Addresses the role of multiple goals, both mastery and performance goals, and links them to multiple outcomes of motivation, affect, strategy use, and performance. Data from 8th and 9th graders (N=150) reveal that, in line with normative goal therapy, mastery goals were adaptive; but also that performance goals, when coupled with mastery goals,…

Today, our verbal-only paradigm of teaching is on its way out. Interactive multimedia instructions have enabled learners to go forward smiling. Learners are motivated and encouraged by the evolving interactive multimedia to learn cooperatively and above all to learn meaningfully. Integration of interactive multimedia and technology in our…

Methods used for teaching children to read could be the whole language approach, or the phonics approach, or maybe a balance of both. This paper is a discussion of appropriate and effective teaching practices through interesting methods such as music, the use of culturally diverse materials, and the role of toys and television as they relate to…

Discusses several research studies which show that what teachers expect of their pupils is usually what they get from them. (JOW)

Reviews the literature pertaining to the relationship between textbook illustrations and reading comprehension in elementary school students and finds that the effects of the relationship have not been clearly established. Poses questions for future research. (FL)

Students are motivated to the extent that they initiate and sustain meaningful involvement in learning. Theories of motivation suggest that appropriate attention to college students' needs and expectations for success will enhance their involvement and learning. (Author/MSE)

Reports on the social relations of rural African American early adolescents and the initial impact of a multilevel intervention program aimed at enhancing the productive school engagement of at-risk youth. Students' school social relations and risk status were used in assessment. Four subgroups were identified: Model, Aggressive, Troubled, and…

Presents the design, national standardization, and validation of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale. A normative sample (N = 100) of preschoolers yielded distinct and reliable dimensions of Competence Motivation, Attention/Persistence, and Attitude Toward Learning. Correlations demonstrated validity convergence with indices of social skills,…

Identifies and describes the psychological parameters of middle school students' social and work avoidance goals. Describes in detail the structure of students' work avoidance, social affiliation, social responsibility, and social concern goals. Results suggest that a range of social goal orientations are important and adaptive to students'…

Schools across the country are investing millions of dollars every year in technology, and statistics show that technology in schools has grown at an exponential rate (Dirksen and Tharp 2000; Heath et al. 2000). But are schools getting the most from their technology investment? In this article, the author cites research literature to support his…

This paper reviews recent literature in order to identify factors affecting student performance in introductory high school and college physics courses. An important factor identified was formation of cognitive structures such as formation of problem solving schemata. It was concluded that Piagetian concepts such as concrete and abstract reasoning…

The conventional psycholinguistic views of a strictly cognitive nature are reductive with respect to the complexity of the learning process. In language learning, motivation is viewed variously: (1) as a co-essential and equally powerful factor with linguistic aptitude and personality traits; (2) as arising from interaction between organism and…

This study surveys recent literature on education in Japan to determine what elements of the Japanese educational system could be incorporated into America's pedagogical system. There are four sections with the following titles: (1) What comparisons are being made between Japanese and American students in achievement and IQ tests scores? (2) How…

To estimate the influence of positive reinforcement on classroom learning, the authors analyzed statistical data from 39 studies spanning the years 1958-1978 and containing a combined sample of 4,842 students in 202 classes. Twenty-nine characteristics of each study's sample, methodology, and reliability were coded to measure their effects on…

This paper reviews the research of Ference Marton and his group of researchers at Goteborg University. It describes and explains research on: 1) what students learn, 2) how students approach learning, 3) the relationship between approach and learning outcome, 4) student perceptions of learning, and 5) the possibility of manipulating student…