The reasons 184 American and 399 Japanese fifth-graders gave for achievement and good conduct in school were compared. Responses of Japanese children may reflect stronger identification with adult authority. Japanese children gave fewer external reasons for actions than their American counterparts. Implications for the study of motivation are…

Obtained peer nominations, teacher reports, and self-reports for 423 sixth and seventh graders. Compared to sociometrically average status students, neglected students reported higher levels of motivation and were described by teachers as being more self-regulated, more prosocial, and better liked. Aggressive-rejected, but not submissive-rejected,…

Four eighth and ninth graders with learning problems were studied, focusing on their learning environments, learning behavior, and subjective experiences in the classroom. Ego-involvement and self-protective behaviors were noted. Results are discussed in terms of self-worth theory and motivation theory. (SLD)

Seventy-four retained students in grades 3 through 6 were compared with 60 randomly selected students, 69 matched-ability students, and 35 students who were socially promoted. Early academic difficulties tend to persist. Although retention does not eliminate academic problems, social promotion may exacerbate them. (SLD)

The effects of LOGO programing and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on children's behaviors indicative of cooperative problem solving and effectance motivation were compared for 12 fourth and 28 sixth graders. Results suggest that LOGO may foster cognitive growth through opportunities for resolving cognitive conflict and may enhance effectance…

Provides World Wide Web site descriptions and addresses for additional information related to the following six feature articles: (1) "Artful Ideas for Middle School Teachers"; (2) "A Classy Club for Kids & Parents, Too"; (3) "Motivational Fortune Cookies"; (4) "Visual Art with At-Risk Kids"; (5) "Teaching Writing: 10 Use-Right-Now Ideas"; and (6)…

This article presents a design of educational software employing group competition using a large interactive electronic whiteboard, and a report on its experimental use. Group competition and collaboration are useful methods to cultivate originality and communication skills. To share the same space, the same large screen, and face-to-face…

This paper reports on an investigation into the quality of the learning experiences for 4-5-year-old children in Northern Ireland schools in the context of the debate about play-based and formal approaches to learning and teaching. Detailed observations were carried out in 70 Year 1 classes: 38 in traditional Year 1 classes where the Northern…

This is an abstract for an action research project report on improving student motivation. Students struggle with motivation to perform well in school. This study was designed to increase student motivation in the classroom setting. The targeted population consisted of one third grade classroom, one fourth grade classroom, and three periods of…

This research project represents phase 1 of a longitudinal study involving sixth graders in an English-as-a-Second-Language middle school classroom. Research activities focus on the development and implementation of portfolio management strategies for these students. It was believed that developing an efficient system to teach these students how…

This study investigated the nature and validity of teacher judgments about student motivation as part of a project related to the teaching of mathematics. The study examined: (1) the degree of correlation between teachers' and students' assessments of students' motivation regarding mathematical topics; (2) the stability of teachers' and students'…

This study organized in 2 sections examined the progress of 32 New Zealand children during their first 3 years at school. Their achievement levels in reading, mathematics, and writing were examined based on interviews with the children, their teachers, and their parents; school records; notes; and video recordings. Section 1 deals with perceptions…

Using a common methodology, two experiments examined the effects of learning and performance goals in conjunction with self-evaluation as fourth-graders acquired mathematical fraction skills. After a pretest on fractions, self-efficacy, skill persistence, and goal orientation, children in the first study--who were average achievers in…

This paper explores the question of how and what a school can do to foster student discipline and effort. Personal experiences and observations are offered about the approaches and strategies used in schools and by parents in Taiwan, China to foster students' positive attitudes toward learning and school. This document focuses on the approaches…

A primary objective of this study was to examine the relations among students' perceptions of the classroom goal orientation as ability-focused goals and their own goals, as well as the relationships between these two components and other motivational factors such as subject-specific self-efficacy and task value. An additional purpose was to…