The present study examines the implications of a pedagogical approach that views at-risk children as 'specialized needs' students lacking family resources, limiting their future educational and employment prospects. This approach deliberately addresses the distinctive needs of this population. The research investigates a case study conducted at an…

The global COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly forced hundreds of millions of teachers to shift from in-person to remote teaching. This abrupt change from classroom to home as the context for learning has required teachers to make substantial modifications and adjustments to engage their students in learning. This study was designed to explore what…

Students' adaptive motivation to study tends to decrease over time. However, the reasons for this decline are not fully understood. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), we investigated whether changes in teachers' motivating style and students' associated need-based experiences could explain the motivational decline documented in the…

The present study explores the effect of teachers' authentic leadership in second chance programmes on students' psychological need satisfaction climate (according to self-determination theory), and the manner in which teachers' gender moderates this effect. Data collected from 60 teachers and 183 students in second chance programmes in Israel…

This mixed-methods study examined longitudinal data, assessing Israeli autistic adults' employment-related changes, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the quantitative phase, 23 participants answered a survey before and during COVID-19, assessing work-status, mental health, and work-related psychological need satisfaction. The qualitative…

Reports on drop-out rates and difficulties experienced by beginning teachers require an examination of the motivational processes that characterize teachers at this stage. Support systems for beginning teachers in the induction period in Israel include a workshop and a mentoring process. This study examined how support in beginning teachers'…

Associations between security within the family, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, true-self behavior, and knowledge of true self, as well as levels of adjustment, were explored in a sample of early adolescents and midadolescents in Israel (N = 302, mean age = 14.19 years). Both security within the family and needs satisfaction were found…

This study investigated whether girls' and boys' perceptions of their teacher may explain gender-related difference in academic motivation. One hundred and twenty-nine ninth-grade Israeli students (67 males and 62 females) completed a questionnaire designed to assess their motivation to learn, their affect while studying in school, and their…

The implications of the transition from elementary to middle school are of major concern for educators and researchers worldwide. Previous studies have yielded ambiguous findings; some have indicated negative outcomes of school transition, whereas others have demonstrated null or even positive effects. The aim of the current research was to…

The present research employed Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical framework for investigating the role of parents in the quality of the motivation that students adopt towards homework. One hundred and thirty five dyads of 4th grade Jewish-Israeli children and one of their parents responded to surveys. The findings indicated that parents'…

Successful school reform requires that administrators, teachers, and students internalize the value of improved teaching and learning and of the policies, structures, procedures, and behaviors implicit in the reform. This is most likely to happen when school personnel and students experience satisfaction of their basic psychological needs for…

Children in countries involved in violent national conflicts experience difficult and, at times, extreme events such as spending long hours in shelters, witnessing terror attacks, or having a family member absent or injured while participating in battle. This study explores the moderating effect of resilience factors, self-esteem, and…

Considers question of shifts in artistic and literary style from lifespan developmental perspective, focusing on change during midlife. Using Samuel Beckett as example, demonstrates relationship between his abrupt shift to playwriting and his entrance into midlife. Notes that theories of lifespan personality development suggest parallels between…

The planning and development of a new, Israeli residential high school (grades 10-12) for excellence in arts and sciences is described. The curriculum design (art and science specialization, interdisciplinary studies, community involvement, and values education); criteria for student selection; and planning activities in design, evaluation and…