This study tested the hypothesis that self-regulation of writing is a multifaceted modular construct and that students would perceive different goal orientations for writing as involving the application of different writing strategies. Two hundred eleven Jewish Israeli high school students engaged in a writing assignment and then reported on their…

This study examined teachers' experience of autonomous motivation for teaching and its correlates in teachers and students. It was hypothesized that teachers would perceive various motivations posited by E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (2000) self-determination theory as falling along a continuum of autonomous motivation for teaching. Autonomous…

The study investigates a social-pragmatic expectation that may motivate children to search their environment when asked for the referent of a novel label. In one experimental phase, the experimenter presented 40 two-year-olds a bucket containing a novel object and another visible object--either familiar or novel. The experimenter either asked…

The effects of dissonant and consonant music on cognitive performance were examined. Situational dissonance and consonance were also tested and determined as the state where one's opinion is contrasted or matched with the majority's opinion, respectively. Subjects performed several cognitive tasks while listening to a melody arranged dissonantly,…

This study investigated the relations between early adolescents' academic motivational orientations and an aspect of quality of friendship: intimacy. Two-hundred and three Jewish-Israeli seventh grade students responded to surveys asking them about their academic achievement goals and about characteristics of their friendships. Variable-centered…

From a life-stage perspective, the purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of female students in midlife to enroll in an undergraduate or graduate program and the meaning they attach to higher education (HE) in general. An additional purpose was to reveal these women's subjective perceptions of the benefits they gained from HE at this…

A workyard full of junk is a creative inspiration for preschool children at an Israeli Kibbutz. (RK)

This paper focuses on three goals for improving the environmental knowledge and attitudes of elementary and junior high students: (1) analyzing the short-term influence of the "Year of the Environment" on school activities concerning the environment; (2) analyzing the contribution of the "Year of the Environment" to the…

A study examining the relationship between motivation and giftedness of 97 Israeli students (grades 5-9) applying for admission to an institute for gifted students found motivation score differences between those accepted and those not. The study concluded that motivation spurs giftedness, while giftedness enhances various components of…

Focuses on modifying children's environment so as to optimize the situational context of reading and emphasizes that three ingredients are basic to reading: time, reading materials, and a purpose for reading. The article also emphasizes that encouraging native speaking students to read at home requires partnership with parents. (CK)

An attempt to examine study motivations from societal expectations of adult learners is described. A multi-year statistical follow-up of postsecondary Israeli kibbutz students is described. (Author/MLW)

Presents a study focused on the period following student admission to universities. Examines the effects of student motives for studying and socialization tactics on their academic achievement and academic satisfaction. Predicts that socialization tactics would mediate the relationship of motives to study to academic achievement and satisfaction.…

The structure, level, and contents of four categories of final examinations, including the three-Point, four-Point, and five-Point Bagrut exams, are discussed. Possible reasons are offered for why some students take higher level examinations than those for which they are prepared. (LB)

Contact intervention programs are being used as the main vehicle to enhance positive relationships between conflict groups. Current research seeks to reveal the force driving processes that lead to positive contact between conflict groups, and points to the importance of emotional modification. Acknowledging the centrality of emotional…

Investigation into fourth- through sixth-grade students' (N=257) motivational differences regarding computer-assisted mathematics instruction revealed that intrinsically-motivated students performed better at the computer, but not on a paper-and-pencil achievement test, than extrinsically-motivated students. Students who had self-criteria for…