This paper presents basic principles and theories of motivation, attempts to provide a better understanding of the concept, and explores the role motivation plays in learning. Basic theories of motivation are reviewed including: Freud's belief in motivation by the id, unconscious forces, and sexual stages; Jung and Adler's belief that people are…

This report describes a program for improving academic productivity in an elementary school in Rockford, Illinois. Students were unmotivated, unproductive, and uninvolved in academic life, as measured by teacher observation and student behavior. Examination of teacher records revealed that the learning disabled or behavior disordered resource…

A questionnaire was administered to all 6th to 12th grade students attending Seventh-Day Adventist schools in North America. The questionnaire included the Age-Universal Intrinsic-Extrinsic Scale; the Faith Maturity Scale; an 18-item Adventist orthodoxy scale; and scales measuring the frequency of use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco, and of…

This paper presents the results of instrument development and adaptation efforts associated with conceptualizing and investigating self and organizational efficacies in terms of motivation toward achievement of organizational goals in schools, child welfare agencies, and higher education institutions. Results of initial conceptual development of a…

A study focused on the relationship between instructional strategies and students' reported meta-skill attainment in an adult education context. Using the data collected from 2,507 end-of-course surveys of students in the Graduate Studies in Education program at Indiana Wesleyan University, analyses were run to test for correlations between the…

This study, which took place in Maastricht (Netherlands), examined whether motivation affects the reliability of students' ratings about tutor behavior and whether different types of students have different expectations about tutor behavior. Four types of motivation were measured: intrinsic, extrinsic, and achievement motivation, and fear of…

This project, a multiple case study, was conducted to learn more about the conditions under which teacher collaboration might be expected to occur; to improve understanding of variation in the form of collaboration among teachers; and to understand more about the consequences of such activity on teachers and students. Data were collected from 95…

This guide demonstrates a holistic approach to goal attainment in adult education, welfare, and work force program. Holistic goal attainment treats the roots of illiteracy, measuring impact on learning and job readiness that increases teachable/reachable moments for instructors and builds self-esteem within the learner. The teacher's guide…

Employers were surveyed to obtain their opinions as to the quality of the Cornell University undergraduate program in applied economics and business management. In addition, employers were asked to recommend modifications in the program to enable students to meet the challenges of the future. Survey instruments were mailed to recruiters in 173…

When children feel that they are among friends in their schools and classrooms, they make the school community their own. Using classroom vignettes and collegial conversations, this book illustrates the creation of caring learning communities in six elementary school classrooms. Part 1 of the book, "Four Keys to Classroom Community,"…

Motivation orientation, planning, and self-evaluation strategies were examined in 25 students in grades 6 through 8. The students' answers to the surveys were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed. Recurrent themes were identified and were chosen for examples that most reflected students' ideas and strategies. On the issue of motivation, the…

This study examined motivational factors responsible for the retention of experienced teachers in Jamaica. Using a stratified sample of Jamaican teachers in training, the study compared the motivations for teaching of 821 novice student teachers with the motivations of 206 student teachers having more than 3 years of teaching experience. Data from…

Compares the effects of positive goal interdependence and positive resource interdependence on individual performance in teamwork and taskwork situations. Although early performance revealed difficulties with the interdependent nature of the work, performance improved as the students adapted their skills. Briefly discusses a number of variables…

Surveyed male and female preservice elementary teachers regarding factors influencing their decisions to become teachers. Females were motivated by perceived intrinsic aspects of elementary teaching but emphasized perceived extrinsic aspects. Males were aware of the feminization of elementary teaching but considered a male presence in elementary…

This research uses an autobiographical approach to examine the relation of age to several aspects of wisdom. In Study 1 (N = 86), adolescents', young adults', and older adults' wisdom narratives were content-coded for the types of life situations mentioned and the forms that wisdom took. Types of life situations reported (e.g., life decisions)…