Describes the Dorm 5 experiment at Windham College, Putney, Vermont, designed to create a living environment to assure individual rights and intellectual values through positive reinforcement techniques following operant conditioning. Problems of vandalism and noise were solved as physical space was utilized to meet student needs for social and…

B.F. Skinner applied his concept of operant conditioning to education. Skinner believed that people acted the way they did because they had been reinforced for behaving in a certain manner. His orientation to pedagogy was predicated upon the notion that a student's behavior could be modified by guiding the student through the learning process…

Two preservice teachers working with middle school students with severe disabilities participated in this study of the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of skills relating to use of positive consequences and instructional prompts. Results indicated that immediate feedback was more effective than delayed feedback, skills were maintained…

This book integrates theory, research, and practical issues related to achievement motivation, and provides an overview of current theories in the field, including reinforcement theory, intrinsic motivation, and cognitive theories. The text gives concrete examples and practical guidance for diagnosing and improving students' motivation, focuses on…