The permanent and successful renewal of knowledge is impossible without effective learning. Since Hungarian students performed below the expectations in the PISA studies, in November 2005 the Center for Research on Learning and Instruction of the University of Szeged examined the affective characteristics of 13 and 17-year-old students with regard to learning, administering an equivalent version of the questionnaire used in PISA-2000. The questionnaire consisted of 49 items in four categories (Learning strategies, Motivation, Self-related beliefs, Learning situations and preferences), which were divided into 13 characteristics. The students had to evaluate statements on a four point Likert-scale. The instrument proved reliable in both populations. The questionnaire was administered to 13- (N=3385) and 17-year-old (2037) students. The sample was representative for territorial coverage, gender and socio-cultural background. The results show that 13-year-olds have a more positive attitude to learning. They think more advantageously about their learning qualities and activities than 17-year-olds. They differ greatly in their mathematical interest, but not in their use of elaboration strategies. The students’ interest in reading doesn’t differ significantly between the two age-groups. Hungarian students prefer memorization in learning. Similarly to the PISA study, instrumental motivation had an outstanding position among mastery motives. The majority of students trust their verbal abilities, but they are uncertain about meeting the objectives in mathematics. The interest in mathematics decreases drastically between the two age-groups, but the evaluation of co-operative learning has improved significantly since 2000. While the individual student groups differ greatly with respect to cognitive performance, there is hardly any difference in affective personality features. This insignificant difference probably derives from the similar personality-shaping influences the students are subject to in classrooms. The data about the students’ attitudes provides useful information for developing programs that aim to improve academic success and student efficiency.

The permanent and successful renewal of knowledge is impossible without effective learning. Because Hungarian students performed below expectations in the PISA surveys, in November 2005 the Center for Research on Learning and Instruction of the University of Szeged developed a research project to examine the affective characteristics of 13 and 17-year-old (grade 7 and 11) students with regard to learning, administering an equivalent version of the questionnaire used in PISA-2000. The development of inductive reasoning, complex problem solving, reading literacy and science knowledge application was targeted.

PISA experts hypothesized that the efficiency of learning depends on students’ control over their learning processes, which can be described through the cognitive, metacognitive and motivational aspects of learning. Their student questionnaire (Artelt, Demmrich and Baumert, 2001) relied on the theory and research results of self-regulation (Pintrich, 1999; 2000; Zimmerman, 1995, 2000; Weinert,1983; Boekaerts, 1999; Winne,1995).

METHODS

Sample

The sample included 270 classes from 193 schools in two age groups: 13- (N=3385) and 17-year-olds (2037). The sample was representative with respect to territorial coverage, gender and socio-cultural background.

Instruments

The questionnaire consisted of 49 items in four categories (Learning strategies, Motivation, Self-related beliefs, Learning situations-preferences), which were divided into 13 characteristics. The students had to evaluate statements on a four-point Likert-scale. The Cronbach α values of the categories are very close to those of the international and the Hungarian samples of PISA 2000.

RESULTS

The characteristics of the four categories and the mean scores of student responses to the statements were used to describe the examined affective characteristics. These aggregated indexes range between 2.1 and 3.5. They are more widely spread than the OECD mean for 15-year-olds and show a decrease of 0.04–0.34 scores between the age-groups. The greatest difference was found in mathematical interest and the smallest in the use of elaboration strategies. Students’ interest in reading shows no significant difference between the two age-groups.

Hungarian students prefer memorization when learning, and its use is far above the OECD mean in every school type. Younger students tend to use this strategy significantly more often as the older ones. (In the latter group, there is a difference by school type.) The means of elaboration strategies are rather low in every school type, although the means of Hungarian 13 and 17-year-olds are close to the OECD mean for 15-year-olds.

In the present project as well as in the PISA study, instrumental motivation had an outstanding position among mastery motives. The desire for a better job and higher salary is stronger in Hungary than in the OECD countries in general and the younger students show stronger desires for them than the older ones (in this, there is no significant difference by school type).

The comparison of the present results to the PISA study suggests that Hungarian students’ interest in reading gives no reason to worry, however, they are not very much attracted to mathematics. The majority of students trust their verbal abilities, but they are uncertain about meeting the objectives in mathematics. Students’ interest in reading has improved since 2000, but their verbal self-concept is stagnating. Their mathematical interest decreases heavily between grades 7 and 11, which is the main difference between the two age-groups. In this respect, no significant difference can be found between school-types.

Between 2000 and 2005, the evaluation of co-operative learning has changed greatly in Hungary. In PISA 2000, the Hungarian students rejected co-operation the most, but five years on the new data reflects much better attitudes toward team-work, although in two different age-groups. This improvement is outstanding compared to others occurring with regard to affective characteristics.

Differences between classes

Well exceeding individual differences, the differences between the achievements of classes in Hungary are further increased in secondary schools. The measured affective characteristics, however, show a different picture in many respects. No significant differences were found between classes regarding the examined variables and only 6.6% are below or above two standard deviations in the whole sample. (In the 2005 reading test, this figure was 36%.) The changes between the age-groups and the F values of the analysis of variance are much lower than those of student achievement. In the evaluation of instrumental motivation, mathematical interest and preference for competitive learning, the tendency changes to the opposite, as the variance of classes, newly formed in the secondary school, decreases.

Relationships between variables

The development of inductive reasoning, complex problem solving, reading literacy and science knowledge application correlate weakly but significantly with the characteristics of self-related beliefs and with interest in reading. The correlation is stronger in the case of the older population (r values range between 0.12-0.41; p<0.000). The highest correlations were found between inductive reasoning, math self-concept and academic self-concept in both age-groups. The correlations between the interest in reading and the development of text comprehension are lower than in the PISA study. Despite the outstanding value of instrumental motivation, it has no significant correlation with either targeted domain.

DISCUSSION

The collected data about students’ attitudes provide useful information for developing programs that aim to improve academic success and student efficiency. The results reflect a tendency of weakening as regards attitudes and motivation to learning as well as in students’ evaluation of their own learning activities. The relatively insignificant difference probably derives from the similar personality-shaping influences students are subjects to in their classrooms. The examined fields of knowledge have weak, but significant correlations with the characteristics of self-related beliefs.