Many of the reasons offered for the difference between boys and girls in certain kinds of cognitive tasks have been attributed to biology. However, other factors need to be considered, and so the role that motivation and learning play in gender differences is addressed in this paper. The focus rests on gender differences, both in the individual…

Two studies examined the relationship between preschool and elementary school children's ability to delay gratification and their school behaviors, after controlling for differences in socioeconomic status (SES). Children's gratification control was measured through an age-appropriate dilemma that forced each child to exhibit gratification control…

Numerous theories have attempted to explain possible factors relating to an individual's propensity for engaging or failing to engage in preventative health behaviors. The Health Locus of Control (HLOC) is now considered to be an important variable for understanding an individual's likelihood for following health promoting behaviors. This paper…

This study examined the reliability and construct validity of two types of measures of mastery motivation for elementary school children: a new version of the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaires (DMQ) and behavioral mastery tasks. Participating were 64 mostly middle class and Caucasian 7- and 10-year-olds living in a middle-sized western city.…

This review examines the psychological variables that influence academic performance, by exploring the psychosocial development of students and the individual differences that emerge in childhood and impact upon a student's later self-concept. Areas discussed include identity and achievement issues, gender differences in identity achievement, the…

Self-regulated learning is usually viewed as the fusion of skill and will, referring to the students' development of different learning strategies in service of their goals. This definition is expanded in a study of self-schemas as a means of representing multiple goals for learning. Measures of self-schemas were used with 151 seventh graders (86…

This booklet comprises the fourth grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of fourth grade students, its objectives include: (1) understanding principles of extinguishing fires, (2) investigating issues of peer pressure related to fire setting, (3) developing…

Designed to provide community college instructors with an understanding of how to improve the motivational level of their students, this four-part guidebook reviews theoretical concepts and offers practical advice concerning student motivation and frustration. Section I provides an overview of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and of…

The 21st Century Learning Initiative is a transnational program concerned with improving education by changing outdated assumptions about how humans learn. This paper summarizes issues behind the organization's work. The first is the biological nature of learning; discussion of this issue includes a description of new research on the very young…

Recent studies have shown that school self-esteem is one of the greatest contributors to overall self-esteem among adolescents in grades 7-12. Research suggests that middle schools play a significant role in the development and socialization of early adolescents. The first purpose of this study was to examine the relations between school…

Briefly reviews Albert Bandura's Self-Efficacy Performance Model (ability to perform a task is influenced by an individual's belief in their capability). Tests this model with a sample of 776 university employees and computer-related knowledge and skills. Results supported Bandura's thesis. Includes statistical tables and a discussion of related…

Examined relationships among young adolescents' motivational processes, use of learning strategies with expository text, and classroom achievement. Found that performance and mastery orientation predicted use of cognitive learning strategies. Adolescents' intrinsic value, but not self-efficacy, predicted use of cognitive and self-regulating…

Assessed motivational beliefs, cognitive strategy use, and self-regulation in seventh graders. Found that positive motivational beliefs were positively related to higher levels of self-regulated learning. Classroom differences were also related to motivation and self-regulated learning. Self-efficacy, cognitive strategy use, and self-regulation…

Describes the Health Education and Lifestyle Promotion (H.E.L.P.) program, Missouri University's employee wellness model. H.E.L.P. utilizes a carefully structured, comprehensive package approach. Its success stems from networking existing campus resources and personnel and creating effective program design, implementation, and evaluation. The…

Argues that a high priority should be placed on creative expression in early childhood settings, including the visual arts, music, dance, poetry, and drama. Stresses that creative potential must be nurtured and carefully cultivated, and argues that there can be no true artistic expression without freedom, and there can be no true freedom without…