Presents an interview with Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College and music director and conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra. His history as an exceptional child, the development of his drive to succeed in a musical career and in academia, and his love for music are discussed. (CR)

Cross-sectional analysis of federal employee opinions of their supervisors showed that they believed the following to be crucial supervisor responsibilities: performance appraisal, protecting the merit system from prohibited practices, and enhancing employee job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. (SK)

Intellectually gifted children (N=20) and a comparison group (N=79) were administered the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory at ages 9, 10, and 13. At all three ages, the gifted children had significantly higher academic intrinsic motivation across all subject areas and in school in general. Assessment of intrinsic motivation is…

Describes the domains of emotional intelligence and proposes that there may be a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and life success. Provides examples of knowing one's emotions, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others, and handling relationships. Applies the theory to the case conceptualization…

Explores how the Cross-Aged Literacy Program supported the motivation and literacy learning of four low-achieving ninth-grade students. Suggests that participation in the preparation seminar and cross-aged literary discussion groups contributed to three key aspects of intrinsic motivation: perceived self-competence, autonomy, and relatedness. (SG)

Examines the effects of trait intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, measured by the Work Preference Inventory, on creativity and academic performance. In an experimental creative writing task, intrinsic motivation correlated with creativity. In a follow-up study, intrinsic motivation correlated negatively with year-1 GPA, whereas extrinsic…

This article describes an approach to student discipline which is based on getting students to take responsibility for their own behavior, rather than forcing obedience. Strategies are suggested which offer practical alternatives to less effective control-oriented methods. (IAH)

Examines the assumption that interdependence is best achieved by using rewards. An impressive body of social science research has shown that rewards have limited effectiveness and can undermine interest in the task. Cooperative learning programs with appropriately balanced curricula, autonomy, and relationship elements function well without…

Examines the relation between children's mastery motivation, self-assessment of performance, and task-related, help-seeking behavior during task performance. (PCB)

Describes motivational strategies that middle-school teachers can employ to prevent boredom and stimulate interest. Teachers should relate learning tasks to students' needs, interests, concerns, and experiences; clarify, share, and model the intended value of learning; encourage students to pursue their own interests; stimulate students'…

No one teaching strategy consistently engages all learners. Motivation is inseparable from culture. What elicits frustration, joy, or determination may differ across cultures, because cultures vary in defining novelty, hazard, opportunity, and gratification. A culturally responsive teaching model requires four motivational conditions: establishing…

Responses from 282 of 580 marketing and 193 of 348 health occupations teachers showed that the intrinsic rewards of significance and involvement predicted commitment for both groups. Marketing educators valued extrinsic factors of supervision, promotion, and coworkers, whereas health occupations teachers chose working conditions as the most…

To critique the adventure model of risk recreation, researchers surveyed three methods of assessing levels of participant engagement (skill level, self-reported experience, and perceived importance of the activity or involvement) in rock climbing. Experience and involvement demonstrated a relationship between level of engagement and motivations.…

Today's educational institutions should establish a system of intrinsic rewards for teachers and other staff. This article reviews research on intrinsic motivators, including Deming's total quality concepts, and recommends providing teachers with more individualized instruction, reorganizing faculty supervision practices, giving teachers greater…

Explores the relationship between intrinsic motivation and self-perceptions and academic achievement and attendance in 47 Black elementary school students. Suggests that some Black urban elementary students may find improving their standard English vocabulary and preferring challenging work to be socially undesirable. Implications for urban…