This paper reports on the first stage of a project to develop and test the use of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) for promoting computer supported collaborative learning through instructional gaming in the high school classroom. Teachers and students of English and Science at Swan View Senior High School, Western…

This exploratory study examined the range of gender-based achievement motivation patterns evident in a group of Australian final year high school students. Single, dual and multiple goal complexes were compared, enabling an evaluation of the relative impact of each of the goals on these patterns, as well as their relationships with academic…

The aim of this report was to quantify the benefit, in terms of higher wages, of completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification. Two factors influenced the direction of this research. First of all, VET is concerned primarily with improvements in skill levels (with a likely consequence of improved productivity and therefore…

Efforts to increase senior secondary retention rates and improve schooling for marginalized students have been influenced by the school effectiveness perspective. This paper outlines several problematic aspects of this perspective and proposes an alternative orientation centred around "care". Drawing on research with students and…

This paper, based on a questionnaire and interview study of 118 married and single mothers who had interrupted their studies at one of three New South Wales universities, explores the question of what factors prevent successful completion of study. A cluster analysis was performed on the responses to an item that listed 21 reasons for dropout. A…

School motivation and achievement for an individual is the product of a complex set of interacting goals, goals which may be more or less significant to individuals from different cultural backgrounds. This paper describes a project which examines the nature of goals held by students from different cultural groups, the compatibility of these goals…

The goal theory of achievement motivation establishes that goals stressed by schools dramatically affect whether children develop a success orientation or give up when faced with failure. This paper examines how Australian children from diverse cultural backgrounds view achievement and success in the classroom. A questionnaire derived from the…

A longitudinal phenomenographic investigation was conducted into a cultural change process at a secondary school. This change process positively influenced senior students' academic motivation, cognition, and achievement. The study involved a retrospective examination of the components of the change process and a specific investigation of how…

Age, gender, cultural, and socioeconomic differences in relations between middle school students' motivational goal orientations, their cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and their academic achievement in a variety of curriculum domains were studied. Studies to date typically have used either cognitive or motivational variables to account for…

This paper reviews transition education initiatives that were undertaken in three Australian states (Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria) for the purpose of assessing the extent to which local projects reflected national policy objectives. Case studies for each of the three states are presented and the impacts of the transition…

This case study examines the motivation of two intermediate foreign language learners engaged in a remote language exchange partnership. A learner of English in Japan and a learner of Japanese in Australia completed language exchange activities using the telephone, Internet text chat, and e-mail over 10 weeks. Quantitative and qualitative methods…

An individual's school motivation and achievement are products of a complex set of interacting motivational goals, sense of self, and self-concept variables. Motivational goals may be differentially salient to individuals from different cultural backgrounds; and sense of self, including academic self-concept, may vary across cultural groups. This…

Data presented on recent changes in student characteristics include matriculation and retention rates, full- and part-time participation, student residence and employment, course changes and perceptions, and attitudes toward personal development, vocational relevance of the curriculum, importance of higher education, and career choice. (MSE)

Focuses on the challenges associated with the introduction of language education in a secondary classroom containing learners of diverse backgrounds. Presents the results of action research of two groups of girls studying French. Findings indicate that a large group of learners can develop language skills through pair work and group activities and…

Focuses on the efficacy of computer use for learning Kanji characters and improving Japanese vocabulary levels, with reference to software designed to improve Kanji learning in a self-access learning mode. Findings reveal that all the students in an Australian university using the computer to learn Kanji increased their grades and that those most…