Describes a model for generative teaching of comprehension that focuses on students' knowledge base and preconceptions; motivation; attention; and generation of new models and explanations. Generative teaching procedures for facilitating comprehension in elementary school are reported. (Author/LB)

Suggests that learning communities are of high interest in higher education now because they are compatible with changing epistemologies about the nature of knowledge, because research generally supports their educational benefits, and because they help institutions of higher education meet their missions of educating students for their lives of…

Recommends utilizing biochemistry problems to develop students' abilities to clearly identify the relevant questions hidden in problematic situations and to select the information required to solve them. This procedure is highly motivating and offers students a tool for evaluating their achievements. (Author/CCM)

Review of evidence from over 90 action research projects finds the common assertion that Asian students prefer passive learning and resist teaching innovations is not correct. Argues that the motivation displayed by Asian students is not an extrinsic form of motivation, which depresses intrinsic motivation, and that the high levels of achievement…

Reports on a study that investigates whether the quality of interactions between students and faculty have an influence on students' academic motivation and academic self-concept. Results reveal that students who had more positive perceptions of faculty encouragement had higher academic self-concept scores and academic motivation scores than…

Shows that motivation research is generally compatible with and supportive of the whole language philosophy of instruction. Provides explicit motivational reasons why whole language practices might be effective. Suggests whole language classrooms provide settings where motivation researchers can investigate the success of motivation principles,…

Background: Research has suggested that the pressure of exams could undermine pupils' interest in their subjects, but almost all of this research has been conducted in laboratory settings. The Transfer Test in Northern Ireland provides an unusual opportunity to assess the effects of exam pressure in real life because some 10- and 11-year-olds sit…

Although adult learners are similar to their younger classmates in many ways, they have some particular characteristics that have implications for teaching them. For example, adults have multiple roles, and classes sometimes cannot be their first priority. Adults also have more life experiences, which can provide foundations for learning or create…

While students are struggling with the basic concepts of learning a second language, they are not likely to be intrigued by the language as the key to literature. In the first two years of language study, the amount of material being studied and the focus on language acquisition are such that film can be accommodated as an outside activity…

Analysis of two studies related to academic achievement (Atkinson, Lens, and O'Malley, 1976; Entwisle and Hayduk, 1978) and of the effective-schools literature provides a picture that helps us to understand why the ability of poor children is not reflected in their school performance and what schools might do to remedy this situation. The…

By reviewing the recent studies on motivation in language learning, this paper attempts to recognize what has been done in the area of research on foreign and second language (L2) learning motivation in the late 1980s and 1990s and to discuss some problems and issues found in those studies in relation to the construct "motivation" in language…

Analyzes the factors that contribute to the satisfaction of adult learners from an instructional design perspective. A general profile of the adult learner is provided, and the factors that enter into learner satisfaction--including learner involvement, learner challenge, self-direction, and rewards--are outlined. A 17-item reference list is…

The authors review existing research which links three sets of variables: (1) organizational characteristics, (2) how efficacy operates within the individual, and (3) the individual and organizational effects with which efficacy has been empirically connected. Efficacy is defined in terms of the individual's expectancy of gaining valued outcomes…

Although part-time employment often interferes with high school students' academic achievement, careful planning to integrate employment with school involvement can prove to be beneficial to the students' personal development. (LH)

The research examines social psychological variables which motivate college student plans and performance. Reviews theoretical research of the self and significant others and presents a model based on variables including family background, high school grades, sex, and perceived importance of significant others. Additional research on self…