University students, asked to judge criteria for their own quality, rated a commitment to learning most important of 25 criteria. They considered most criteria of student quality to be more important at graduation than at entry, supporting a talent development approach to assessment rather than a resource approach. (Author)

Corpora have been used for pedagogical purposes for more than two decades but empirical studies are relatively rare, particularly in the context of grammar teaching. The present study focuses on students' attitudes towards grammar and how these attitudes are affected by the introduction of concordancing. The principal aims of the project were to…

This study investigated the impact of students' conceptions of constructivist learning activities on academic achievement and drop-out. Although constructivism represents an influential view of learning, studies investigating how students conceptualize this perspective have not been conducted before. A structural equation modelling approach was…

In this article, we argue for a change in how researchers study motivation to learn. We believe that research can provide better explanations of the origins and outcomes of behavior, and thus be more useful, if we focus on how motivation develops and why it changes. We suggest reframing motivation research in education by extending the current…

In the book, "How Children Fail", John Holt simply but honestly records classroom interactions in a refreshing, realistic and humorous style of delivery. Many of Holt's real stories have to do with teachers often falling into the trap of asking students questions and looking only for "right answers." Holt's main thrust is child failure in a…

For many years, the planet Mars was nothing more than a little red dot in a sea of stars and a blur in many science classrooms. Recent focus on the planet, however, has led to incredible teaching opportunities, such as the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP) facilitated by Arizona State University's Mars Education Program. The MSIP curriculum…

The goal of the study was to determine the relative competitiveness in gaining access to university of graduates with and without disabilities, and to determine whether the ease with which graduates experienced aspects of their college environment was related to their college exit scores. We found that graduates who responded to surveys, whether…

This paper is an ethnographic record of an ongoing journey during which I have tried to understand the kinds of language ideologies that my students and I have constructed about the Korean language. My students are mainly Korean-American university students who have never successfully achieved native fluency in their heritage language, although…

This paper reports on a study into course relevance conducted using some of the principles of Exploratory Practice (EP). I wanted to gain an understanding about how relevant the students taking my English courses perceived them to be in terms of their own lives. I also hoped to resolve some of the tensions experienced due to the differences in…

A theoretical model of nonscience majors' motivation to learn science was tested by surveying 369 students in a large-enrollment college science course that satisfies a core curriculum requirement. Based on a social-cognitive framework, motivation to learn science was conceptualized as having both cognitive and affective influences that foster…

The present research asked students in a free-response or open-ended task to indicate their analysis of the reasons for attending school and what factors would lead them to do better in school. (Author/RK)

In an attitudinal survey conducted with fifth grade pupils, it was found that negative attitudes were formed toward forced activities that were at one time considered desirable. Evidence suggested that extrinsic motivation, either by reward or forced activity, is inferior to intrinsically developed motivation. (Author/NQ)

Investigates the students who participate in science competitions (state science fair or the state Science Olympiad in Utah) and what they perceive as the rewards for participating. Finds students participate for different reasons and see them as very distinct. Suggests that promoting other science events and activities may be beneficial in…

Learners' formal and informal beliefs may influence the way they approach learning. Do they learn to apply or learn to understand? The effort they make to learn depends on their perception of how the learning will reward them. Cross-cultural beliefs about knowledge and conceptions of learning must also be taken into account in developing…