Ten conclusions about childrens' learning are presented from 15 years of research by the Educational Research Council of America. These include effectiveness of short textbooks, interest in learning technical words, need for social science curriculum to challenge, and detrimental effect of ingrained teacher attitudes to teach social studies by…

Results are reported for an Adult Education Research Project which attempted to resolve one of the major problems in participation studies, that of how to construct variables to represent activeness in taking educational courses which will also contain relevant information for educational planners concerning attitudes of non-participants, and will…

Motivation that arises from a genine interest in the field of study being undertaken is examined. This Australian university professor suggests that most students do not have a real zeal for academic study and offers ideas for improving that motivation in science students. (LBH)

The Involvement in Subject Learning Scale (ISLS) was developed and validated as an educational outcome measure to be used in assessing higher education quality. The origins and development of the scale, its factor analysis, potential applications, limitations, and pilot use in France and Quebec (Canada) are described. The instrument is appended.…

A study of learning conditions in two universities included staff interviews, survey of 118 students, and in-depth interviews of 11 students. Their perceptions of program design, instructional resources and support, and visual and physical aspects of the institutions resulted in recommended practices to maximize student learning and motivation.…

Describes the Super Saturday program of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The program's objectives are to enrich elementary and middle school students' intellectual skills and to promote greater interest in and desire for learning. The program builds on students' strengths, and the courses fall into the following three categories:…

Examines the components of motivation in foreign language learning in institutional/academic settings without regular interaction with the target language community. A motivational questionnaire to define the relevance and characteristics of integration and instrumentality in foreign language learning was developed and administered to learners of…

Dialogue writing samples from 54 sixth grade students in three classrooms were compared with standard narratives written by the same subjects. Results show that children wrote longer stories and enjoyed the sessions more when writing dialogue. Children's reading levels and academic motivation had no affect on this result. (TJH)

Use of multiple-choice achievement tests is critiqued. Multiple-choice tests are considered heavily weighted toward aptitude and ill-suited to assessment of thinking. Psychometric methods for the development of alternatives to this inadequate form of testing achievement are discussed. (TJH)

A number of studies conducted during the last decade have found that students' achievement increases when teaching methods match their learning styles--biological and developmental characteristics that affect how they learn. Correlational studies and experimental research studies are reviewed on instructional environments, perceptual preferences,…

To mark the 40th anniversary of "Language Learning," the journal's first article is reprinted and identifies five motives for studying foreign languages: (1) "knowledge of a foreign language is the sign of a cultivated man"; (2) foreign insularism; (3) necessity of creating a political fusion; (4) trade and colonization; and (5) scientific and…

Motivation to study French was examined among first-year students using an extrinsic/intrinsic dichotomy approach to classify motivations. Students were found to be motivated by a wide variety of reasons, with personal or intrinsic reasons dominating. (Contains five references.) (Author/LB)

Develops thesis that study skills are best presented from a metacognitive perspective. As students develop self-regulatory skills along with procedural skills they are best able to make effective use of study skills techniques. Presents a model of metalearning that brings together a number of variables that may influence learning outcomes.…

Several ways to extend the notion of second-language (L2) learning motivation are discussed. The motivational materials and techniques considered are well known in the fields of general, industrial, educational, and cognitive developmental psychology but have not been applied to the L2 field. (Contains 98 references.) (LB)

Studies variables affecting language achievement at school by examining attitudes of 273 non-language students toward language learning in terms of enjoyment, ease of vocabulary and grammar learning, and satisfaction with teachers. Although less than half the students enjoyed their school experience, many expressed a desire to learn a foreign…