Achievement goal theory distinguishes between mastery goals (the goals of developing competence) and performance goals (the goals of demonstrating competence) [Ames [1992] "Journal of Educational Psychology" 84: 261-271]. In this study, we employed this theory aiming to better understand why adolescents' motivation to learn science…

This study was designed to investigate the effects of the year-round calendar on student performance in Texas middle schools as measured by achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. In the State of Texas, 15 schools served students in grades six through eight using the year-round calendar in 2009-2010. The 15…

This is a mix methods follow-up study in which we reconfirm the findings from an earlier study [Vedder-Weiss & Fortus [2011] "Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(2)", 199-216]. The findings indicate that adolescents' declining motivation to learn science, which was found in many previous studies [Galton [2009] "Moving to…

There is a growing awareness that science education should center not just on knowledge acquisition but developing the foundation for lifelong learning. However, for intentional learning of science to occur in school, out of school, and after school, there needs to be a motivation to learn science. Prior research had shown that students'…

Since the passage of the first Charter School Law in Minnesota in 2001, there have been many studies that have examined the effect of Charter schools on student achievement with very mixed results. The Missouri legislature passed legislation in 1998 permitting the establishment of charter schools in a metropolitan school district or in an urban…

New patterns of organization are required to make openspace work in order to achieve the individual learning goals of students working at their own level, seeking information independently, and interacting freely with other students when required. A comparison of the traditional classroom with what is happening in the more "open" openrooms reveals…

Ten hypotheses were tested to evaluate the effects on pupils and teachers of open space construction. Over 2,000 students in open and traditional schools were selected for experimental and "control" groups. Grades 4 and 7 pupils were selected specifically since major data indicative of academic achievement were drawn from the County…

The author, working with a 4-member teaching team, sought to determine how a group of pupils and their teachers would respond to an open space program proposed for a new senior high school building. A test program was conducted in temporary quarters with an experimental group of 25 randomly selected seventh grade students and a control group of 25…

Reading achievement of students from open plan and traditional elementary classes were compared in three areas; speed and accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension. The first evaluation (Grade 7) indicated that the mean score of the speed and accuracy scale was significantly lower for "open-area" students than for traditional pupils. Score…

An experimental group of 51 students from non-graded and three matched groups of 187 pupils from graded programs were studied to determine the relative effectiveness of non-graded and graded approaches to elementary education and whether any differences found at the end of six years of schooling remained after both groups had been exposed to a…