INTERRELATIONSHIPS AMONG STUDENTS STUDY ACTIVITIES, SELF-CONCEPT OF ACADEMIC ABILITY, AND ACHIEVEMENT AS A FUNCTION OF CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH-SCHOOL BIOLOGY COURSES

This investigation focused on the interrelationships among students' s tudy activities, students' self-concept of academic ability ratings, s tudents' academic achievement, and instructional practices in 12 high school biology courses. Using a framework derived from a previous inve stigation, course features were classified into those that appear to ( a) place demands on, (b) support, or (c) compensate for student engage ment in particular study activities. Students' study activities, self- concept of academic ability ratings, and achievement were measured wit h experimenter-developed instruments. Results are reported for (a) cha racteristics of instruments and course features, (b) relationships bet ween central factors of the investigation, and (c) multi-level relatio nships between course features and student variables. Results at the s tudent level indicated that self-concept of academic ability and, to a lesser extent, students' study activities were positively associated with student achievement. Students' self-concept of academic ability r atings were also linked to students' engagement in generative, proacti ve study activities. At the course level the supportive practices of p roviding challenging homework assignments and extensive feedback on st udent coursework were associated with student engagement in effortful, generative, proactive study activities. The provision of extensive fe edback was also associated with high student achievement. Multi-level relationships were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses. These analyses revealed, for example, that in courses in whi ch little or no feedback is given on homework assignments, the relatio nship between achievement and student engagement in diligent effort ma nagement activities was enhanced. Other HLM analyses were conducted to examine the mediating role of course features on the relationship bet ween students' self-concept of academic ability and their study activi ties and achievement. For example, the presence of challenging course demands was associated with an enhancement of the relationship between self-concept of academic ability and achievement whereas the presence of instructor provisions (supports and compensations) designed to red uce course demands was associated with a reduction in this relationshi p.