This book uses biographical, longitudinal, and reflexive methods to chronicle, analyze, and theorize about the personal and sociocultural dimensions of motivation in the biographies of adult learners. Following an introduction and explanation of research methods, chapter 3 examines the problem of stated reasons for learning and the arbitrariness…

Analysis of the discourse in an informal interview with a 14-year-old, female, Australian high school student takes a feminist poststructuralist perspective, applying concepts from ethnomethodology. In the course of talking about her social world, the subject articulates two distinct discourses of adolescent femininity. As an observable…

This monograph reviews hypotheses about the motivations of women who choose male-dominated professions. Chapter 1 considers theory and empirical evidence regarding the personality and socialization patterns of those women who have chosen male-dominated professions. Discussion focuses on two types of internal motivation--achievement needs and need…

Explores the impact of gender diversity on school achievement, using data from an ethnographic study of academic success among 33 eleventh-grade students in a Washington (DC) high school. The normalized definition of femaleness juxtaposed with a dominating patriarchy propels African-American females to resist images that assert their nothingness.…

This study evaluated whether personality and family characteristics could predict socioemotional adjustment of 44 adolescent girls enrolled in a residential early college entrance/acceleration program. Results indicated predictive relationships between staff, student, and peer assessments (such as Jackson Personality Inventory and the…

The article presents the life story of a young Roma cultural mediator who narrates (1) her life and professional decisions, still rather uncommon among young Roma women, and (2) the impact of her education and work experiences and achievements on her self perception. The narratives, from which the life story emerges, express the young Roma's…

A study examined the social processes and internal factors that foster women's participation in technical vocational training at the high school and community college level. Data were collected from traditional and nontraditional female students in California secondary and postsecondary vocational training programs by self-administered…

A process theory of coping developed largely by Robert F. Peck (one of the authors), a sentence completion instrument, and data concerning the manner in which college women cope are considered. Peck proposes that a person going through optimal coping confronts the problem, attempts one or several types of activities in order to resolve the…

Findings are presented from a study of the midlife dual career family (in which both members of the couple are professionally employed and are highly committed to their work, and where there may or may not be children present). Focus is on the attitudes, perspectives, and personality characteristics of the dual career wife, and distinction is made…

Factors that influence precollege decision making were investigated, through case studies of three rural gifted female college students. Participants saw themselves as intelligent, independent, outspoken, and goal-directed, and expected to be involved in dual career and partnership relationships. Career decisions, family support, and time…

The study with 238 Australian primary and secondary teachers found factors associated with stress arising from 4 aspects of the teaching role: time/work-load pressures, student factors, school administration/staff tension, and employment/community factors. All 4 areas of stress were positively associated with the use of emotion-focused appraisals.…

Teacher effectiveness literature has supported the contention that a recurring theme in examining the qualities and attributes that constitute effective teachers is the use of humor in the classroom. However, most of the research did not appear to consider the potential differential effects on the students' perceptions of teachers' use of humor…

A longitudinal study of girls from the sixth through tenth grades sought to determine if the extent and type of participation in physical activities changed with age. A sample of 207 girls was selected with 140 completing the survey over 5 years. Participation was measured by activities in interschool teams, intramural activities,…

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…

A study was conducted to explore whether the methods employed by the Cooperative Extension Service in its dissemination of practical skills and knowledge are of help to today's families. In order to examine these factors, two leadership programs for women sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service in Alaska were studied. One group, the…