Student-level achievement positively predicts enjoyment in math, science, and reading among fourth graders¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3 · i0–i2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Domain-specific student-level achievement positively predicted enjoyment in each of the three subject domains, largest for reading (β = .241), then math (β = .169), smallest for science (β = .098). → Basarkod 2023 q3 i0 Zero-order correlations between student achievement and matched-domain enjoyment were very small for math (r = .08) and science (r = .06) and small for reading (r = .19). → Basarkod 2023 (2)

Evidence¶

Basarkod 2023¶

Basarkod, G., Marsh, H. W., Guo, J., Parker, P. D., Dicke, T., & Pekrun, R. (2023). The Happy-Fish-Little-Pond Effect on Enjoyment: Generalizability Across Multiple Domains and Countries. https://osf.io/kb29h/

q3 · i2 · associational · r2

Three-level multilevel models (students in classes in countries) on TIMSS-PIRLS 2011 data controlling for SES, gender, and age. The article reports "largest for reading enjoyment (β = .241), followed by math (β = .169), and smallest for science enjoyment (β = .098)".

"The fixed effect estimates show that domain-specific student-level achievement positively predicted student-level enjoyment in each of the three subject domains, confirming Hypothesis 1. This predictive effect was largest for reading enjoyment (β = .241), followed by math (β = .169), and smallest for science enjoyment (β = .098)."

Basarkod 2023 (2)¶

Basarkod, G., Marsh, H. W., Guo, J., Parker, P. D., Dicke, T., & Pekrun, R. (2023). The Happy-Fish-Little-Pond Effect on Enjoyment: Generalizability Across Multiple Domains and Countries. https://osf.io/kb29h/

q3 · i0 · associational · r2

Zero-order correlations across the whole sample using group-mean centering at the country level; the article notes the math and science correlations were "very small (r = .08 and .06, respectively)" and reading "small" (r = .19).

"We note, however, that while statistically significant (given the large sample size), the magnitude of these correlations in the domains of math and science was very small (r = .08 and .06, respectively). The correlation was small for the domain of reading (r = .19)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Achievement Emotions — outcome: instruction changes it
• Interest — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Achievement scores correlate very strongly across the three domains while enjoyment correlations are small to medium — related
• Class-average achievement negatively predicts student enjoyment across math, science, and reading (the Happy-Fish-Little-Pond Effect), with the reading effect trivially small — related
• The effect of student achievement on enjoyment is largely consistently positive across 37 countries, while the size of the negative class-average effect varies from country to country — related
• Children's ability self-concepts and subjective task values are domain-specific and differentiated from first grade, with gender differences in math fading over time — related
• Freedom of instruction added remarkably to the interest and happiness of children in the Bruckner experiment — related