The purpose of this study is to analyze discipline based art education and choice based art education. Discipline based art education is a teacher directed approach and choice based art education is a student centered approach. During the study I implemented these two teaching/learning approaches, collected and analyzed data, and reported the…

Executive function (EF) skills are cognitive processes that include goal setting, organizing, prioritizing, flexibly shifting attention, accessing working memory, and self-monitoring behavior and progress (Meltzer, 2018). These skills are integral in promoting students' ability to self-regulate their learning, solve problems, and work…

Social media has permeated almost every aspect of the lives of anyone who utilizes the internet. Teachers and students are no exception. Students are most likely to use social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. This research focuses on best practices related to augmenting school curriculum to utilize these tools to increase student…

Many studies using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical platform have emphasized the importance of knowing students' motivational orientations in education, and stated that autonomy-supportive or controlling learning climates are significant to determine students' motivational resources, academic achievement, and classroom engagement.…

Many students in a fourth grade classroom at Logan Elementary School are expressing numerous types of negative behaviors, are not motivated to learn, and do not stay on-task. In an effort to change these students, an action research study was conducted that implemented background music in the classroom. There were ten fourth grade students who…

The purpose of this study was to discover and successfully implement multiple strategies for differentiation that would engage and motivate Talented and Gifted (TAG) learners. Six TAG students from a third grade general education classroom setting participated in this study. Differentiation strategies of a learning style inventory, a project…

With the ever evolving environment of the classroom setting the role of the teacher is constantly being challenged and the responsibilities remain the same. Teachers are required to create a safe learning environment for student learning. Although this is an overwhelming responsibility it is not impossible. This study explored teachers'…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of divorce on student's academic achievement. Whitehead (1997) states, at the beginning of the twentieth century, there were only three divorces for every 1,000 marriages. Through the years, the divorce rate in America has rapidly increased which has affected adults and children. The…

A study was conducted at a mid-western community college to determine motivational profile differences between high and low achievers. The study population of 71 full-time, degree-seeking students in the school of arts and sciences was divided into a high achieving group with grade point averages (GPA's) of 3.85 and above, and a low achieving…

Both the motivation for and attitudes of adult Argentine students studying English as a foreign language (EFL) are investigated. A questionnaire was administered to 114 adult students attending EFL classes at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels at the Instituto Cultural Argentino Norteamericano (ICANA) in Buenos Aires. The findings…

This report describes a program for improving motivation in eighth grade, first-year Spanish classes in a growing middle and upper class, predominantly Caucasian suburban community of northern Illinois. Survey results confirmed that students' enthusiasm for foreign language study decreased dramatically once the novelty of learning Spanish had worn…

This report describes the development of a project designed to enable high risk high school students to acquire the skills necessary to create computer art. The project was based on a perceived need for the development of a curriculum in computer graphics that would motivate high risk students to acquire skills that could lead to a long term…

This report describes a program for motivating reluctant writers. The targeted population consisted of one fourth-grade and four fifth-grade classrooms in three elementary schools. All three schools were located in the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The problems of reluctant writers were documented with timed writing samples, student and…

This report describes a program for improving the motivation of sixth grade students in the music class and for increasing their understanding of the relevancy of music in their total curriculum. The students are part of a low to middle class suburban community located in northeastern Illinois. The problem was noted originally by the music teacher…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a method for improving the writing skills and attitude through increased writing experiences. The targeted population consisted of second-, third-, and fourth-grade students in two adjacent, stable, middle-class suburban communities northwest of Chicago, Illinois. The lack of skills and motivation of…