A survey of 417 high-achieving high schoolers, 103 young prison inmates, and 105 dropouts enrolled in a GED program disclosed significant differences between high-achieving and less-successful adolescents regarding family background, interactions with parents, religious versus material orientation, self-motivation, and interest in school…

Used case studies to examine teachers' motivation and instructional style in relationship to their progress in Professional Development School staff development. Field observations of teachers examined the effectiveness of the Teacher Instructional Orientation and Motivation model in predicting teachers' responses to staff development. Data…

Discusses a training program for youth counselors aimed to improve counselors' self-efficacy and ability to cope with stressful situations. Two versions of the program were evaluated: one based on participant modeling, the other on symbolic modeling. Self-efficacy of subjects on the participant modeling increased compared to that of the subjects…

This paper describes the Early Intervention and Family Support Training Program of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program at Western Carolina Center, North Carolina. The program uses competence-based training to flexibly respond to interdisciplinary needs and interests while preserving essential core content. The paper discusses role…

Examines the perceptions of instructors and administrators regarding self-directed learning modules for adult and younger students, comparing the modules' perceived effectiveness, benefits, and challenges. Addresses the issue of personal freedom versus the need for focus and guidance, finding that adult learners reported no freedom versus focus…

Several decades of research has demonstrated that students' perceptions about the amount of control they have over academic successes and failures contribute significantly to school performance. This paper reviews research studies that have investigated locus of control and causal attribution in the school setting. Suggestions are made for…

This paper reports on research to examine the types of motivation related to school achievement. A total of 1428 students from an inner city high school in the Montreal (Quebec) area participated in the study, 714 males and 714 females. The students ranged in age from 12 to 18, and approximately 40 percent were minorities (Hispanic, Asian, Black).…

Noting that school recess periods are one of the few times when children interact with their peers on their own terms--with minimal adult intervention--this book examines recess behavior and its social and pedagogical implications. In addition to studying spontaneous peer interaction among school children, the book addresses issues of: (1) the…

SUPERSTARS III is a K-8 program designed as an enrichment opportunity for self-directed learners in mathematics. The basic purpose of SUPERSTARS III is to provide the extra challenge that self-motivated students need in mathematics and to do so in a structured, long-term program that does not impinge on the normal classroom routine or the…

The program discussed in this paper was developed and implemented to improve student self motivation levels for a target group of 115 9th through 12th grade students who had classes with 1 of 4 participating teachers. Student self-motivation improvement activities were employed over a 12-week implementation period. Strategies developed were all…

A field study was conducted to investigate the effect of gender, and gender combined with other variables on within-term changes in junior college student motivation. Intrinsic motivation (IM) refers to doing an activity for the pleasure and satisfaction derived from participating. Extrinsic motivation (EM) refers to engaging in behaviors as a…

A research program identified the key factors that offer insights into students' intrinsic motivation traits. Objectives were to determine intrinsic motivation factors that influence special needs populations during their vocational training programs and their transition into employment and to determine how this information can be used to help…

This study used a Vygotskian perspective to compare child rearing values and beliefs of parents, especially in regard to self-directed activities of children, in the United States, Russia, and Estonia. Participating were 60 families, evenly divided by society and social class (middle or working class), each with a child between 28 and 45 months…

This paper is an in-depth investigation of classroom language learning motivation in a Korean high school. Understanding the source of motivation and development of motivation is very important for educational and pedagogical purposes. This study surveyed 192 Korean high school students' orientations for learning English to discover what kinds of…

Maintains that the mechanisms and learning strategies through which students learn the arts can be adapted into models of instruction for other subjects. Notes the many instances where students, particularly high-risk students, do well in arts education classes only to suffer through the more traditional curriculum. (MJP)