultural background. Students’ goal preferences contributed just weakly to the explanation of the quality of CL, whereas students’ perceptions on contextual factors were important predictors. With regard to students’ goals, social support and mastery goals were most vital in predicting the quality of CL. Especially the extent that students were taught the appropriate knowledge, skills and rules for CL was found to be a crucial -and lasting- precondition for successful CL. Also the social climate in the classroom was important. Moreover, gender, program type and ethnocultural background had no direct effect on the quality of CL.

• Contextual factors
• Cooperative learning
• Engagement
• Ethnocultural background
• Goal preferences
• Motivation

• All authors: Hijzen, D.M.
• Supervisor: Boekaerts, M.; Vedder, P.H.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University
• Date: 2006-09-19
• ISBN (print): 9090209980
• Court: LEI Universiteit Leiden
• Sponsorship: NWO