Bandura's research on observational learning laid the foundation of role model research. Contemporary research shows role models support women and racial/ethnic minority students in STEM by buffering them from the deleterious effects of stereotype threats and boosting their self-efficacy. However, certain characteristics can make role models more…

The share of women achieving tertiary education has increased rapidly over time and now exceeds that of men in most OECD countries. However, women are severely under-represented in maths-intensive science fields, which are generally referred to as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths). The under-representation of women in these…

Pygmalion Effect, or Robert Rosenthal Effect, was proved by the famous American psychologist Robert Rosenthal and Jacobson in 1968. Pygmalion Effect, as a matter of fact, is a psychological suggestion, which believes that people can accept the influence and suggestion given by the people whom very much they admire, like, believe, and respect. This…

Humans, as social creatures, look to others for affiliation, support, and guidance while also having the capacity to offer something of value to someone in need (understanding, compassion, reassurance, hope, etc.). While offering such support can be easy, almost innate, for some and less natural for others, basic helping skills can be learned and…

Group work is fundamental to working with youth learning about independent living and in making the tough and challenging transition to independence. The authors, seasoned and experienced group workers and researchers with youth leaving the child welfare system, will present a conceptual framework and set of practices for helping youth gain those…

While the addition of an anthropomorphic interface agent to a learning system generally has little direct impact on learning, it potentially has a huge impact on learner motivation. As such agents become increasingly ubiquitous on the Internet, in virtual worlds, and as interfaces for learning and gaming systems, it is important to design them to…

Bandura's (1986) theory of self-efficacy suggests that efficacy may be most malleable early in learning; therefore, some of the most powerful influences on the development of teachers' sense of efficacy may be the experience of teaching during field placements and student teaching. Unfortunately, pre-service teachers may not be exposed to good…

To help personalize schooling for adolescents and provide the nurturing environment often lacking at home, teachers at a Bowie, Maryland, middle school began a mentoring project focusing on social exchange, sense of belonging, symbolic interaction, life skills enrichment, self-image, self-efficacy, resource development, and role models. Students…

Explains how one first-year junior-high teacher, with her mentor's support, developed self-reliance and competence. In the context of their mutually respectful relationship, the mentor modeled the roles of caregiver, fellow learner, and buddy. Mentor flexibility and accessibility were key factors. (Contains 25 references.) (MLH)

Creativity in the mathematics classroom is not just about what pupils do, but also what teachers do. If they are thinking creatively about the mathematical experiences they offer their pupils they can open up opportunities for them to be creative. This article reflects the belief of staff at the NRICH Mathematics Project that mathematics is about…

Describes the Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV (MARCH) approach to behavior change, which educates through entertainment (entertainment figures modeling positive behaviors) and community-level interpersonal reinforcement (support from friends, family, and others to encourage behavior change). MARCH focuses as much on enabling people to…

Black males and females are consistently underrepresented in gifted programs. Just as unfortunate, countless reports and studies indicate that too many Black males are not succeeding in school settings. A scholar identity model, grounded in various achievement-based theories, is shared in this article as one solution to addressing the educational…

Identifies imagoes as idealized and personified self-concepts that we form in early or mid-adulthood. These characters dominate life stories and personal myths. Discusses a class exercise where students review the imagoes most frequently used in journal entries concerning individual myths and major life events. (MJP)

Over the past years, a large body of scholarly literature has developed to address gender inequity in the developed world, and suggestions for reducing the gender gap are well documented in the literature. However, still lacking in research is why there is gender inequity in mathematics and science education in African schools. Girls are not…