Two studies investigated how goals and self-evaluation affect motivation and achievement outcomes. In both studies, fourth-grade students received instruction and practice on fractions over sessions. Students worked under conditions involving either a goal of learning how to solve problems (learning goal) or a goal of merely solving them…

The possibility of gender-related differences in student motivation throughout their schooling was investigated in this study. Subjects were 538 elementary-school students, 1,519 high-school students, and 2,434 junior-college students from the Montreal (Quebec, Canada) area. The Adolescents Academic Motivation Scale was administered to assess…

This paper reviews the research literature on the intervention methods practiced to enhance, and the measures used to assess, academic intrinsic motivation in the school-age population with learning disabilities (LD). According to the research surveyed, retention and generalization improve when learning is intrinsically rather than extrinsically…

This chapter reframes, from a developmental, self-worth perspective, the longstanding debate over the presumed negative impact of extrinsic rewards on subject-matter appreciation and creative expression. The chapter argues that the debate over the potentially adverse effects of extrinsic payoffs is largely misplaced because of a narrow, almost…

Relates findings from a review of the literature on six academic motivational constructs studied in traditional environments to online education concepts. Examines self-efficacy, locus of control, attributions, goal orientation, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, and self-regulation to identify methods for ensuring student success in online…

This study compared the effects of intrinsic relevance with embedded, extrinsic relevance-enhancing strategies based on the ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) model of instruction on perceived motivation and the learning outcomes of identification, terminology, comprehension, and drawing. Both intrinsic and extrinsic…

Administration of 2 affective tests to 89 students with learning disabilities (LD) in grades 4-8 revealed that subjects perceived the school environment and academic tasks as 2 separate factors. LD students, compared to nondisabled students, exhibited more positive attitudes toward the school environment than for academic learning tasks. School…

Summarizes a key finding from a four-year longitudinal study of intrinsic motivation for literacy learning. Finds that this motivation may diminish as students move from elementary to middle grades and may be linked to fewer opportunities for self-expression in their learning environments. (SR)

Presents experimental data on how to form learning motivation. Discusses the influence of the content of teaching materials and of learning methods, the motivational structure of the lesson, and the type of assessment made by the teachers. Urges teacher to observe recurring attitudes of the students toward learning and promote optimistic student…

Highlights a performance assessment process used by one teacher with her second and third grade students, in which teacher and students work together to generate specific performance standards for a variety of reading and writing tasks. Looks at setting the stage; teacher-student collaboration in structured rubric development; expanding the…

This study examined the predictive power of self-regulated strategies and test-taking motivation on achievement performances under consequential and non-consequential test conditions. Sixty-two undergraduate students were asked to take two parallel classroom tests: one that counted towards their class grade (consequential) and one that did not…

The goal of this paper is to articulate a theoretical basis for work with at-risk students and to provide a foundation for new methods for teachers who will be working with this population. The topic is narrowed to concerns related to academic achievement. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that external conditions are major antecedent…

Changes and continuities in adolescents' optimal experiences over two years are explored in this study, and related to the development of affective and motivational patterns. Optimal experience, or flow, occurs when people do intrinsically rewarding activities in which they feel optimally challenged relative to their level of skills. The major…

This study examined the links between Australian adolescents' achievement goal orientation and the information sources they used when making decisions about returning to school and selecting courses for the elective final 2 years of high school. A total of 230 year-11 students from 2 coeducational comprehensive schools in a large city…

Self-monitoring refers to deliberate attention to aspects of one's behavior, and is an important component of self-regulated learning, which depends on favorable self-evaluations of one's capabilities and progress toward learning goals. This paper argues that self-regulated learning is enhanced when students self-monitor their learning progress,…