Reports on the social relations of rural African American early adolescents and the initial impact of a multilevel intervention program aimed at enhancing the productive school engagement of at-risk youth. Students' school social relations and risk status were used in assessment. Four subgroups were identified: Model, Aggressive, Troubled, and…

Presents the design, national standardization, and validation of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale. A normative sample (N = 100) of preschoolers yielded distinct and reliable dimensions of Competence Motivation, Attention/Persistence, and Attitude Toward Learning. Correlations demonstrated validity convergence with indices of social skills,…

Identifies and describes the psychological parameters of middle school students' social and work avoidance goals. Describes in detail the structure of students' work avoidance, social affiliation, social responsibility, and social concern goals. Results suggest that a range of social goal orientations are important and adaptive to students'…

This article describes some of the conclusions reached from an experiment using portfolios for art external assessment at the end of secondary education (age 17+) conducted in five Portuguese schools in 2001-2003. Several positive outcomes were found. Students found portfolios to be motivating and fostering constructive learning, dialogue and…

A general model for motivational design of instruction is described and reviewed in terms of its application to E-learning contexts. Following a description of what is meant by E-learning environments and an overview of the four category model and design process known as the ARCS model, a variety of studies are summarized. The ARCS model is based…

Research on animated pedagogical agents (agents) is viewed as a very positive attempt to introduce more pedagogical support and motivational elements into multi-media instruction. Yet, existing empirical studies that examine the learning benefits of agents have had very mixed results, largely due to the way that they are designed. This article…

Understanding student motivation, why it breaks down, and how it can be supported or enhanced, is critical to good teaching. Following recent research discoveries, eagerness to learn is now viewed as an inherent capacity in all students when they have a positive view of themselves and a supportive learning environment. In this brief article, the…

Assesses the utilization, preferences, and barriers to the use of nine different continuing medical education (CME) delivery methods by physicians. A self-administered survey of all licensed physicians in Nevada was conducted and concluded that computer training, dedicated time in the workplace for self-directed methods, and the development of…

This study was designed to explore the relationships among individuals' dispositional ability conceptions, intrinsic motivation, experience, perceived competence, persistence, and performance. Participants practiced a novel task, completed surveys before instruction and after practicing the task, and completed a skill test. The results indicated…

Studies on academic motivation from the perspective of goal orientation have been plentiful in recent years. Nonetheless, the conceptual and empirical approach is not uniform, evolving from normative conceptions toward other multidimensional ones. This paper analyzes the classic and reformulated versions of this theory, looking at assumptions,…

Motivation is an important element required for learning. Educators have a variety of instructional media and teaching formats available to present information. Selecting a medium that motivates learners is an important consideration. This study compares the effect of different media on learners' motivation to learn. Through the use of a survey…

The context of Educational Psychology has seen profound changes over the last 30 years; due to these, self-regulated learning has become a current focus for research, and one of the essential axes of educational practice. Since Zimmerman and Schunk's (1989) publication, "Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement: Theory, Research, and…

This article reports the results of a preliminary study that applied a randomized posttest-only design to evaluate the effectiveness of a literacy curriculum that incorporated explicit opportunities for Spanish-speaking Head Start preschool children (N = 76) to develop writing abilities in English. The study also addressed English language…

In this paper, I propose that we need to develop an appropriate set of conceptual tools for examining motivational issues pertaining to linguistic diversity, mobility and social integration in a rapidly changing and expanding Europe. I begin by drawing on research that has begun to reframe the concept of integrative motivation in the context of…

This study examined the effect of a hypermedia-enhanced problem-based learning environment in astronomy on sixth-graders' science knowledge, attitude toward learning science, and motivation toward learning. It was found that the students had significantly increased their science knowledge from pretest to post test and also retained much of what…