The study of classroom processes that shape students' motivational beliefs, although fruitful, has suffered from a lack of conceptual clarity in terminology, definitions, distinctions, and roles of these important processes. Synthesizing extant research and major theoretical perspectives on achievement motivation, I propose Motivational Climate…

The present study examined the ability of parental involvement to predict classroom climate as perceived by pupils, as well as their motivation level and academic achievements. 726 pupils were randomly sampled. Three questionnaires were employed to measure the research variables. The findings indicate that the more learners include their parents…

From a constructivist perspective on learning, mistakes are seen as natural elements of learning processes. A supportive and constructive way of dealing with student mistakes has shown to affect students' individual motivation and learning performances in a favorable way. In classroom settings, however, making mistakes is not just a personal but…

The role of the teacher's personality can be placed amongst many factors that play a role in learning English as a second/foreign language. A teacher with a humorous character inevitably aids in reducing any potential fear that may be experienced by students in relation to the learning of a second language in the classroom (Bell, 2009; Chee,…

Discover ways to cultivate a thriving and passionate community of learners--in your classroom! In this book, educators and consultants Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold show you how to spark and sustain your students' energy, excitement, and love of learning. This book presents ideas for planning and implementing a Clubhouse Classroom, where passion…

Current research shows that students with a growth mindset are more motivated to learn, want to work harder, are less discouraged by difficulty, use more effective strategies for learning, and have higher academic performance in comparison to students without this mindset. Despite these promising findings, a growth mindset is sometimes not…

The teaching of English as a foreign language in South Korean public schools has seen the implementation of a number of new innovations. One such innovation, the teaching of English through English, dubbed TETE, is a government-initiated policy that requires public schools to teach English by only using English. Nevertheless, studies reveal that…

Previous research on science education has described various factors influencing students' participation and produced categorizations of students based on e.g. cultural background. In this article it is argued, theoretically and empirically, that an understanding of students' participation in science education needs to begin with an analysis of…

Although there is some evidence in the vague literature available to indicate that African Americans are underrepresented in foreign language studies, this issue has never been investigated with a focus on Spanish. Six hundred and thirty-one students enrolled in high school Spanish in a racially diverse school district in West Texas were surveyed…

Examining motivational variables may prove to be particularly fruitful towards our understanding of classroom processes, student behaviors and school outcomes. The present study examined the role of personal and contextual goals (goals and goal structures) towards explaining social relationships (peer, teacher-student and home-school). 1493 fifth…

Maria Andree focuses on an immigrant student whose error in a laboratory activity leads to a novel, colorful outcome that she excitedly shares with peers. After engaging in class activities for a few weeks she returns to her earlier dislike of science, saying: "I hate science, particularly Chemistry." The classroom activity system…

This is the fifth in a series of six papers from the Center on Education Policy exploring issues related to students' motivation to learn. While past papers in this series have examined broad strategies to improve academic motivation that could be implemented across a school, district, or state, this paper focuses specifically on changes within…

This paper describes the use of a student conference as a novel experience aimed at motivating students enrolled in various computer architecture courses, such as Microprocessor Systems. The goal was to increase student engagement, to decrease failure rates, and to introduce students to the world of research. This multidisciplinary experience…

This article reports a study of secondary students' perceptions of mathematics classroom learning environment and their associations with their motivation towards mathematics. A sample of 81 students (19 male and 62 female) in two schools were used. Student perceptions of the classroom environment were assessed using a modified What Is Happening…

Filipino students in Hawaii, like other ethnic minority students, continue to face academic struggles. Yet, there are few studies that have looked at the root of this issue for Filipino American students. While past research have focused on interventions through "culturally appropriate" instruction and multicultural curriculum, the…