We explore possibilities for placing community college students in math using non-cognitive measures, such as indicators of motivation or students' educational plans. First, we use supplemental administrative data gathered during routine placement testing in a large urban community college district in California to conduct predictive exercises…

This study examined motivational factors responsible for the retention of experienced teachers in Jamaica. Using a stratified sample of Jamaican teachers in training, the study compared the motivations for teaching of 821 novice student teachers with the motivations of 206 student teachers having more than 3 years of teaching experience. Data from…

This examination of data selection preceding multivariate analysis compares results grained with "gentle" and "draconian" variable elimination. To acquire comparable results, two stages of statistical exploration into an integrated model of motivation, learning strategies, and quality of teaching were used. The goal of the…

Anxiety has been shown to have detrimental effects on students in the classroom. This study examined the relations between motivational variables and anxiety. In particular, this study utilized goal orientation theory to examine whether the personal goals a student adopts and the goal structures a student perceives in the classroom are predictors…

One attributional model of achievement proposes that individuals attribute their own and others' performance outcomes to one or more of four causes, i.e., ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck, and that such attributions have motivational significance for subsequent achievement-related behavior. The effects of gender, level of resultant…

This study looked at patterns of relationship among motivational and effort variables for different classroom assessments, considering the assignments interest and importance, students self-efficacy for accomplishing the tasks, and the goal orientations and learning strategy use behind their efforts. A multiple case study design looked at the…

Motivation and affect have mostly been studied separately, but both research and practical experience suggest that they are reciprocal features of learning experiences and should be studied together. The present research examines the relationships among cognition, motivation and affect in fifth- and sixth-grade children during mathematics classes…

This paper discusses the validity of test preparation practices in the context of large-scale norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. It presents a framework for conceptualizing the various aspects of test preparation that includes the basic premises underlying the validity of the practices. Five areas of test preparation are outlined: (1)…

There is substantial evidence that the disposition of test takers is central to performance. This research extends previous work by replicating the experimental design of L. Wolf and J. Smith (1995) and conducting a secondary analysis of their data to attempt to demonstrate differential effect sizes for examinees reporting varying motivation…

The relationship between anxiety, educational self-theory, and vocational preference was investigated using two separate samples (149 and 262) of high school students. Anxiety was measured using the anxiety component of Zuckerman's Affect Adjective Checklist (AACL). A measure of self-theory was obtained via the Profile of Read/Ideal Scholastic…

This study examined: (1) What reasons do mothers of 6- and 15-month-old babies give for returning to work?; (2) Are there broad dimensions of reasons why mothers return to work?; (3) Do the reasons mothers report returning to work differ according to mothers' education, income, occupation, or number of hours at work?; (4) Are the reasons mothers…

This paper reports on a survey of approximately one-third of Jamaican teachers in training. The study factor analyzed the motivations these trainees gave for choosing the teaching profession. Results are compared with those of the last major survey 10 years earlier. To determine some possible reasons, 130 students were interviewed by staff members…

This study of 543 English teachers and school executives examined teachers' occupational motivation, satisfaction, and health and tested a model of teacher satisfaction developed in Australia in a previous research phase. Teachers came from schools representative of all types of schools and all levels of socioeconomic status. Teachers completed a…

The relationships between middle school students' multiple motivational goal orientations and their use of multiple cognitive and metacognitive strategies were studied with a focus on relations between these motivational and cognitive variables and students' academic achievement in two curriculum areas. Participants were 602 middle school students…

There is great interest in the effect of school resources on academic achievement, but it is seldom that an opportunity arises in which this relationship may be examined in an international milieu. This paper presents the types of resources available in the 27 countries participating in the International Association for the Evaluation of…