Differences in the mastery motivation levels and approval needs of children, ages four and eight, were investigated. Two groups of 32 children each worked on puzzle tasks in one of two conditions: (1) verbal reinforcement or (2) nonreinforcement. Younger children needed more reinforcement than older children. (Author/BS)

A schema for categorizing a student's inferred motivation to learn was tested with 37 students (9 to 18 years old), who had been referred because of a diagnosis of learning disability. Students were classified on three dimensions: level of motivation, degree of misbehavior, and degree of learning ability. (SW)

An intensive study of nine elementary classrooms over a three-month period was conducted to analyze the extent to which teaching and learning behaviors change when computers are used for instruction. Findings are reported for both directive (computer-assisted instruction) and interactive (programing) learning experiences. (TE)

Globalization and technology are two of the many drivers that impact today's education locally and internationally. The purpose of the research study was to identify how online learners in Korea and the U.S. perceived online learning motivation differently and what learner characteristics and cultural orientation affected the online learners'…

This study examined why preschool, kindergarten, and 4th grade students had poor comprehension of a second language. The reasons for this were threefold: learning a second language is not essential to a child's life at these ages; they are not motivated to learn a second language on their own; and it was widely thought that learning a second…

To study student motivation and performance on a research project in a college-level humanities class, students were given a choice of three assignments. They could choose a traditional research paper on art, a creative narrative modeled after the popular novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring," (Tracy Chevalier), or a WebQuest on the…

This report describes a plan for using the multiple intelligences to increase student motivation. The target population consisted of a sixth grade reading class in a rural setting, and second, fourth, and fifth grade students in a pullout ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) program in an urban setting. The lack of motivation became evident as…

This paper asserts that helping students to clarify and commit to realizable learning goals increases learner motivation and retention. It is recommended that any adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher should do some sort of "goals work" with their students and that program-wide strategies to address learner motivation and retention be…

This paper investigates the joint effects of intrinsic and extrinsic goals on college students' learning in an introductory psychology course, a biology course, and several social science courses. The study questioned whether higher levels of motivation lead to better student performance. College students were surveyed using the Intrinsic Goal…

The United States Bureau of Education in the spring of 1924 requested teachers to submit instances or illustrations of motivated work in arithmetic. The 5,000 or more replies received are doubtless a typical cross section of what is happening the country over. Replies have come from all parts of the country, especially, as was to be expected, from…

Discussed disadvantages of efficiency approach to education. Distinguishes between the concepts of consuming and generating ideas, between a child's behavior and his experiences and between temporary excitement and sustained interest in regard to learning. (ST)

An interview with the founder of England's Summerhill School, which emphasizes a maximum of student freedom. (JF)

Several instructional agents that can be used for controlling learning situations--textbooks, films, tape recorders and mathematical apparatus, programmed instruction, and the human tutor--are examined and compared. (CK)

The reasons for a child's failure to learn in school are complex and stem from various sources--broken homes, parental indifference, and irresponsible parental behavior. (CK)