Educators have a critical stake in supporting the development of interest--as the presence of interest benefits sustained engagement and learning. Neuroscientific research has shown that interest is distinct from, but overlapping with, self-related information processing, the personally relevant connections that a learner makes to content (e.g.,…

The paper explores the efforts of Kerala to align its undergraduate education with global standards and competence through the introduction of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) in the realm of curriculum reforms. The paper highlights the significance of curriculum reforms in the context of transforming the State of Kerala into a…

This article reviews motivation research published in "Distance Education" since 1980, highlighting the major foci of investigation and reflecting on past findings. A major trend was that past research has focused predominantly on learners' motivational attributes using sociocognitive models of motivation. We therefore have developed a…

Most American classrooms employ a teacher-text-centered model of instruction that is misaligned with the developmental science of how children naturally learn. This article reviews that science and the origins of the common instructional model, including three modifications intended to make it work better (grades, age-graded classrooms, and…

This review aims to discuss a new substantive theory generated from a Grounded research that we conducted in 2018 as a concept of 'getting real way' in the learning of the foreign languages in the 21st century and the forth. The preferent learning theory, as labelled then, covers three important concepts namely free-will-whim, individual and…

In the 20th anniversary issue of this journal, Reinders and White (2016) describe the relationship between computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and autonomy as having become "both more complex and more promising" (p. 143). This is, they assert, in large part due to the rise of informal language learning online, with an accompanying…

This article argues that the concept of affordances as put forward by James J. Gibson can make a major contribution to our understanding of multilingualism. It can throw some light on multilingualism in general as well as on specific aspects like successful and unsuccessful transfer, the challenges involved in teaching for multilingualism,…

This paper examines the current understanding of the development of graduate attributes in higher education. The current understanding is rooted in the system-based, behaviouristic approach that emphasises the identification of graduate attributes and curriculum mapping. This approach gives little consideration to more relational-holistic,…

The Language Centre at the University of Padova provides language courses for students of all disciplines and with a wide range of needs. Over the years, the number of students having to deal with a language requirement has increased exponentially, while the teaching personnel and general resources have struggled to keep up. Catering to all of the…

SDL (self-directed learning) now is offered as an alternative form for learning and teaching approach. SDL initially has developed in the field of adult learning. The question that may rise is whether SDL is applicable for younger ages. This study intended to generate a reliable and valid translation of a recently released instrument to measure…

Projects related to the European Language Portfolio (ELP) carried out at the Language Centre of the University of Trieste are concerned to examine whether and to what extent "can do" descriptors can be extended to courses in Languages for Specific Purposes. The project reported in this article had two aims. The first was to explore what…

Students are often obliged to fulfill home assignments for school. While being engaged into such compulsory schooling, learners may be tempted to switch to a leisure alternative. Whenever students pursue the learning task although attractive leisure alternatives are present, thoughts about the missed activity can lead to motivational interference.…

Two studies focusing on the development and validation of the Online Self-Regulated Learning Inventory (OSRLI) were conducted. The OSRLI is a self-report instrument assessing the human interaction dimension of online self-regulated learning. It consists of an affect/motivation scale and an interaction strategies scale. In Study 1, exploratory…

Interviews with 12 students each from grades 1 through 4 found students' attitudes could be placed in four categories differing on attitudes toward school learning, homework, and personal learning projects. More students with than without learning disabilities fell into the category which saw almost all learning as an imposition. (DB)

The context of Educational Psychology has seen profound changes over the last 30 years; due to these, self-regulated learning has become a current focus for research, and one of the essential axes of educational practice. Since Zimmerman and Schunk's (1989) publication, "Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement: Theory, Research, and…