This paper describes the use of a student conference as a novel experience aimed at motivating students enrolled in various computer architecture courses, such as Microprocessor Systems. The goal was to increase student engagement, to decrease failure rates, and to introduce students to the world of research. This multidisciplinary experience…

Purpose: This paper aims to review the relevant literature on training needs assessment (TNA) with an objective to provide users/beneficiaries of TNA with the understanding of its growing concept, multiple uses (outcomes), and valuing these uses (antecedents). Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the literature review on uses of TNA, the…

This article addresses the controversy regarding the value of offering choices as a teaching practice. Inconsistent of results regarding the effects of choice in various settings suggest that choice can be either motivating or de-motivating. Based on the self-determination theory of motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we propose that choice can be…

By searching the keywords of "older adult" and "computer" in ERIC, Academic Search Premier, and PsycINFO, this study reviewed 70 studies published after 1990 that address older adults' computer learning and usage. This study revealed 5 prominent themes among reviewed literature: (a) motivations and barriers of older adults' usage of computers, (b)…

Previous research has devoted a great deal of attention to describing the long-term patterns and relationships among trait-level or situation-specific variables. The present discussion extracts kernels of wisdom, based on the literatures on language anxiety and language learning motivation, that are used to frame the argument that choosing to…

This review examines instructional design models and the construction of knowledge. It further explores to identify the chilling benefits of these models for the inputs and outputs of knowledge transfer. This assessment also attempts to define instructional design models through the eyes and the minds of renowned scholars as well as the most…

Macros are programming scripts that can be generated by recording users' actions. It appears that despite their potential for reducing monotonous work, they are under-used by non-programmers. The present paper reviews the literature on the use of macros. Included is an original study that examines the effect of adding the "search and replace"…

This paper summarizes the theoretical basis of the relationship between preconceptions and the construct of mental effort in order to identify factors that researchers have shown to influence mental effort, and to suggest an agenda for future research in this area. It begins with a discussion of the theoretical bases of the relationship between…

The major purpose of instructional science is to prescribe optimal methods to bring about desired learning, and the purposes of this paper are twofold: (1) to encourage individuals in the discipline to think in terms of contributing to a collegial, or even competitive, building of a common knowledge base in instructional science, and (2) to…

Three popular theories of adult learning have not been fully exploited: (1) Cross' Chain-of-Response Model; (2) Knox's proficiency theory; and (3) McCluskey's Theory of Margin. (SK)

The main objective of this study is to investigate the motivation patterns of the two groups of Hong Kong students with different cultural backgrounds and examine the relationship between their motivation to learn English and English attainment. This study adopted the motivation framework of Dorneyi (2001) to investigate to what extent each social…

In our cognitive motivational process model (Vollmeyer & Rheinberg, "Zeitschrift fur Padagogische Psychologie," 12:11-23, 1998) we assume that initial motivation affects performance via motivation during learning and learning strategies. These variables are also central for self-regulation theories (e.g., M. Boekaerts, "European Psychologist,"…

Examines the factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale with a United States student population. There was some support for a 7-factor structure. Evidence of construct validity examining the relationship with academic self concept and academic achievement is mixed. Discusses ethnic and gender differences in motivation. (Contains 37…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of teaching students the use of specific learning and motivation strategies and substrategies to meet the cognitive and motivational demands of college. Findings indicate that training in learning and motivation strategy use contributed to GPA improvement. (Contains 17 references.) (GCP)

Specifies language acquisition processes in terms of brain mechanisms to explain the variable success achieved by early and late learners and proposes a brain-based model for language acquisition on the basis of the literature. Two conditions for full acquisition of a language are motivation and grammatical ability. The neural underpinnings for…