When getting help is helpful: Developmental, cognitive, and motivational influences on students' academic help-seeking.

Abstract

This dissertation uses a multiple manuscript format. An extensive literature review of studies of children's academic help seeking, and two empirical studies on students' help seeking in classrooms comprise this dissertation. A review chapter examines recent research on help seeking as a problem-solving strategy, focusing on metacognitive and motivational differences in children's academic help seeking. Developmental trends in children's assessment of their need for help and in their use of different help-seeking strategies are explored. Approximately 700 third, fourth and sixth graders and their teachers completed surveys for study 1. Teachers assessed whether children sought help with their math and reading schoolwork too soon, as needed, or not even when needed. Teachers also rated aspects of their interactions with the children in each domain. Children rated their self-concept of math and reading ability. Results of multinomial logit analyses revealed that children with low self-concept of ability were unlikely to ask for help in math even when needed; in reading they were more likely to ask for help sooner than appropriate. Sex differences in help seeking were revealed, with boys failing to seek needed help, more than girls. Few grade level differences emerged. Teachers reported the most difficulty and time spent with children who were not appropriate help seekers. Study 2 examined motivational influences on 393 fifth grade students' help seeking intentions. Help-seeking strategies were differentiated as instrumental, executive and avoidant. Path analyses revealed that students' intentions to use different help-seeking strategies reflected both their personal goal orientations, as well as their individual differences in perceived classroom goals. Learning-focused goals predicted reports of intentions to seek process-type instrumental help. Ability-focused goals influenced intentions to seek product-focused executive help, and to avoid seeking help. Discussion focuses on the importance of examining both the type and timing of children's help-seeking requests. Implications for classroom practices and for the benefits of seeking help when necessary are explored.