This article describes kindergarten from the perspective of the whole child. Specifically, it reviews current research on best practices to improve children's math and language arts competencies, memory skills, and the role of kindergarten in beginning science. It also describes the social experiences children have in kindergarten with respect to…

This article provides a critical analysis of the teacher leadership literature. It considers teacher leadership within the context of contemporary leadership theory, focusing particularly upon distributed leadership. The article explores different interpretations and definitions of the term "teacher leadership" and considers the implications for…

The social psychological constructs postulated by Garner, Clement et al. are integrated into a proposed new framework of second/foreign language (L2) learning motivation. The proposed model comprises three levels: language, learner, and learning situation. Practical examples for motivating L2 learners are presented. (55 references) (LB)

This article reports on a study that investigated metacognitive knowledge or beliefs about language learning of 470 Turkish EFL learners in secondary education. The primary aims of the study were to explore what beliefs Turkish students in secondary education held about learning English as a foreign language (EFL), how their belief systems were…

Reviews U.S., British, German, and Scandinavian research on factors influencing the degree of liking or disliking music. Focuses on research relevant to such factors influencing musical preferences among young people receiving general music training as: specific characteristics of music; the effect of familiarity with music; the effect of…

This article discusses key issues of literacy that are important to both teachers and learners for understanding, and summarizes the function of literacy in three different groups: primary education, adult education, and communities with unwritten languages. The article investigates the scope of literacy, showing how this concept may be defined…

Approaches to developing teaching assistant programs are discussed, based on the organizational change literature. Five models are identified: rational planning, social interaction, human problem solving, political models, and a research and development approach. Political processes often can be blended with social interaction and problem-solving…

Teachers should be more aware of the function of place (an individual's physical and social environment) in the formation of the self in writing. By analyzing literature one can observe how the writer reflects upon the importance of a sense of place. Another kind of analysis is that of the writer in his or her environment, including the social and…

This paper explores the ways in which inner-city students' social, cultural, and political relationships and their thinking and behavior patterns that stem from the range of different situations outside the classroom can shape the classroom roles that they develop with their peers as thinkers and learners of English and writing. It presents a case…

This paper reports on two studies, one quantitative and the other qualitative, on the effectiveness and influence of Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs) at the University of Washington. A quantitative panel study compared 442 freshmen participating in 21 FIGs with 1818 non-participating freshmen. Findings indicated that the FIG program provided a…

Discussed is the situation of the ability, participation, and achievement of girls in mathematics in Australia. Reasons for the concern of many educators about this situation are presented. A few research explanations are suggested. (CW)

Contends that two practices of scientific history--the seminar and archival research--influenced historical research more than ideals of truth and objectivity. Discusses sexual bias in relation to archival access and other research practices. (CFR)

This research synthesis is organized around identification of instructional priorities for emergent literacy and existing evidence regarding curriculum design for those instructional priorities. First, areas of emerging evidence are identified and two major ideas are extracted: (1) children need to develop knowledge of and facility with multiple…

Race and socioeconomic class differences in children's reading performance are influenced by social and motivational factors. For example, children from poverty backgrounds are more likely to attribute success to conditions outside personal control, and thus do not experience as much pride in achievement as middle class students who have learned…

Drawing on the professional literature of many fields, this book provides an interpretation of the available research on motivation and describes instructional approaches in classroom contexts. The book aims to help teacher educators, researchers, and graduate students understand the research literature in motivation and use in their efforts to…