Investigates teacher characters in four young adult novels for their strategies of teaching and their effectiveness in engaging students in their learning. Indicates that when students learn to behave and work according to only the teacher's expectations, they find little reason to engage and challenge themselves. Concludes that students must feel…

This study compared the motivational determinants of 258 low and high elementary grade readers in Greece within the framework of planned behavior theory. Low performing readers exhibited significantly lower perceptions of goal importance, intention to achieve, belief strength, outcome evaluation, and normative beliefs. The planned behavior model…

This study explored relationships between Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Outcome Expectations and Intention Certainty. Intention Certainty is a new variable created for this study and comprised of existing conceptions of intention and decision certainty. The purpose of this study was fourfold. This study attempted to expand our understanding of…

Providing a supportive learning environment and engaging students with a variety of abilities in effective learning activities requires a great deal of proficiency that extends beyond knowledge of subject content. Diverse classrooms challenge teachers to understand and accept the existence of academic, behavioral, and cultural diversity. Teachers…

Intellectually gifted 7th-grade students were surveyed approximately halfway through their 1st year of high school in order to investigate relationships between motivational and affective variables, commitment to schoolwork, and satisfaction with school. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling suggest that…

This study compared the motivation and quality of experience of demographically matched students from Montessori and traditional middle school programs. Approximately 290 students responded to the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) and filled out questionnaires. Multivariate analyses showed that the Montessori students reported greater affect,…

Background: Contemporary research conducted in the context of school physical education (PE) has increasingly embraced various tenets of self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991). Despite this increase in research attention, some postulates of the framework remain unexplored (e.g. impact of a need-supportive climate). As such, the…

The purpose of the present study is to explore how academic self-concept and implicit theories of ability are related to four self-regulation strategies--motivation/diligence, concentration, information processing, and self-handicapping. The hypothesis is that academic self-concept and an incremental theory of ability are (1) positively related to…

This exploratory study aims to investigate the attitudes and motivation of four English-speaking students in two Portuguese public schools towards their Portuguese and English language classes. Our research revealed that that the needs of these students were not met in their Portuguese language classes nor their English language classes. This can…

The present study examined whether academic motivations, conceptualized from the stance of self-determination theory, fluctuate over time in a homogeneous or heterogeneous fashion during a school transition. Three objectives were pursued: First, motivational trajectories were studied using the conventional, homogeneous approach. Second, the…

The inclusion of Asperger's disorder (AD) in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) has, as one could predict, led to a great increase in its diagnosis and interest in those so diagnosed. It is my impression, and that of others (Filipek et al., 1999), that, similar to autistic disorder, it has shared the same fate as being…

A teaching model for distance learning (DL) requires a system (a technology) and process (a way of linking resources) that makes distance learning no different than learning in the traditional classroom. The process must support a design that provides for learning, ensures maximum transfer, and is student-centered. The process must provide a…

In this study seven 10-year-old to 11-year-old students peer-tutored seven six-year-old students in writing over a 10-week period. Tutoring took place over 20-minute sessions four times per week in the six-year-old students' regular classes during their usual writing time. The first author trained the tutors to assist tutees to (1) produce a…

The evolution in students' expectations based on Maslow's theory of human motivation shows a transition from expectations having an effect upon motivation towards those providing a satisfactory experience. Maslow's argument was that once the lower level needs, such as physiological and safety needs, are met other higher needs emerge. In the…

In light of a new "student engagement" benchmark for teaching and institutional effectiveness in higher education, this study focused on the relationships between perceived instructor use of verbal approach and avoidance relational strategies and students' motives for communicating with their instructors. The data suggest that perceived instructor…