Examines the degree to which experiencing confusion during the acquisition of new academic material differentially affects classroom performance of helpless and mastery-oriented fifth-graders. Provides an initial test of a theoretical approach to understanding differences between male and female performances in different subject areas. (AS)

A National Assessment of Educational Progress study was conducted on students to assess the dependence of high school mathematics learning on the amount and level of course work as well as other productive factors. Achievement appears to depend on number and level of courses, traditional teaching methods, home environment, and ethnicity.…

Stresses importance of student input in field of computer-assisted language instruction. Provides an overview of student input, its recognition, and some uses of its recognition. By understanding the potential of student-computer interaction, those who are considering the computer for use in their foreign language curriculum may be able to…

Purpose: The purpose of this action research presentation is to discuss how explicit comprehension instruction can take place along with writing, in the kindergarten classroom. Methodology: This action research project took place in a suburban kindergarten with learners of diverse ability levels and ESL students as well. In this classroom small…

During adolescence, students become increasingly vulnerable to academic underperformance caused by negative reactions to their awareness of ability impugning stereotypes about one's group, a phenomenon known as stereotype threat. Although stereotype-related underperformance can occur early in development, it is during adolescence that it is seen…

This dissertation examines the motivational orientations of students with disabilities in five North Carolina community colleges. The paper considers the following issues: reasons for community college attendance among disabled students; differences in demographics and motivations among students with and without disabilities; and differences in…

High achieving Puerto Rican high school students are largely missing not only from urban high schools, but also from the educational research. The purpose of this article, then, is to describe the five success factors that ten low-income urban high school students from this ethnic group attributed to their high academic achievement. These success…

Asynchronous computer mediated learning (CML) provides a mechanism for student interaction that is unique among educational delivery systems. Collaborative interactive learning can lead to deeper learning than is possible without interaction among learners and may enable groups of learners to become more knowledgeable than the teacher in narrow…

Three years of helping faculty members at a state university learn computing technology yielded the following lessons: (1) for faculty members, the ownership of a computer is an emotional event during which computers are viewed successively as glorified typewriters, status symbols, and tools; (2) even to highly knowledgeable individuals, learning…

This book provides research-based, concrete strategies for creating a student-centered curriculum in which every student can learn. It breaks down the Natural Human Learning Process (NHLP) into six stages, providing guidelines and models showing educators how to create learning experiences at each stage of the process for individuals, small…

Fiction is a powerful tool that can motivate students to learn. This book is designed to assist elementary teachers in planning integrated units of study based on quality fiction titles about U.S. history. These titles build interest, illuminate specific eras, and lead students to related nonfiction titles. Organized in sections that cover…

This paper outlines the background of an early years training program being implemented in inner city and rural settings in the United Kingdom. The paper is based on 5 years of observations, interviews, meetings, and training initiatives with educators and parents. In their comments, educators and parents often attributed their lack of…

Two studies examined factors influencing the study approach of Australian college freshmen and seniors from a traditional psychometric perspective, supported by student comments. The first found that student interest, grades, and essay examinations encourage serious study; the second, that serious students see courses as encouraging independence…

A longitudinal study of first graders found that children had a more internal locus of control, were more optimistic, and scored higher on an effectance motivation measure at the end of first grade than at the beginning but attitudes and self-esteem did not change. Some changes were effected by SES and academic success. (AtuhorRD)

Studies in self-management, attribution, and achievement motivation challenge the view that basic skills instruction requires strong teacher control, structure, convergence on learning activities, less pupil freedom, and less experimental teaching activities. Student-managed instruction yielded the greatest achievement gains and heightened…