A recent unpublished study by B. Griesemer (1995) studied the relationship between motivation and self-efficacy for learning among 146 sixth graders. Griesemer used two instruments in that study: one to measure intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation composed of three subscales from the Scale of Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Orientation in the…

This study explored the conditions under which learning goals might be more effective than performance goals in raising achievement outcomes. Following a pretest, 40 fourth-grade students received instruction and practice on fractions operations. Half of the students were provided with the goal of learning how to solve problems (learning goal);…

This study compared the predictive utility of self-efficacy and task-value beliefs among Korean female college students (N=168). It assessed constructs longitudinally and attempted consolidation of self-efficacy and expectancy-value theories. Self-efficacy perceptions were assessed at varying levels of measurement specificity. Exploratory factor…

Examined how a combination of motivational and instructional variables can be best used in an intervention program to improve students' emotional and cognitive experiences during argument writing. Results for 177 students at a junior intermediate level in Ontario, Canada, show that the intervention programs, which involved instructions on argument…

Efforts to enhance student motivation can be more effective if they are approached from the perspective of psychological models of what drives human behavior including social learning theory, personal growth as a primary goal, cognitive development theory, self-efficacy theory, and expectancy-value theory. (Author/MLW)

The roles that knowledge, motivational variables, and approaches to study play in academic success were explored for 104 undergraduates. A path model was proposed and tested, providing a basis for beginning to understand how the approaches to study students select may mediate between knowledge, beliefs, and achievement. (SLD)

Examines the relationship between metacognition and certain personality variables and the role they play in academic achievement. Participants were grade 12 students (N=108) in New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Results indicate significant positive relationships between metacognition, motivation, locus of control, self-efficacy, and academic…

Hypothetical vignettes were used to examine the effects of teacher pedagogical skill (good vs. poor), interpersonal caring (caring vs. not), and classroom goal structure (performance vs. mastery) on high school students' judgments about the target of blame for cheating (teacher vs. student), the acceptability of cheating, and the likelihood of…

Five popular, but distinctly different, remedial reading programs were reviewed regarding the potential to motivate children to read. It is argued that current remedial reading program designs and research on program effectiveness ignore the impact that motivation has on struggling readers. In addition, we develop a theory of reading motivation…

The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire that measures students' motivation toward science learning (SMTSL). Six scales were developed: self-efficacy, active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal, achievement goal, and learning environment stimulation. In total, 1407 junior high school students from central…

In this study, the relationships among students' cognitive/motivational variables, cognitive conflict, and conceptual change were investigated. Subjects were 159 seventh graders in Korea. Tests regarding logical thinking ability, field dependence/independence (FDI), meaningful learning approach, failure tolerance, mastery goal orientation, and…

This study examines the conditional and interaction effects of each of four dimensions of the epistemological beliefs of college students regarding the ability to learn, the speed of learning, the structure of knowledge, and the stability of knowledge on six measures of the motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies (intrinsic…

During the past decade, the arts have been increasingly included in professional development programs for general education teachers in the United States. Little is known, however, about teachers' attitudes toward the arts in education or the applications of arts processes in their teaching practice. In this mixed-methods study, data collected…

Although researchers report that motivational variables, such as interest and self-efficacy, positively relate to forms of achievement (e.g., standardized test scores, grades, number of problems solved correctly), other studies indicate that motivation's contribution to achievement is not consistent. Fewer studies, however, have examined these…

According to social cognitive theorists, people's judgments of their own capabilities to accomplish specific tasks strongly influence human motivation and behavior. Path analysis was used to test the influence of math self-efficacy and general mental ability on the math problem-solving performance of 329 high school students. A model that also…