In an effort to overcome deficiencies in teaching molecular biology at school, a workshop in an out-of-school laboratory including only authentic experiments was developed. Evaluation of 337 A-level 12th graders followed a quasi-experimental design, with one hands-on group, two non-experimental control groups (at school/in the laboratory), and one…

This study aimed at investigating the contribution of motivational beliefs, cognitive, and metacognitive strategy use to Turkish high school students' achievement in biology. In order to investigate the specified purpose of the study, 519 tenth-grade students were administered the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich, Smith,…

This study examines out-of-school use of Irish and motivation to learn Irish among final year post-primary students from three different instructional backgrounds: mainstream students studying ordinary and higher level Irish as a subject only and immersion students. Information on motivation and use is linked to student proficiency in Irish.…

The present study examined the reliability of student evaluations of summer undergraduate research experiences using the SURE (Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences) and a follow-up survey disseminated 9 mo later. The survey further examines the hypothesis that undergraduate research enhances the educational experience of science…

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) on eleventh grade students' understanding of "The effects of temperature, concentration and pressure on cell potential" and also their social skills. Stratified randomly selected control and experimental groups with 20 students each were used in…

This document summarizes the results of a study which evaluated whether school instruction with Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) keyboards improves memory skill and whether school instruction with MIDI keyboards improves sentiments toward school and instructional media. Pupils in early elementary grades at five schools were evaluated…

Based on the idea that drama (a medium that children relish and are good at) offers a context and a powerful motivation for learning, this book is intended for the teacher who wants to use drama in the classroom for its own sake or as a tool in other areas of the curriculum. The book looks at the many common concerns teachers have and offers…

The reading teacher needs to determine what each pupil needs to be a successful reader. In collaborative reading, the teacher guides the pupil to read, cooperatively, content that is stimulating yet predictable, consisting of rhymes, refrains, and poems. Most children like to read orally and reading together with others hurdles difficulties in…

Self-regulation refers to the degree that individuals become metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active in their own learning processes. One potentially helpful means of examining students' self-regulation is to analyze their internal representations, or scripts, for recurring academic tasks. For this study, researchers analyzed the…

A discussion of the role of reading in second language learning redefines reading and links it, within language learning, to a revised concept of motivation. To fulfill a more useful function in language teaching, reading should be considered a truly creative rather than basically receptive process. The three elements in the complex process of…

Students begin their college studies with a set of epistemological beliefs about what they think knowledge is and how they think it is learned; for most students, the experience of college alters these beliefs in fundamental, transformative ways. This study explores the relation between epistemological beliefs, motivation, and cognition in two…

A multitude of factors affect the attitudes and behaviors that students bring to the learning situation. This document discusses some motivation-related terms and concepts. It then examines several factors that affect students' basic beliefs about and attitudes toward learning. The first section differentiates between the following terms: ability…

The development and validation of a scale to assess English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' perceived self-efficacy are described. Self-efficacy expectations are beliefs about one's ability to perform a given task successfully. Research on self-efficacy and related concepts is reviewed, noting their significant role in predictor human…

Developed as part of a symposium on alternative learning and teaching methods for high-risk learners at all grade levels, six papers are presented along with an introduction by Sharon La Pierre. "What the Arts Teach: Comments on the Arts, Cognition and Learning" (Elliot Eisner) discusses the ways in which the arts teach qualities not addressed in…

Not long ago, foreign languages were taught in schools and colleges not for practical use or cultural understanding, but for intellectual discipline, understanding of English grammar and syntax, vocabulary enrichment, or to allow reading of foreign literature. The space race and development of jet travel changed attitudes toward language learning…