Some issues involved in the measurement of student motivation and learning strategies are explored, focusing on a self-report instrument, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The MSLQ, designed to assess the motivational orientation and learning strategy use of college students and based on a social-cognitive view, has been…

The difficulties facing teachers in the largest urban school districts in the United States are different from those in smaller districts. It is especially important to identify the success stories of teachers and students in demanding urban classrooms. Star teachers are those who are outstandingly successful in terms of student achievement and…

This paper addresses the study of children's reading interests and their attitudes toward reading as these factors relate to leisure-time reading. The problem of poor performances on measures of reading achievement by African-American children from low-income families has been studied for over 3 decades. Additionally, sociocultural and…

This practicum was designed to increase student achievement and to motivate 11th grade U.S. history students to consistently complete homework assignments, to actively participate in classroom discussions, and to perform with a passing grade of "C" or above on all examinations. This paper describes the development of a multicultural…

Scholarly publication of original work at community colleges is usually an elective pursuit, resulting more from a desire to learn than institutional requirements or financial incentives. At the College of DuPage, in Illinois, one faculty member has undertaken a 10-year, self-initiated research project in the biological sciences, involving…

This paper looks at alternative assessment and explores its place in educational reform. It gives a snapshot of alternative assessment in practice, guidelines for establishing it as part of the urban school culture, and resources for additional information. Alternative assessments differ from traditional tests in that they require students to…

Educational research has documented that technology can enhance student acquisition of discrete skills through drill and practice. This document presents case-study profiles from a study that examined whether technology could provide significant support for constructivist, project-based, teaching and learning approaches. The study also identified…

Despite increased availability and support for computers, relatively few teachers have integrated them into their teaching. This paper summarizes four studies that studies were conducted, two with independent groups of practicing teachers and two conducted longitudinally with a single group, first when they were preservice undergraduate teachers,…

During its first year, the Appalachian/African-American Cultural Education (ACE) Project undertook an evaluation to assess the program's impact on the knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes of its teachers. Assessment tools included pre- and posttests on cultural content, observation, teacher interviews, teacher self-evaluation, and participant…

Telecommunications in the classroom helps transform familiar types of assignments into new forms, increasing students' motivation while extending opportunities for critical thinking. This goals of this study were to increase apprentice teachers' technology use and evaluation skills while determining the value of e-mail communication in…

An important issue in the education reform debate is the effect of comparatively low salaries on teacher quality. Prose literacy scores are one of the best available measures of verbal ability, a factor identified by research as being associated with teacher quality. If teachers have lower prose literacy scores relative to college graduates in…

This paper describes a program intended to motivate elementary students to read for recreational purposes. The targeted population consists of first-, second-, and third-grade students in a growing middle class community located in the south suburban area of Chicago, Illinois. The problem of students' attitudes toward recreational reading was…

Citing research indicating that U.S. teachers commonly use verbal persuasion techniques to help low achieving students, this study extends the research to Sri Lanka to explore differences in helping strategies adopted by teachers across cultures. Study participants were 237 Sri Lanka teachers who represented the majority Sinhalese population and…

The theme of this book is self-initiated learning. It provides a framework to examine the dynamics of how children learn in this new environment. Chapter 1, "Underlying Rationale and Overview," discusses the rationale underlying a new philosophy of education. Chapter 2, "Background and Characteristics of a Self-Initiated Learning…

The Rural Education Advisory Committee, established in 1990 by the New York State Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, was asked to identify and disseminate information on raising the aspirations and increasing educational opportunities for rural students. An examination of effective rural New York school districts led to identification of…