The author, having drawn examples from her doctoral study, describes how a thematic analysis approach was employed to interpret raw data in her doctoral study which explored the impacts of a high-stakes test on students and parents in Nepal. As the main purpose of this paper is to provide some guidelines for English language teaching (ELT)…

Background: This study seeks to examine a multidimensional model of student motivation and engagement using within- and between-network construct validation approaches. Aims: The study tests the first- and higher-order factor structure of the motivation and engagement wheel and its corresponding measurement tool, the Motivation and Engagement…

Understanding the influences upon curriculum formation is an ongoing challenge for adult educators. This discussion describes one approach to curriculum analysis--the aspirational myth--based on the notion that instructors and learners co-construct an idealized identity representing the end point of learning. The aspirational myth is described…

Based on the evidence and theory that sex-role differentiation increases in salience during those later high school years as students prepare for their imminent transition into young adulthood, it was anticipated that there would be a lower orientation toward achievement among grade 12 girls than grade 10 girls, and, possibly, the opposite for…

This study examines the effect of one social milieu factor (Israeli kibbutz versus urban lifestyle) on Israeli adolescents' future orientation. Responses of 114 kibbutz and 112 urban adolescents to an open-ended Future Orientation Questionnaire are grouped into nine life domains: school and matriculation, military service, higher education, work…

While acknowledging the research that suggests that women approach their education with lower levels of self-confidence than men, this paper raises fundamental questions about how self-confidence has been described and measured during the last two decades. The validity of work on women's attitudes toward academic success is shown to be undercut by…

The objective of this study is to examine factors influencing student achievement in Greece at the end of secondary schooling with special emphasis on the national examination, based on which selection in higher education is determined. The identification of these factors and their hierarchical contribution to achievement is investigated in a…

This study examined the predictive factors of demand for degrees and academic performance at the University of the Basque Country (Spain). The study followed two cohorts of university students from secondary education to the completion of the third year of higher education. The data analyzed included secondary school qualifications, selectivity…

This paper explores the question of how and what a school can do to foster student discipline and effort. Personal experiences and observations are offered about the approaches and strategies used in schools and by parents in Taiwan, China to foster students' positive attitudes toward learning and school. This document focuses on the approaches…

Japanese children's performance in school is a product of a social consensus favoring attention to children's learning, a set of cultural values focusing on the commitment of effort, and a psychological milieu in the family which encourages achievement in a safe and nurturant atmosphere. This paper treats especially this latter environment, that…

Analyzes data collected from freshman at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) between 1989 and 1992. Suggests that high school records (grade point average and number of courses completed) are a better predictor of academic success than entrance examinations. Discusses technical aspects of the study and social implications of its results. (MJP)

To identify causes for low enrollment in secondary agricultural schools in Yemen, the United States Agency for International Development and the Yemen Ministry of Education surveyed 990 preparatory (junior high) students, examining their educational aspirations, differences between rural and urban youth, major influences on student aspirations,…

Analyzes information from a computerized database of Ph.D. candidates in history between 1921-90. Examines the numbers of doctoral degrees produced at each college within the university, as well as students' gender, nationality, and age. Questions previously held assumptions concerning rates of completion and submission. Includes statistical…

Analyzes the decision making process used by Japanese middle school students and their parents for choosing a high school. Reveals that these decisions are highly affected by placement counseling. This process defines the students' choices, inculcates values, and offers sets of rationales for students to account for their decisions. (MJP)

Examines the issue of equality of opportunity and social mobility in terms of differences between urban and rural young people in South-Western Nigeria, focusing particularly on those handicaps associated with female disadvantage. Reports results of interviews with 359 rural and urban female secondary school students. (JHZ)