Measuring Students' Intellectual Risks Taking In Elementary School Science

Intellectual risk taking(IRT)was defined as engaging in adaptive learning behaviors(sharing tentative ideas,asking questions,attempting to do and learn new things)that placed the learner at risk of making mistakes or appearing less competent than others.As a key attribute to scientific reasoning and 21 st Century Skills like creativity,IRT is of great significance to the development of students' scientific inquiry ability and innovative consciousness.In previous studies,students' IRT had been measured,and its correlated factors had been explored from the perspective of teacher's teaching behavior and students' learning.Most of the participants in the prior researches,however,were from western countries,and fewer studies explored the relationship between parental rearing behavior and students' IRT.Based on risk-decision theory and motivation theory,this research assessed elementary school students' IRT in China's mainland where with distinctive cultures and populations by regarding students' IRT behavior as a risk decision-making behavior based on students' self-worth evaluation.According to the ecosystem theory of students' development,the potential relationship among mesosystem factors(teacher's teaching and parent's rearing behaviors),microsystem variables(students' self-belief and achievement goals related to science learning),and students' IRT level were explored.Based on the research hypothesis and testing framework,by translating the Intellectual Risk Taking questionnaire(Bghetto,2009)and reconstructing relevant questionnaires,a test scale of IRT levels and related factors has been formed.Then a total of 756 students in the Pearl River Delta region administrated the test.Through data analysis,the main research conclusions are as follow:(1)As far as the sample of this study is concerned,the overall level of students' IRT in grades 4to 6 in China's mainland is relatively high.(2)There are no significant differences between students of different grades and gender in IRT.(3)As far as the hierarchical system is concerned,the results of the hierarchical regression analysis show that the variables of the micro system and the middle system have a significant predictive effect on students' IRT level.As far as each variable is concerned,there are four variables that have significant predictive power for IRT in the stepwise multiple regression analysis.The predictive power is in order of creativity,efficiency,interest in science,mastery learning goals,Parental support.(4)Different types of achievement goals have different regulatory effects on the relationship between system variables(support from teachers and parents),microsystem variables(students' self-belief related to science learning),and students' IRT.Mastering orientation plays a strengthening role in the relationship between the perceived support of teachers and parents and the level of students' IRT.Performance orientation learning goal is playing a weakened moderating role in the relationship between the support of teachers and parents and the level of students' IRT.(5)Microsystem variables(interests in science and creativity and efficacy)play a mediating role in the influence of middle-level variables(support from teachers and parents)on students' IRT levels.