This article presents selected results gained by studies which deal directly or indirectly with evaluation of physics instruction at the secondary education level in the Federal Republic of Germany. (PN)

Constructivism refers to a collection of educational practices that are student-focused, meaning-based, process-oriented, interactive, and responsive to student personal interests and needs. In contrast, instructionism refers to a collection of educational practices that are teacher-focused, skill-based, product-oriented, non-interactive, and…

This booklet synthesizes principles of motivation that have emerged from research examining the effect of motivational practices on school learning. It addresses achievement motivation, intrinsic motivation, goal orientation, and the effect of teacher practices on the promotion of motivational beliefs, motivation strategies, and willpower. It also…

Conceptualization and measurement of the control dimension is discussed from three theoretical perspectives: social learning, attribution, and intrinsic motivation theories. For each of these, evidence on the relationship between achievement and perceptions of control is summarized. Recommendations are made for research which will advance…

The insufficiency of the standard psychological concepts of instrumental and relational understanding to interpret learning in an educational context is indicated. (MP)

Contains contributions from five educators concerning the following topics: (1) the "Super Sounder" system of presenting phonics instruction to beginning readers, (2) teaching vocabulary in a multigrade classroom, (3) language experience and basal readers, (4) pacing as a key to successful drill work, and (5) creative ways to encourage reading.…

Explores various explanations for the general lack of motivation of students in school. Suggests that the real culprit responsible for lack of motivation is the school. Reasons include meaningless work, irrelevant examples, and stress on difficult concepts. (DB)

Explores how instructional design can contribute to building powerful learning environments. Highlights include a history of instructional design; personalized computer environments; collaborative learning; interaction and student-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community-centered learning environments; and the importance of…

Summarizes key findings from a previous review of reading research in which the author charted a paradigm shift in content area reading research from strategy validation studies in the 1980s to qualitative studies aimed at understanding sociocultural dimensions in teaching and learning. Comments on issues presenting themselves now, at the outset…

Hope theory integrates the conceptualization of goals, along with the strategies to achieve those goals, and the motivation to pursue those goals. In a 6-year longitudinal study, individual differences in hope, as measured by the Hope Scale scores of entering college freshmen, predicted better overall grade point averages. Hopeful thinking in…

The article raises concerns about educational approaches which rely heavily on extrinsic reinforcers and offers instructional guidelines to promote intrinsic motivation in children with learning problems. Stressed is the importance of mediational dynamics between teacher and student in the learning process. (DB)

Describes an instructional design model for hypertext, the Explorer's Hypertext Story Model, which is structured around components based on a story or narrative structure. Topics discussed include learner motivation; navigation in hypertext; learner control; and the importance of understanding information in context. (34 references) (LRW)

A summary of B.F. Skinner's work presents background information and examples of the great amount of misinformation about the work. The article discusses areas in which Skinner made major contributions to education (consequences, A-B-C analysis, rate of response, explanatory fictions, verbal behavior, programed instruction, social criticism, and…

This article examines different manifestations of verbal talent and how teachers can identify and cultivate special verbal abilities in students. The provision of role models relevant to students' interests is stressed and a list of recommended biographies is included, as are literary experiences available to student writers. The relationship of…

Reviews research on student motivation for second-language learning from the standard applied linguistics approach. The utility of other concepts of motivation to such research conducted at the micro, classroom, and syllabus levels is discussed as well as informal, out-of-class, and long-term factors. (188 references) (Author/CB)