Does the use of rewards to motivate children to learn or to follow classroom rules run counter to fostering a true desire for mastery? This column, which consists of two separate articles, provides the opposing opinions of the authors regarding the appropriateness of giving rewards in an early childhood classroom. In "Using Rewards in the Early…

This article reports that educators are still searching for the right blend of academic and developmental strategies for middle school students. More than a decade after a prominent group of middle-grades reformers set out to infuse higher academic standards into what critics deemed the touchy-feely world of middle schools, many teachers are still…

Does motivating students to study harder with the promise of cash sound like innovation--or bribery? That's a question educators and researchers have been debating, amid concerns that money-for-achievement programs actually decrease students' intrinsic motivation to learn and send mixed messages about studying. But the idea is catching on, with…

The need to create a love for learning in children is discussed. (RC)

This article suggests a means by which teachers could minimize the possibility of hurting students and contribute significantly to their healthy emotional development, while enhancing their own effectiveness by applying some methods and attitudes of psychotherapists. (PD)

The major purpose of instructional science is to prescribe optimal methods to bring about desired learning, and the purposes of this paper are twofold: (1) to encourage individuals in the discipline to think in terms of contributing to a collegial, or even competitive, building of a common knowledge base in instructional science, and (2) to…

THIS STUDY REPLICATES EARLIER DATA CONCERNING CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH STUDENTS CHECK OR "OBSERVE" ANSWERS TO A PRINTED PROGRAM, AND THE RELATION OF ANSWER OBSERVING TO ERROR RATE. THIRTY COLLEGE STUDENTS STUDIED TWO PROGRAMS ON MEDICINE. FREQUENCY OF ANSWER OBSERVING WAS OBTAINED BY SELF-REPORT. PAY INCENTIVES (THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE) WERE GIVEN…

Discusses a project undertaken in the Malagasy Republic which sought to uncover the true motivation for literacy education among the peasants. (AN)

Teaching students to learn in an unstructured environment proved to be rewarding both to the learners and the instructors. (CK)

Persons in a vocational training center for the unemployed were the subjects of a study of alienation and social learning. The study related measures of meaningless, normlessness, social isolation, and powerlessness to control-relevant information about both the immediate training center and also future employment opportunities. Results showed…

Interviews with nine Hong Kong managers involved in joint ventures with other organizations focused on the organizational learning aspects of collaboration: attitudes toward interorganizational learning, acquisition of knowledge assets, and learning motivation. An important motivation for developing alliances was to learn from each other, fill…

Three popular theories of adult learning have not been fully exploited: (1) Cross' Chain-of-Response Model; (2) Knox's proficiency theory; and (3) McCluskey's Theory of Margin. (SK)

The front handspring is an important gymnastics skill that serves as a transition from beginner-level rolling and static balances to more advanced tumbling. It is, therefore, a skill highly desired by beginners. Early learning requires a great deal of effort during which students experience many failed attempts. Unless they are highly motivated,…