Interviews with 43 Mexican American 4th- and 5th-grade students found that student beliefs about their ethnicity influenced perceptions of their social and behavioral competence, self-worth, and attitudes toward school, but were not related to their level of academic achievement. Discusses the relationship between parents' and childrens' beliefs…

A strategy to improve retention and graduation rates of culturally-diverse students in postsecondary settings is described, along with a framework for counselors and educators working with these students. A guided studies seminar in psychological education utilizes a highly-structured educational program and emphasizes the Deliberate Psychological…

This handbook for those involved in assisting and encouraging college students to persist and graduate covers the following topics: benefits of college; persistence factors; successful students; a mission that motivates; results in real time; self-management through self-mastery (time management, assertiveness, study skills, learning styles, and…

Two objectives of this project were: (1) to discover what specific methods of arousing motivation are most effective for particular groups, and (2) to prepare instructional materials which will make the prototype achievement motivation course and motivational climates available to a wider number of educators. Attention is given to the methods…

Five statistical techniques were used to analyze the data collected in a previous article (TM 511 223) on student achievement, attention, and motivation in secondary school mathematics and science: ordinary least squares regression, canonical correlation, factorial modeling, partial least squares path analysis, and linear structural relations…

Interaction effects of 524 grade six pupils' achievement motives, ability level, future time orientation, sex, and perceived importance of school activity were considered in relation to approach/avoidance motivation. Achievement scores were positively related to approach motivation; successs-oriented, high-ability girls and moderate-ability boys…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention for improving student engagement in the learning process. The targeted population consisted of first, third, and fifth grade students in a small, traditional, middle class community, located in central Illinois. Evidence of non-engaged behaviors were documented from teacher…

Describes a study of fifth- and sixth-grade students that assessed the relationship of group size, exposure time, and attributions on children's performance on drill and practice of tutorial microcomputer tasks. Results of hierarchical regression are discussed and it is suggested that software designers focus on appropriate feedback to enhance…

We use quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the links between participation in adult learning and self-efficacy, particularly for the subgroup of adults who had low levels of achievement at school. We focus on self-efficacy because it translates into a range of wider benefits and because it may afford protection from depression and…

During the past 10 years, the community college student population and its needs have changed, calling for community college professors to develop a better understanding of their students and to provide the appropriate classroom environment and content for this population. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, postsecondary…

Although the existence of small Catholic elementary schools (enrollment: 300 or less) is precarious, these institutions enable students to succeed academically beyond national norms, due to the special learning environment that they provide. The recent Small Schools Survey of Catholic elementary schools indicated that classes in small Catholic…

This paper presents the results of a study designed to provide an empirical test of a learning theory proposed by McKenzie and Staaf in which the student effort enters as an argument in the learning achievement function. The model states that final achievement in economics is equal to the initial stock of knowledge plus improvement, where…

The following objectives of the study are discussed in detail: 1) to determine if a successful experimental field study of incentives could be implemented; 2) to develop and refine the methodology required to carry off a large-scale field study of incentives based on six models; and 3) to obtain a preliminary estimate of the effects of incentives…

This interim report on an experimental program to increase student motivation to learn French at the Cultural Centre of Intensive French (CCIF) examines objectives, evaluation procedures, and results of the experiment. Part 1 contains sections on: (1) French achievement in Ottawa, Canada, grade 8 classes, (2) Pimsleur listening comprehension test,…

This chapter discusses the development of achievement motivation during adolescence from the perspective of expectancy-value theory, and explains how adolescents' expectancies for success and achievement values change during adolescence, particularly during educational transitions such as that from elementary to middle school and from middle to…