This study synthesizes theories of achievement motivation to better understand the development of academic task values in high school students and their relation to college major selection. We utilize longitudinal structural equation modeling to understand how grades relate to task values, how task values across domains relate to one another over…

In an ever-changing medical curricular environment, time dedicated for anatomical education has been progressively reduced. This happened at the University of Michigan Medical School starting in 2016-2017 when preclinical medical education was condensed to one year. Histology instruction remained integrated in organ system courses but reduced to a…

Few studies consider how non-cognitive factors shape outcomes for students served by Promise programs, which are programs that guarantee tuition-free college attendance within a specified geographic area. This single-institution study examined differences between enrolled and stopped-out Kalamazoo Promise scholars' (N = 142) basic needs,…

Since the General Educational Development (GED) Program was established in 1943, more than 17 million people have received a GED Credential. According to the American Council on Education (ACOE), the GED test is considered an alternative option to the US High school diploma, HiSET and TASC tests; the GED test verifies whether the test taker has…

Public discourse often frames the value of undergraduate education in financial terms--credentialing and increased earning power. Students must prepare to be self-supporting, but are financial prospects their only important goals? We asked 1,500 students from 11 U.S. colleges to write about their goals, the reasons their goals were important, and…

Massive open online courses ("MOOCs") provide free access to higher education for anyone with Internet access. MOOCs are considered a means for democratizing education. These courses will hopefully provide an opportunity for individuals to learn from the best educators in the world, as well as help expand their personal networks, and…

Learning Analytics (LA) has been identified as one of the top technology trends in higher education today (Johnson et al., 2013). LA is based on the idea that datasets generated through normal administrative, teaching, or learning activities--such as registrar data or interactions with learning management systems--can be analyzed to enhance…

When Texas' Technology Immersion Project began in the spring of 2004, a grant from the US Department of Education allowed a parallel project to launch--eTxTIP--to evaluate and measure the success of the program, which equips middle school students in high-risk, high-need areas with laptops. Data is beginning to come in on several of the first…

The NEAIR 2010 Conference Proceedings is a compilation of papers presented at the Saratoga Springs, New York conference. Papers in this document include: (1) Collaboration Between Student Affairs and Institutional Research: A Model for the Successful Assessment of Students' College Experience (Michael N. Christakis and Joel D. Bloom); (2) Direct…

Changing the school environment to enhance student motivation and achievement is described in this paper, which focuses on broad structural change within the school. Current motivation theory is applied at the school level for lasting school reform. A collaborative project among university researchers, school leaders, and school staff in one…

A 6-YEAR INVESTIGATION WAS MADE TO IDENTIFY THE FACTORS THAT (1) RELATE TO THE ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE OF STUDENTS IN JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND (2) MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO ELECT COURSES IN SCIENCE AT THESE LEVELS. TO OBTAIN THE REQUIRED DATA, THE INVESTIGATOR SELECTED APPROXIMATELY 2,500 STUDENTS WHO ENTERED THE SEVENTH GRADE IN THE FALL 1957…

Examined the influence of school and classroom environmental factors, such as teacher discipline practices and teacher-student relations, on middle school students' motivation. Found that, compared to sixth-grade math teachers, middle school math teachers controlled students more, provided students with fewer decision-making opportunities, and…

ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION WAS STUDIED BETWEEN OVER- AND UNDER-ACHIEVING STUDENTS IN THE ELEVENTH-GRADE TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF MOTIVATION FOR USE IN PREDICTING ACADEMIC SUCCESS OR FAILURE. APPROXIMATELY 800 STUDENTS IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS WERE SELECTED FOR VALIDATION AND CROSS-VALIDATION SAMPLES. THEY WERE DIVIDED BY SEX AND ACHIEVEMENT.…

The contents of this document, concerning the demonstration of a linkage between monetary incentives and academic achievement motivation and the utilization of this knowledge in educational programs, are organized in three sections. The first section is a report of an experimental demonstration of "the effect of monetary incentives on test…

As part of the investigation into the achievement differentials between white and black students in Michigan, a study was done of the nature of sense of futility (SOF) at the individual student level and the relationship between the SOF correlates and self-concept ability. The sample included 2 groups of fourth and fifth graders in a random sample…