Describes a software library developed to teach biophysics and physiology undergraduates that includes software on (1) the Hodgkin-Huxley model for excitation of action potentials in electrically excitable cells; (2) a random-walk model of diffusion; (3) single voltage-gated ion channels; (4) steady-state chemically mediated transport; and (5)…

Frequency and quality of cooperative learning activities in fourth through sixth grade were correlated with measures of students' attitudes toward school, perceptions of classroom climate, intrinsic motivation, and performance on a reading comprehension and standardized achievement test. Found that effects of cooperative learning depended on the…

A Cambridge, Massachusetts, alternative public school's basic reading program is a rich combination of whole language and individualized phonics. Other strategies to hook kids on reading include 20-minute recreational reading periods with parent volunteers, a weekly book-bag program, reading buddies, special projects, and community helpers from…

A teacher of student teachers at Lulea University of Technology in Sweden uses fantasy and story telling to integrate mathematical thinking and problem solving into adventure-education programs for elementary students in nearby forests. Maps, magic places, rituals, mysterious signs, audiovisual aids, actors, and darkness restore a sense of magic…

Mastery and performance goals of learning were related to "broad" and "narrow" views of adventure identified through interviews with 12 British outdoor educators. Motivational research provides empirical support for using progressive teaching approaches in outdoor education. Findings suggest that educators should encourage a…

Concerns about quality of undergraduate teaching have focused attention on motives underlying faculty performance at research universities. A case study of faculty participation in one instructional-reform coalition is presented. Results indicate three distinct motivational patterns, corresponding roughly to variations in individual's faculty…

Discusses reading motivation and suggests the use of interactive technology as an effective motivator. Topics include encouraging creativity; linking reading and writing; developing listening skills with CD-ROM interactive books, audiotape-filmstrips, and captioned television; visualizing with slides and transparencies and images from the…

Describes one experience of teaching students advanced research methods by participating in the collection of oral histories and historical documents about the eviction of residents from Shenandoah National Park. Asserts that community college students are capable of doing serious research with the proper guidance and if they become engaged in a…

Investigates the self-regulated learning strategies first-generation students employ. Uses Bandura's "Self-Regulated Learning" subscale to measure grade point average and academic success. Indicates that high scholastic performance was most associated with perceived capability to concentrate on schoolwork and meet assigned deadlines. (16…

Examined whether apprentices differed from nonapprentices in rates of deviant behavior. Found that nonapprenticed males were less deviant than apprenticed males; nonapprentices perceived more connectedness with and peer disapproval from parents; affective quality of parent-adolescent relations did not differ by educational track; and there was…

This follow-up article outlines goals, principles, and techniques for improving curriculum and instruction for secondary students with learning disabilities so that the following affective goals are fostered: intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control, academic and social self-concept, self-esteem, a sense of competence and confidence, an…

Describes Dean Kamen's FIRST foundation (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and its sporting competition that offers high school students hands-on acquaintance with robots of their own creation; its goal is to inspire students to pursue future studies in science and technology by showing them that learning in this area can…

Reports on a study of 168 undergraduate students at the United Arab Emirates University. Used the "Learning and Study Strategies Inventory" to examine the differences between low-, average-, and high-achieving students. Discovered that motivation was the most powerful discriminating factor separating the students. Includes sample…

The effects of problem solving and peer collaboration as two instructional methods advocated by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) were evaluated for enhancing mathematics achievement, motivation, and self-concept of 104 low- achieving third and fourth graders. There were significant positive effects for both approaches, as…

Appalled by his junior-high students' low morale and underachievement, a spiritually grounded African-American teacher realized that self-worth and achievement must grow together. He attacked problem attitudes affectively by building students' self-esteem and cognitively by building their linguistic skills. He raised performance expectations and…