Investigated the effects of student motivation, attitude, and academic engagement on eighth graders' mathematics and science achievement. Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 supported the positive effects of the two motivation factors, attitude, and academic time on mathematics and science achievement. The strongest effects…

Presents a hands-on lesson in biology in which students evaluate the evidence from four death scenarios. Students use knowledge of ecological principles, specifically ecological succession, and insect biology. Recommends three web sites related to the subject. (SOE)

Summarizes the major points about self-efficacy and proposes instructional responses teachers can employ to raise self-efficacy. Delineates various instructional procedures that can enhance self-efficacy increasing motivation and achievement. Suggests that by giving choice, teaching literacy strategies, creating self-evaluations and changing the…

Describes the features of the first grade texts included in basal readers used for beginning reading instruction in Texas in 2000. Investigates the general features of student texts with respect to the instructional design of the text, the accessibility of the text for beginning readers, and the engaging qualities of the text. Suggests that policy…

Describes one secondary school teacher's experience in experimenting with reader response literary criticism as a teaching tool and how she handles difficulties concerning teacher supervision, student motivation, and student growth. (TB)

Describes eight creative inquiry projects for middle-school students, complete with description, time investment, level of difficulty, and student rating. (SR)

Illustrates how teachers and librarians can use competitive activities to motivate children to read and to encourage personal achievement and group cooperation. Discusses computer games and the group-oriented bees, bowls, circles and quiz contests. Notes the benefits in terms of social interaction, communication, resource-center use, and…

A phenomenological interview process in two stages was employed to elicit the life stories of six academically gifted college students. Participants' stories were edited with themes identified and interpreted by the researcher. A sample life history of a high achieving female college senior is provided. Commentary by the researcher focuses on the…

This single-site case study investigated the relationship between student participation and cultural dimensions of an Australian high school, particularly those dimensions that acted to enhance or inhibit student participation. Identified 24 cultural dimensions in the school that affected student participation; only 8 had an enhancing impact. (EV)

Proposes that teaching writing as a process will remain the best way to teach writing. Contends that determining the shape of the material is an important element of writing. Discusses the segmented essay, or collage. Concludes that this assignment helps students wrestle with the truth of their experience or their evidence and encourages them to…

Interviews Nancy Welch, an Associate Professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of Vermont. Discusses Welch's background and attitudes towards writing instruction and the field of composition theory. Notes the intersections of women's studies and composition studies. (PM)

Offers an interpretive case study designed to provide insights about students' thoughts, feelings, and actions when not initially motivated for literacy tasks, and ways in which some students were able to become intrinsically interested. Reveals three different patterns of engagement (or lack thereof), represented in three different "Situations"…

Compared key demographic and individual difference variables of distance and non-distance learners. Found significant differences in gender, age, employment status, motivation, and risk-taking propensity between distance and non-distance learners. (EV)

Examines substance use between 10th and 12th grades in a predominantly African American sample of adolescents from an urban environment. Results indicate that low achievement and motivation, high truancy, and perception of peer substance use are associated with higher 10th grade substance use. Adolescents who perceive negative school attitudes…

Outlines the model of the ABCs of Cultural Understanding and Communication, in which students write autobiographies, biographies, and cross-cultural analyses. Notes that the ABCs offers each participant the opportunity to collaborate with others, engage in critical inquiry, and enhance communication skills while learning to respect the varied…