Superintendents often mourn the "good old days" when they were educators and did not need to worry about the managerial and political aspects of their districts. Linda Hanson shows how effective a superintendent can be in the role of educator as she and her reading staff help their school board understand the implications of a mandatory graduation…

This study examined attitudes of high school students toward fitness and sports activities taught in physical education, and the perceived effectiveness of their physical education curriculum for improving their fitness and skill levels. Students from six high schools and 17 intact physical education classes agreed to participate. Data were…

High levels of academic achievement in Asian educational systems have generated interest in the study of motivational patterns of students in these contexts. The objectives of this paper are firstly, to provide a review of existing literature on the study of motivational styles amongst students and secondly, to identify the occurrence of different…

Practical and engaging, this book contains 21 case studies that help students apply curriculum theory to classroom reality. Each case is authored by an in-service teacher, reflecting on ways to improve instruction by making changes to various aspects of the curriculum. These real-life examples investigate up-to-date curricular issues ranging from…

Primers are used to motivate and uplift your class. They come in many different styles and can be used in a variety of ways. Making primers relevant to students helps them to learn and makes them feel appreciated and knowledgeable when they participate. Using primers in the classroom to make students feel valued brings much success.

Teachers are obligated to engage students in science and excite them about the wonder and amazement of investigating the world. Teachers need to be willing to move from a lecture-oriented classroom to a student-centered classroom that engages students in inquiry. In this article, the author describes how she moved toward a student-centered…

This study involved 99 students who took honors-level courses and 87 students who took Advanced Placement courses through a gifted distance-learning program. Data showed that students' interests in the subject areas, the desire for enriching and accelerating themselves, and the unavailability of the courses in their home schools were the major…

The research to explain students' self-regulated learning has grown rapidly in recent years. However, the studies on self-regulated learning have shown fascinating but mixed results. Thus, there is a need to identify and describe the key dimensions of self-regulated learning according to an empirical framework in order to integrate these complex…

Changes in early adolescents' self-reported cheating behaviors in mathematics before and after the transition from middle school to high school are examined. Students were surveyed in school regarding their cheating behaviors in math, and the motivational goal structures perceived in their math classrooms. Surveys were completed twice during the…

This study tested whether students' motivation and perceptions of the learning environment changed significantly within the school year. Korean high school girls' (N = 375) perceptions of the performance goal structures in the environment increased significantly throughout the school year. The girls' personal achievement goals and task value…

In this article, the author describes how Mr. Morris Lerner taught his class and shares what he learns from the science teacher. The author says Mr. Lerner greatly influenced his life and was the greatest teacher he ever had. Mr. Lerner taught the basic principles of technology education before most folks could spell the term--and that has made…

There is a general belief that Lebanese-background students in Australia do not usually perform well at school. This study examines the school achievement of Lebanese-background students and the major motivational factors related to their achievement. A total of 271 Year Nine students (117 Lebanese-background and 154 non-Lebanese background) in…

Historical perspectives on science serve to humanize the sciences, increase student motivation, communicate academic content, and convey the nature of science. This paper briefly reviews pertinent literature regarding the history of science and narrates the author's experiences of incorporating historical perspectives in high school biology…

The authors used the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire to investigate the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional instructional approaches on various facets of students' self-regulated learning, including motivation and learning strategies. Participants included 61 tenth-grade students from 2 intact classes…

This article presents the author's views on the present situation of American high schools. The current American high school system fails in satisfying the demands placed upon it by all sectors of American society in all classes, regions and ethnicities. He further points out several problems. Along with it, he discusses some academic adjustments…