School motivation and achievement for an individual is the product of a complex set of interacting goals, goals which may be more or less significant to individuals from different cultural backgrounds. This paper describes a project which examines the nature of goals held by students from different cultural groups, the compatibility of these goals…

A metacognition instructional strategy was employed to increase class participation and motivation in 21 seventh grade "at-risk" students at 2 schools in the context of the national problem of meeting the needs of "at-risk" students. A survey of the students' content area teachers and of the students themselves found evidence…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of test motivation on estimated ability, test anxiety, and attitudes toward computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Korean college students (n=208) were given the Math Aptitude Test, Math Self-Concept Scale, Math Test Anxiety Scale, Computer Competence Instrument, Computer Anxiety Scale, and…

The University of Alabama is one of seven schools participating in the Foundation Coalition, a National Science Foundation-sponsored partnership looking at educational reform within the undergraduate engineering curriculum. Participants incorporate curriculum integration, human-interface development (active and cooperative learning), and…

This revised and expanded version of the 1960 classic "Summerhill," edited by Albert Lamb, portrays Summerhill School throughout its development. The book reveals A. S. Neill's fundamental belief in the self-regulated school in which children make their own rules and determine for themselves how much they will study. Neill's commitment…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in low socioeconomic fourth graders' retention of library information skills who are taught these skills in isolation and those who are taught within the context of a Social Studies lesson. Two groups of fourth graders participated. Library information skills lessons…

This report details a project that explored the utility of adding a character development component to the academic curriculum for a correctional education program. In addition to the academic curriculum, a character component based on Steven Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" was taught to a demonstration group; only…

Researchers examined data from perceptual instruments administered to participants (36 undergraduate education students) during and following problem solving sessions. Think-aloud and interview analysis resulted in combining examination of the problems with the motivations and perceptions of the problem solvers. The nonemergent qualitative design…

A study examined what children do within a teacher/learner relationship as they learn about text. The two questions guiding the study are: (1) how does a child's relationship with his teacher help him learn to read and write, and (2) what qualities of this relationship stand out as essential to the meaning making process? An account of the…

Teachers today are faced not only with oversized classes, but with students of varying abilities who differ in the ways they process information. The fostering of diverse styles of learning has been neglected in the teaching of mathematics. The use of journal writing as a vehicle for assessing students' understanding of material provides an…

A study was conducted at two open-access, 2-year branch campuses of Ohio's Miami University to assess the levels of science anxiety, interest, and preparedness among students in science-related (SR) majors and general studies (GS) students. Surveys were distributed on the first day of class to students enrolled in 23 chemistry, microbiology, and…

Chapters in this textbook for college students in introductory psychology courses are: (1) What is Psychology?; (2) Scientific Methods in Psychology; (3) Biological Psychology; (4) Sensation and Perception; (5) Altered States; (6) Learning; (7) Memory; (8) Cognition and Language; (9) Intelligence and Its Measurement; (10) Development; (11)…

The goal theory of achievement motivation establishes that goals stressed by schools dramatically affect whether children develop a success orientation or give up when faced with failure. This paper examines how Australian children from diverse cultural backgrounds view achievement and success in the classroom. A questionnaire derived from the…

A study investigated effects of a parent volunteer program--a component of the Summer Reading Program of the University of Maryland at College Park--upon children's self-perceptions as readers and their motivation to read. Subjects were 10 students in grades 4 or 6 who were identified as achieving below grade level and who were low motivated…

This book aims to show parents how to instill the love of reading in their children and how to nurture that love throughout their lives, even in the face of television, video, and computer entertainment. The book is based on the concept of "reading pathways," developed after more than 20 years of classroom observation and interviews. It…