A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential
Recent policy reports documented that a growing group of students in secondary education could perform better given their expected performance. Studies showed that school performance is related to a range of social–emotional factors, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01356/full |
| _version_ | 1819205900820283392 |
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| author | Eva Feron Trudie Schils |
| author_facet | Eva Feron Trudie Schils |
| author_sort | Eva Feron |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent policy reports documented that a growing group of students in secondary education could perform better given their expected performance. Studies showed that school performance is related to a range of social–emotional factors, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and responsible decision making. However, experimental studies in schools on the relation between these factors and school performance are scarce, and results are mixed. This study used a randomized field experiment to examine whether self-reflection on school behavior of underperforming secondary school students affected their school performance [grade point average (GPA)], school engagement, and self-concept. The sample comprised 337 ninth-grade students (M = 15.74 years old; SD = 0.58) from 18 secondary schools in Netherlands. The intervention was designed in co-creation with teachers, to be as close to school practice as possible. Underperformance was measured using achievement test scores from both primary and secondary school, supplemented with teacher and parental assessments. Different model specifications were estimated to perform the analyses and test for robustness of findings. The results showed that, for treatment compliance, students with higher school motivation were approximately 29% more likely to comply. Students who reported higher levels of self-concept of school tasks were 17% less likely to comply. No significant effects of the treatment were observed on students’ GPA, school motivation, hours spent on homework, or self-concept of school tasks. The treatment showed a negative effect on self-concept of leadership skills. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:59:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0275e194427c4059967d66d1a89ba2d9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:59:03Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-0275e194427c4059967d66d1a89ba2d92022-12-21T17:59:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-06-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.01356509126A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance PotentialEva Feron0Trudie Schils1Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, Paris, FranceDepartment of Macro, International and Labour Economics, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, NetherlandsRecent policy reports documented that a growing group of students in secondary education could perform better given their expected performance. Studies showed that school performance is related to a range of social–emotional factors, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and responsible decision making. However, experimental studies in schools on the relation between these factors and school performance are scarce, and results are mixed. This study used a randomized field experiment to examine whether self-reflection on school behavior of underperforming secondary school students affected their school performance [grade point average (GPA)], school engagement, and self-concept. The sample comprised 337 ninth-grade students (M = 15.74 years old; SD = 0.58) from 18 secondary schools in Netherlands. The intervention was designed in co-creation with teachers, to be as close to school practice as possible. Underperformance was measured using achievement test scores from both primary and secondary school, supplemented with teacher and parental assessments. Different model specifications were estimated to perform the analyses and test for robustness of findings. The results showed that, for treatment compliance, students with higher school motivation were approximately 29% more likely to comply. Students who reported higher levels of self-concept of school tasks were 17% less likely to comply. No significant effects of the treatment were observed on students’ GPA, school motivation, hours spent on homework, or self-concept of school tasks. The treatment showed a negative effect on self-concept of leadership skills.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01356/fullunderperformancesocial–emotional skillsrandomized field experimentschool engagementschool performancesecondary education |
| spellingShingle | Eva Feron Trudie Schils A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential Frontiers in Psychology underperformance social–emotional skills randomized field experiment school engagement school performance secondary education |
| title | A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential |
| title_full | A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential |
| title_fullStr | A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential |
| title_short | A Randomized Field Experiment Using Self-Reflection on School Behavior to Help Students in Secondary School Reach Their Performance Potential |
| title_sort | randomized field experiment using self reflection on school behavior to help students in secondary school reach their performance potential |
| topic | underperformance social–emotional skills randomized field experiment school engagement school performance secondary education |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01356/full |
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