Describes a model of information retrieval as social interaction, which distinguishes between three types of information interaction goals: (1) task-oriented; (2) topically oriented; and (3) those centered around situation assessment (SA). Results suggest that SA is an important cognitive activity in new information retrieval environments; SA…

Discussion of educational technology innovations focuses on some of the behavioral challenges facing the drive toward multimedia instruction and suggests a method by which instructor resistance to technological change can be lessened or eliminated based on the concept of self-efficacy. A typology of instructors is explained. (Author/LRW)

Summarizes a set of social and psychological factors thought to be responsible for the occupational and educational choices of women and men. Key features of a theoretical model are reviewed, and the implications of this model for understanding the link between gender roles and gendered educational and occupational decisions are discussed. (GR)

Advocates the promotion of certain values in the middle school curriculum, including the promotion of students' personal efficacy, competence, responsibility, affiliation with learning events, awareness, and an ethical perception of self. (JPB)

Discussion of students' perceptions of their learning environment focuses on the concept of self-efficacy, which is defined as a sense of confidence regarding the performance of specific tasks. The premise is that student self-efficacy beliefs regarding academic performance can have implications for improving learning environments and student…

In this article, we focus on practical memory concerns in adulthood. Young, middle-aged, and community-dwelling older adults responded to seven open-ended questions covering the topics of memory self-efficacy, memory management, memory remediation, and fears about memory aging in adulthood. The results revealed several similarities among the age…

How do beginning teachers experience the complex process of learning to teach in an urban setting? This article contributes to the literature on teaching in urban settings by theorizing the process of learning to teach based on longitudinal interview data generated from practitioners who were viewed by the researcher as critical informants. The…

Resilience is a trait that can help school leaders use their energy wisely when faced with adversity. But why do some leaders emerge from adversity with a balance in their account and others with a deficit? To explore this question, the authors conducted a case study with a single focus: "How do resilient school leaders move ahead in the face of…

Spanish was the first language of the majority of the author's 9th and 10th grade students who came from the Caribbean and Central and South America. Parents often worked late hours, and many students were employed, or had family responsibilities after school. Based on the realities of their lives, her students' engagement in reading was…

It is imperative that educational administrators continually examine the issues that confront teachers on a day-to-day basis, keeping in mind how they can best assist their faculty in maintaining the focus on their students and the overall instructional process. The issues presented in the following discussion are provided as a sampling of…

This paper presents the results of a case study involving Taiwanese elementary teachers who teach science at the elementary grade school level. It advocates the position that a teacher's personal science efficacy belief influences his or her science teaching outcome expectations. It also points to an important metamorphosis that is taking place…

ACHIEVE Mississippi was founded at Mississippi State University to infuse problem-based learning (PBL) and studio-based learning (SBL) into the field of teaching. The secondary education program area infused SBL into secondary majors' Planning and Managing Learning class and Methods of Teaching classes. SBL offered authentic ways for teacher…

Distinct from academic intelligence, successful intelligence is the acquisition and use of what one must know to succeed in a particular environment. People with high successful intelligence know their own strengths and weaknesses; are goal-oriented, highly motivated, and efficacious; follow through; own and assume responsibility for their own…

Summarizes 35 years of empirical research on goal-setting theory, describing core findings of the theory, mechanisms by which goals operate, moderators of goal effects, the relation of goals and satisfaction, and the role of goals as mediators of incentives. Explains the external validity and practical significance of goal setting theory,…

Measured self-efficacy and learning goal orientation in the foreign language learning domain. Investigated relationships between self-efficacy, learning goal orientation, and foreign language achievement. Students studying German at Pennsylvania State University completed the new instrument--the Measure of Foreign Language Achievement (MOFLAP).…