This volume is both a state-of-the-art display of current thinking on second language development as a complex system. It is also a tribute to Diane Larsen-Freeman for her decades of intellectual leadership in the academic disciplines of applied linguistics and second language acquisition. The chapters therein range from theoretical expositions to…

This paper reports the initial results of a study that was designed to develop and test an instrument that could identify the elements of an individual's capacity for lifelong learning. We anticipated that the components of this capacity would include a complex mix of dispositions, lived experiences, social relations, values, attitudes and beliefs…

Administers an experimental college version of the Musical Aptitude Profile (CMAP) and 2 motivation measures to 187 nonmusic majors in a music appreciation course. Eliminates CMAP results from analysis resulting from low reliability. Includes data table that were significantly related. (NL)

This review of cognitive development research in the area of computer-based reading instruction focuses on reinforcement and instructional objectives. Differences between extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcement and motivation are discussed, types of objectives and learner characteristics are described, and implications for instructional design are…

This article discusses the role of perceived self-efficacy during classroom learning of cognitive skills. Self-efficacy refers to personal judgments of performance capabilities in a given domain of activity. Students enter classroom activities with various aptitudes and prior experiences, which affect their initial sense of self-efficacy for…

While effective schools research has inspired new efforts toward improving education for all students, it is flawed by offering simplistic prescriptions based on correlational studies focusing on basic skills achievement. Effective school research and theory can be upgraded by a more careful definition of the goals of learning and a systematic…

A study in Finland investigated the relationship of two general aspects of student motivation for second language learning (preference for challenge and curiosity) and motivation specific to the learning situation. Subjects were 292 sixth-graders and 301 eighth-graders, who performed two open and two closed English vocabulary tasks in two…

Asserts that the common perception of homeless children is that they are physically and psychologically impaired by their living circumstances and unable to function effectively in schools. Reports on a case study of efforts to educationally motivate homeless children. Discusses the implications for children's motivation. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 12 U.S. and Russian elementary students working with a mathematics computer software program. Finds that students working together learned the program's concepts faster. Discusses implications of the findings and the significance of sociohistorical frameworks on cognitive processes. (CFR)