For many students, the longer they are in school, the less they trust in their ability to do math and fail to see why math is important to know. How can middle and secondary school educators turn that tendency around? Teachers can explore how their colleagues are answering that question and improving math programs in grades 7-12 in this next…

When parents or policy-makers are asked to describe an excellent education, they often describe in fairly abstract terms the presence of a rich curriculum with highly qualified teachers, outstanding school resources and extensive educational opportunities. Nevertheless, excellent inputs to education provide no guarantee for excellent outcomes. To…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends 2014, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 4 to 6 of April. Psychology, in our time, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral…

This study identifies the factors which explain why individuals enter or do not enter traditional trade apprenticeships. Two sources of information are used--students in secondary schools and current apprentices (including those who have recently completed their training). Specifically, information was obtained from about 800 apprentices and close…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand students' perceptions of using asynchronous online discussion as a learning tool. Six pre-service teachers who took a course in educational technology applications for secondary grades at a Rocky Mountain region mid-sized university were selected to be interviewed. Phenomenological data…

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process by which people develop the skills to recognize and manage emotions, form positive relationships, solve problems that arise, motivate themselves to accomplish a goal, make responsible decisions, and avoid risky behavior. The Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), at the University of…

This study analyzes similarities and differences in students' motivation to learn based on nationally representative samples of 15-year-olds from 26 countries. Scales of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation proved to be equivalent across countries but there seems to be a shift in meaning at the country level. Focusing on functional relationships…

For some children, school failure is attributed to a lack in motivation. This article reports a study of motivation from an ecological perspective, considering the individual in interaction with the meaningful environment. Unlike much of the motivational literature that measures motivation in terms of constructs that are assessed largely via…

This study investigated the factors which had influenced the role of motivation in the high levels of achievement of a sample of fifteen gifted students, aged 14/15 years, in five secondary schools in England. The students were interviewed individually, and their parents and teachers were also interviewed for validation of the students' comments.…

This study is based on a sample of 332 Argentinean teenagers in their last year of secondary school. In the context of the relational theory of motivation, an attempt is made to determine the motivational categories best predicting Future Time Perspective (FTP) extension. The influence of the sex, locus of control, social class, and school ethos…

Web 2.0 software, in particular wikis, have the potential to allow students to become active contributors to the Internet and, as a result, restructure traditional learning environments. In this study, the effects of student-created wikis were evaluated through measures of student engagement, cognitive benefits, and student learning in both the…

Efforts to improve civic education face a conundrum. On the one hand, students report that they are more likely to learn about democracy and citizenship through reading textbooks than through any other activity and according to the National Education Association, reading is the gateway to learning in all content areas. However, reviews of textbook…

Forty-eight new secondary science teachers participated in a study that required a listing, discussion, and application of criteria to rank three chemistry laboratory procedures. The three similar lab procedures involved synthesis of a compound from its elements. The top criteria noted by teachers focused on procedural issues (i.e., timeliness,…

The idea of engaging students in discussions of teaching and learning has not had as much attention in Greece as in some other countries. As a new high school teacher confronting the problem of motivating reluctant learners I drew on the research I had undertaken on pupil voice for my M.Phil. The research was concerned with features of pedagogy…

Lack of student motivation to learn and study has become a problem to education institutions the world over. Numerous factors contribute to this situation in South Africa. Research has found that in spite of student potential, as well as resources and facilities found in schools and in higher education institutions, students are not inspired to…