Reports a study of 540 first-, fourth-, and eighth-grade students who participated in a discrimination task under three reinforcement conditions: reward, punishment and a combination of both. Results indicate the superiority of learning under punishment conditions. Interactions involving the sex of subject and experimenter are also discussed.…

Article discussed second language learning in primary and nursery schools. (RK)

Compares the lecture and self-paced methods of instruction on the basis of student motivation and achieveme nt, comparing motivating and demotivating factors in each, and their potential for motivation and achievement. (Authors/JR)

A community-based course sponsored by Project TRAIN was designed to teach parents techniques and activities to be used at home to reinforce children's reading skills and to increase their interest in reading. Parents who showed an interest in reading, who read to their children, and who played word games with them indicated to their children, by…

In this paper presented at a school media staff development institute, the author discusses the motivation of children in using library/media materials, and describes picture books he has written. Friendly and responsive librarians and media specialists should create an exciting atmosphere for children in the library. Frequent library visits,…

If the years in school are to seem important to the developing human being, they must be important in ways that a young person can understand. Many children do not enjoy learning simply because they do not believe that what they are required to learn is practical and important. (Author/IRT)

Suggests an eclectic approach to foreign language teaching where the learner's cognitive structures and capacities as well as his entire personality would be taken into consideration. See FL 507 969 for availability information. (TL)

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

Research supported by U.S. Office of Education, Bureau of Research, Project No. 5-1122, Grant No. OEG-1-6-051122-0583.

To estimate the influence of positive reinforcement on classroom learning, the authors analyzed statistical data from 39 studies spanning the years 1958-1978 and containing a combined sample of 4,842 students in 202 classes. Twenty-nine characteristics of each study's sample, methodology, and reliability were coded to measure their effects on…

The "direct instructional method" of teaching is a systematic approach for directing the learner's attention and eliciting an appropriate response. While this method is generally used in small group instruction, this paper suggests that it can be equally effective in large groups, and examples are given of ways to use this strategy.…