Children with negative competence beliefs often achieve below their potential in school. This randomized field experiment tested whether engaging in positive self-talk may benefit these children's mathematics performance. Participants (N = 212, Grades 4-6, M[subscript age] = 10.6) worked on the first half of a standardized mathematics test,…

Research Findings: With a sample of 390 non-Chinese speaking first-grade primary school students and their parents in Hong Kong, this study examines associations between parental support and students' ideal selves, motivation, engagement, and Chinese reading test performance. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four groups of students (low-,…

Our aspirations for gifted learners in talent development programs need to go beyond the development of expertise, creative productivity, and eminence. It is argued that wisdom development should be the ultimate goal of educating gifted learners. It is not merely what talents gifted learners develop, but how they use these talents, which will…

Explores the relationship between intrinsic motivation and self-perceptions and academic achievement and attendance in 47 Black elementary school students. Suggests that some Black urban elementary students may find improving their standard English vocabulary and preferring challenging work to be socially undesirable. Implications for urban…

This study examined the effects of specific motivational dimensions and self-perceptions of a group of 47 urban black fourth and fifth grade students on attendance and academic achievement. Each student's responses to a measure of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and a self-perception inventory were compared to each other and to his or her…

Examined effect of age and conceptions of ability on information seeking, performance, and motivation among middle graders. Found that students who had acquired the concept of ability responded to the task condition with strivings to learn and requests for information relevant to acquiring mastery, and to the ego condition with strivings to…

Middle school students (N=712) were surveyed about their achievement goals and cognitive processing strategies. Results suggest that academically at-risk students use deep strategies less and are less learning focused than not at-risk and special education students. Special education and at-risk students tended to be more ability-focused than not…

This book explores ways that teachers can work to motivate elementary, middle, or high school students who have lost interest in learning by explaining motivation and providing suggestions for student and teacher empowerment. It opens with two case illustrations of difficult to reach students and invites the reader to offer their response. The…