A broad understanding of the skills and characteristics associated with successful performance in graduate school was developed through discussions with two groups of distinguished graduate faculty members, 15 in all. The first group consisted of psychologists with expertise in cognition and assessment. The second group was composed of faculty…

Grossmont College, in California, undertook a project to address the issue of institutional and faculty academic vitality and create an environment that encourages faculty to achieve their highest level of professional development. First, symptoms of the loss of faculty vitality were identified as lack of participation in campus affairs, not…

The term "Flow Experiences" refers to periods of deep, intense involvement in activities that challenge but do not overwhelm one's skills. As conceptualized by M. Csikszentmihalyi (1990), Flow represents a distinct state of consciousness that integrates high but effortless concentration, intrinsic motivation, loss of awareness of self…

Intended to help teachers of grades K-6 develop students' writing skills, this book contains easy-to-follow instructions for creating many fun types of correspondence, such as pop-up and scratch-and-sniff cards. The book is filled with lists of useful resources, including ways to find pen pals, an annotated bibliography of children's books that…

This book reviews issues concerning attention deficit disorders (ADDs) in the context of a systems perspective. ADDs are viewed as resulting from dynamic interactions of behavior, cognition, and affect, out of which emerge distinct and idiosyncratic ways of coping. Chapter 1 looks at the interaction of attention and behavior. In chapter 2, the…

This guide provides a general overview of research on student motivation in classroom and school settings and a guide to help teachers and school teams to analyze the sources of students motivational problems and consider changes that will improve motivation. Chapter 1 defines motivation, considers the extent of the motivation problem, and…

Learning communities, freshman interest groups, or cluster classes are a relatively new trend on college and university campuses. In addition to improving freshman retention and performance, these courses create a bridge between the basic course and other courses. Learning communities are curricular structures that promote academic success by…

This book offers college department chairs guidelines for effectively fulfilling their roles as faculty developers, managers, leaders, and scholars. The results of several national surveys on chairs' duties and needs are summarized. Part 1 reviews the role of faculty developer. A practical set of procedures is given for recruiting faculty, bearing…

This study surveyed faculty at an elite private research (Ivy League) university on their attitudes toward teaching and their teaching practices. A total of 115 faculty from several schools within the university completed a 68-item questionnaire on how they learned to teach, what motivated them to invest time and effort in their teaching, what…

The Cognitive Science Laboratory of the University of Southern California has conducted a series of studies on the experimental effects of motivation on a low-stakes (to the student) standardized test. This report summarizes these studies and their results. The test in question is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). A series of…

A discussion of work satisfaction, motivation, and commitment focuses on unique needs and issues in the profession of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching. The first chapter gives an overview of literature on the general subjects of work satisfaction, motivation, commitment, and closely related areas such as stress and burnout, including a…

This thesis proposes a segmentation of the University of Calgary's (Canada) freshman class based on benefits sought from attendance and provides descriptions of each benefit segment that includes the impact of institutional characteristics. A motivational typology for university participation is presented and the marketing implications of this…

In response to findings from a study of community college students' motivations for studying a foreign language that indicated that many students cited "personal fulfillment," a second study was undertaken to determine factors that affected students' sense of fulfillment. Specifically, the study sought to determine the relationship between…

Action research is one of the more increasingly popular and innovative techniques for engaging teachers in shaping change in the classroom. The research in this monograph was conducted by teachers in classrooms in Florida and Georgia. Papers were selected from 65 action research papers written in fulfillment of one of the requirements of the…

This collection of activities is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The activities are non-graded and can be used from upper elementary to high school. Reading levels vary from no reading required to very little reading required and can be used effectively with students who are poor readers, bilingual, or at a special…