The role of the social and learning environment in youth’s development in schools

Schools are key developmental contexts for children and adolescents. The development of students’ motivation, engagement and achievement is dependent not only on individual factors, but also on the interplay of these factors with the social and learning environment. In this project, these developmental processes will be investigated at different time scales, combining long-term longitudinal research using trait-like assessments with short-term longitudinal experience sampling assessments in in-vivo classroom contexts. The PhD project is part of a larger research program focusing on the development of children and adolescents within the school context and the role of individual and contextual factors. Individual factors refer to personality (e.g., Need for Cognition) and cognitive ability. Factors in the social and learning context include the affective quality of interactions and relationships with teachers and peers, teacher enthusiasm, and the degree of educational challenge. Developmental outcomes include students’ engagement, flow, burn-out, and achievement. The successful candidate will work within this research program, together with other PhD students and researchers. They will conduct advanced statistical analyses on different data-sets that have recently been collected, including data from the longitudinal TALENT and MOMENT study. The TALENT study followed a large sample of students (N > 3,400) from Grade 7 until the end of secondary school, using surveys, tests, and peer nomination methods. The study offers unique opportunities to test long-term developmental processes, including peer influence and selection effects on flow, burn-out, and achievement, and the interplay with teacher-student relationships. The MOMENT study used experience sampling methodology to assess momentary engagement during math classes among a sample of Grade 11-12 students (N > 400). This study complements the TALENT study, allowing more fine-grained developmental analyses on social contextual and engagement processes in real-life classes. Specifically, the project will investigate the role of moment-to-moment variations in teacher support and conflict in classroom engagement, and the interplay with individual factors and factors in the learning environment (e.g., perceived challenge). In addition to analyzing available data, it is possible to collect new data to address related research questions, in collaboration with master students.