Educational outcomes remain highly unequal within and across nations. Students' mindsets--their beliefs about whether intellectual abilities can be developed--have been identified as a potential lever for making adolescents' academic outcomes more equitable. Recent research, however, suggests that intervention programs aimed at changing students'…

In a novel approach to initial teacher education, we combined a program review perspective and a psychological perspective. First, we assessed the extent to which student teachers (n=137) felt that components of their BEd program prepared them for teaching and whether these components represented meaningful program dimensions. Through content…

The general shortcomings of the traditional classroom reward structure are discussed in light of performance-reward principles of demonstrable effectiveness. Four alternative general reward structures are analyzed, and studies comparing their effectiveness are reviewed. Although none of the reward structures was found to be consistently superior…

This article posits three subsystems in the classroom ecology: "opportunity structure,""support structure," and "reward structure." The implementation of an ecological approach to student development will require the preparation of a professional with quite different competencies and interests than has been the case. (Author)

The first section of this paper deals with the contributions of non-academic experiences to education. Two measures, "my overall development as a person" and satisfaction with the non-academic scene, indicated positive correlations both between satisfaction with experiences in the non-academic area and overall growth, and between level of…

A high school teacher of language and reading in a school for the deaf shares her growth in developing her own writing workshop model. Stressed are the importance of trust, of modeling, and of students and teachers making learning their own. (DB)

Implicit within a perspective of positive psychology is the assumption that environments can be promoted to foster individual strengths through a preventative focus and the development of positive institutions. Given that the development of positive institutions has direct implications for school psychology, this paper begins to draw attention to…

This study examined the functional relationships among motivation, perceived classroom environment, and student satisfaction, for three major curricular groups: arts and leisure programs, personal development programs, and professional development programs. The sample included 1,180 students enrolled in noncredit courses at the College of…

Techniques for managing college classroom discussions about cultural diversity and oppression are offered, using a model of social identity development that helps to understand student responses and classroom dynamics. The model posits five stages of social identity development experienced by individuals in both disadvantaged and advantaged…

This study analyzed a variety of departmental and student outcomes data obtained from faculty and graduating seniors in 27 academic departments at a Research II University. The purpose was to answer two questions: (1) does a strong research orientation by an academic department promote or hinder student learning and growth? and (2) are differences…

This book synthesizes a group process conceptual framework and a practical model for facilitating learning. The book contains a curriculum of sequenced and developmental group process activities designed to make school meaningful for every student, a description of how to become skillful with the art and science of facilitative group process, and…

Proposes recommendations for balancing middle school students' academic, personal, and social needs by addressing personal development through curriculum and instruction, instructional program components, and a culture of assessment. Argues that academic achievement enhances self-esteem, concluding that students' academic achievement and personal…