Achievement goal theory distinguishes between mastery goals (the goals of developing competence) and performance goals (the goals of demonstrating competence) [Ames [1992] "Journal of Educational Psychology" 84: 261-271]. In this study, we employed this theory aiming to better understand why adolescents' motivation to learn science…

Reports on a study in which two Israeli seventh-grade classes, one consisting of mostly females and the other gender balanced, were monitored. The two teachers manifested different communication styles and did not have any bias against females. Findings indicate that gender, academic composition, and teacher communication style are important…

Describes generalization activity as an opportunity to learn about seventh graders' understanding of functions. Findings indicate that the modeling efforts of students allowed them to analyze their understanding of representations of quantities, relationships among quantities, and relationships among the representations of quantities in both…

Investigated seventh graders' gender discrimination from a cross-cultural perspective. Israeli Arabs and Jews rated two hypothetical male candidates for class representative (who were generally masculine or outstandingly feminine) on their beliefs about their ability to be elected and their willingness to interact with them. Both groups…

Investigates ethnic acceptance among 613 Israeli middle grade students. Using self-reports determines the degree students wish to be involved with their homeroom classmates. Finds lower ethnic status peers accepted more readily when they score higher on indices of sociability, academic track level, and achievement. Discusses implications for…