New Analyses of an Old Topic: Effects of Intelligence and Motivation on English (Writing) Achievement

• In Event: 15.053 - Developing and Assessing Writing in Secondary Education: Learning EFL in Europe

Abstract

There is an ongoing debate on the predictive power of intelligence and motivation as important individual student characteristics for academic achievement and learning (recently see Lotz et al., 2018). Despite the fact that both characteristics have been shown to predict academic outcomes, research still works on the relative contribution of each characteristic when explaining achievement and learning variance. Some research has been done on English as a foreign language (EFL) in this context, mostly in comparison with other academic domains (e.g., Jansen et al., 2016). However, in these studies productive competencies have been neglected. Thus, the aim of this study was twofold. First, we aimed to replicate previous research by investigating a global EFL measure using large data sets and advanced statistical methods. Second, we analyze writing as an important productive EFL skill in more detail.
Methods
We capitalized on two large samples of upper secondary school students in Germany (N=3,775; Study a), and Germany and Switzerland (N=2,722; Study b). Covariates were gender, socioeconomic status, school track (Study a, academic vs. vocational track schools) and country (Study b).
Intelligence was assessed using subscales of the cognitive ability test (KFT4-12R; Heller & Perleth, 2000). To obtain reliable total scores for each student, five plausible values (PVs) with were calculated (PV reliability of .79). Motivation was measured according to expectancy value theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 1983) using self-concept to represent expectancy beliefs and interest for value beliefs (Trautwein et al., 2012).
Regarding the measurement of EFL achievement, Study a focused on receptive skills using two different tests. We used listening and reading comprehension exercises from the German National Assessment (GNA; e.g., Stanat et al, 2016). Additionally, we applied a short version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) developed for the Institutional Testing Program (ITP; ETS). Further analyses were based on a combined score. We applied multiple imputation techniques to deal with missing values by generating a large body of complete data sets that were used to estimate 100 PVs. Study b assessed writing skills using tasks from TOEFL iBT (see Burstein et al., 2013). Each text was scored by two human raters and an automated scoring engine (e-rater®, ETS). Missing values were handled with FIML. We applied path analyses using Mplus including intelligence and motivational predictors as well as covariates in both studies.
Results
Results (see Table 1) show substantial effects of intelligence and motivation on global English achievement. However, once controlling for self-concept, effects of interest become close to zero. This can be explained by multicollinearity of self-concept and interest. We find the same pattern replicated for writing achievement.
Discussion
Our findings provide evidence on the generalizability of predictive effects of motivation and intelligence in upper secondary school students: A similar pattern of results was obtained in two samples applying different statistical methods and using different achievement measures, including both receptive and productive competencies. Findings are discussed with respect to the increasing relevance of motivation in selected student samples and resulting practical implications for the language classroom.

Authors

• Olaf Koeller, Leibniz Institute for Science and Math Education

• Johanna Fleckenstein, Pädagogische Hochschule FHNW

• Jennifer Meyer, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education

• Steffani Sass, IPN - Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education

• Jürgen Baumert, Max Planck Institute for Human Development