This booklet presents the stories of several students who were the first generation in their families to go to college, in order to dramatize the door-opening, life-changing power of Pell Grants and related student assistance. These stories synthesize interviews with more than 20 low- and moderate-income students who could not have attended…

This case study described the perceptions and experiences of 12 African American students who transferred from a community college into a specially designed teacher education project in a predominantly white public state university. The paper presents hypotheses regarding student goal commitments, institutional commitments, and commitments to…

This paper explores key gender differences in motivation from a quantitative perspective and presents findings from a qualitative study into boys' perceptions of motivating teachers and motivating pedagogy. Data collected from 3773 high school students suggest that girls score significantly higher than boys in their belief in the value of school,…

Ninety parents of children (mean age 9.3 years) with Down syndrome and their children's teachers were surveyed to investigate the success of inclusive practices. This study examined responses on parent and teacher questionnaires and parent anecdotal records. Several factors influenced parent reports of successful inclusion experiences, including:…

Student effort, the campus environment, and student age and full- or part-time status have significant effects on outcomes for university students. This study employed the same three sets of independent variables to predict gains in general education and in personal and social development for community college students. The study analyzed data…

A study in Finland investigated the relationship of two general aspects of student motivation for second language learning (preference for challenge and curiosity) and motivation specific to the learning situation. Subjects were 292 sixth-graders and 301 eighth-graders, who performed two open and two closed English vocabulary tasks in two…

A discussion of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for non-native speakers in higher education distinguishes the needs of immigrants who are residents from those of foreign students with temporary student visas, and looks at how those needs affect the design of classes and programs to serve them. Data are drawn from experience with one…

The three studies presented in this document investigated factors that influenced students not to enroll in Ohio joint vocational schools (JVS's) and their nonvocational students in the comprehensive feeder schools for the Springfield-Clark JVS, Lawrence County JVS, and Vanguard JVS during the 1989-90 school year. A student questionnaire acquired…

This module is one of a series of 127 performance-based teacher education (PBTE) learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers. The competencies upon which these modules are based were identified and verified through research as being important to successful vocational teaching at both the secondary and…

The digest summarizes major characteristics of American Indian student needs in the disciplines of science and math and offers constructive ways in which students may be motivated for greater achievement. Motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral factors contributing to avoidance of science and math by American Indian students are identified:…

Increasing recent research on nontraditional students has uncovered anomalies and inconsistencies in Tinto's model of student persistence patterns, especially with regard to academic and social integration. It is hypothesized that these inconsistencies are a product of the heterogeneous nature of nontraditional student populations, combined with…

This monograph for the experienced or novice adult basic education (ABE) instructor reviews some basic concepts in the area of adult learning and provides some ideas for practical application of these concepts in individual settings. It is divided into two parts. The first four chapters are aimed at the trainer who is instructing part-time ABE…

High school theology instruction receives little attention in scholarly research. This is regrettable because such a unique curricular component has the potential to add much to the Catholicity of the school and to the religious development of faculty and students. To advance the discussion and application of the ideas presented in this focus…

A project ascertained needs and interests of adults in the community in the area of life coping skills by conducting an evaluation of former students at H.O.M.E. Learning Center in Orland, Maine. Forty completers and forty drop-outs from a low income, rural sample were interviewed using a non-directive interview approach that focused on past needs…

Selected results from an aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) study illustrate the importance of including class analyses in ATI research. The interactive effects of motivational aptitude (including locus of control, academic self confidence, and interests) and cognitive aptitude (as measured by a learning task and the Lorge-Thorndike verbal and…