Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, providing access to higher education for low-income young people, a path to higher-earning employment for low-income workers, and a supply of well-trained employees for local industry. In order to remain competitive with other major economies, however, the U.S. must sharply increase…

While identity has long been a prominent focus of education, and religious education, in Europe and Britain, little explicit attention has been given to it in Australia, even though its importance as an educational goal is implied. This paper reports on a project concerned with "education in identity" which attempted to address this…

A questionnaire administered to 150 undergraduates and 90 faculty members compared their relative levels of goal congruence with those of their university. Programs in medicine, social sciences, and engineering were studied. (JW)

A study was done to identify college student course goals and to compare student goals with faculty goals. The study used the Student Goals Exploration (SGE) inventory and administered that inventory in early spring semester of 1991 to 221 students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at a small public liberal arts college. The SGE Faculty…

Although studies have suggested that moods may affect motivation, the nature of these effects remains obscure. To clarify the relationship between mood and motivation, manipulated mood and self-reports of mood were related to paper-and-pencil ratings of motivational orientation. College students (N=70) in Happiness Induction and Sadness Induction…

Correspondence between verbal and nonverbal behavior in an exercise room was taught to 4 13-year-old boys with moderate mental retardation. Subjects were taught to state their exercise intentions before exercising and report, after exercising, what exercise they had performed. (Author/DB)

Achievement striving is a central dimension of the Type A behavior pattern. To investigate the relationship between Type A behavior pattern, personal performance goals, and goal achievement on two general information tests, 126 undergraduates participated in a two-phase study. First, behavior patterns were assessed using the Framingham Type A…

Although previous research on perception of work environment has focused on the underlying structure of the environment, perception of a specific event can indicate whether a three-dimensional model (prediction, understanding, and control) or a two-dimensional model (information and control) accounts for the individual's perception in terms of…

The paper examines the relationship between the educational environment and the gifted student's motivation. It argues for less use of competition as a motivator, and suggests future research directions. The argument against employing competition as a motivator is based upon the premise that development, cognitive, social-emotional, and moral,…

This study examined the relationship between college students' preference for an immediately available option (e.g., go to a favorite concert the day before a test) or a delayed alternative (e.g., stay at home to study for the test). Analysis focused on how much a student would like to engage in a specific activity, the importance of the activity…

This study examined the relationship between academic delay of gratification (ADOG) and college students' use of action control. College students (n=113) at a large midwestern university completed the academic delay of gratification scale developed by the authors and the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire, which included an adaptation…

Argues that high student aspirations are part of a positive school climate and an important component of school effectiveness strategies. Outlines research needed to clarify these relationships and to examine the impact of teacher and staff behavior on student aspirations. (SV)

This study examined motivational determinants of academic delay of gratification (ADOG) with 196 undergraduate college students at a large midwestern university. Students completed the academic delay of gratification scale, in which students are presented with 10 hypothetical situations and they indicate their preference among options offering…

Changes in six measures of achievement-related motivation and confidence were tested in a longitudinal study of 138 women and 96 men during their first year at a midwestern university. Findings suggest that, for these measures, assimilation into the campus environment had a positive effect on men but not on women. (Author/BS)

This report provides evidence of a critical link between values and success among youth at risk of failure in school and life. Success-related outcomes include academic success and responsible behavior with respect to drugs and sexual relations. The report examines research evidence linking student attitudes and values to successful outcomes in…