Reviews processes accounting for the success of awards and incentives in increasing the speed of learning. Presents 10 principles of a well designed incentive program. (LRA)

Results clearly demonstrated that the children in this investigation made significantly more and faster responses when the reinforcer presentation was varied as opposed to constant. (Author/DB)

Base a learning center on magic and the results will be magical. (Editor)

Discusses the essential characteristics of learning in the four main life stages: childhood, youth, adulthood, and mature adulthood. Itemizes the characteristics of adult learning and stresses the importance of life projects as a motivation for learning. (JOW)

In Clardy's study, 56 employees described 109 vocationally oriented self-directed learning projects undertaken. Projects were categorized as induced (spurred by imbalance between job expectations and capability), voluntary (fueled by personal motivation), or synergistic (combined motivation with the spark of workplace circumstances). Willis'…

An Irish company embarked on implementing a business excellence model and continuous improvement initiatives. Some employees' reluctance to participate impeded organizational learning, but the creation of a culture that encouraged, facilitated, and rewarded learning enabled movement toward excellence. (Contains 64 references.) (SK)

Examines the factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale with a United States student population. There was some support for a 7-factor structure. Evidence of construct validity examining the relationship with academic self concept and academic achievement is mixed. Discusses ethnic and gender differences in motivation. (Contains 37…

This paper looks at some research conducted with young carers and a multidisciplinary team of professionals as co-researchers. In this paper I suggest that action learning is a natural activity which occurs when programmed knowledge is combined with questions from colleagues/learners with different perspectives to create a shift in perception in…

The focus of this paper is on knowledge-building in a technology-supported learning environment in higher education through a longitudinal study of a graduate course from 2003 to 2007. The primary question is: how do learning conditions designed into a graduate course contribute to collaborative knowledge building? In particular, two major…

Vocabulary notebooks are frequently advocated as a way for students to take control of their vocabulary learning (Fowle, 2002), with the added benefit of improvements in vocabulary learning (Schmitt and Schmitt, 1995; Laufer and Nation, 1999). The study described in this article attempts to lend empirical support to these claims, by investigating…

This study aimed to assess the perceived impact of music students' active engagement in music making. Seventy-eight music students were asked to report on the impact that their participation in music making had on their lives. The data were analysed using Atlas.ti software. The findings fell within three categories: music making as a musical act,…

Children have been taught since birth to believe they can do anything they choose, from starring in the school play to mastering long division. All that self-confidence, however, has not produced more capable students. The Brookings Institution 2006 Brown Center Report on Education finds that countries in which families and schools emphasize…