Learning with games requires two types of information, namely domain-specific information and game-specific information. Presenting these two types of information together with gameplay may pose a heavy demand on cognitive resources. This study investigates how timing of information presentation affects cognition (ie, mental effort and…

Epistemic motivation, which is the desire to understand the environment and others' emotions more accurately, influences individuals' behaviour. To explore the role of university students' epistemic motivation in learning, I examined the interaction effects of teachers' emotional feedback type (positive vs. negative) × students' epistemic…

The research on one-to-one computer learning settings shows what students do while using computers and how much they use them. It is believed that students are highly motivated by having computers of their own and show improved grades, but few studies can confirm this belief. This study investigated the experience of knowledge formation amongst…

Authentic materials, if appropriate to the learning situation, might turn the classroom environment into a more engaging place, where motivation might be generated through the performance of meaningful tasks. This article describes how a Text-Based Instruction approach can provide the basis for the design of an ESP syllabus based on relevant,…

A survey (N = 524) examined how frequently college students engage in multitasking with social media, texting/instant messaging (IM), and music while studying/working and what motivates them to multitask with each medium. Four out of five participants multitasked with Facebook and texting/IM, and two out of three multitasked with music. Habit was…

This study was an attempt to investigate the comparative impact of convergent and divergent condition tasks on EFL learners' writing and motivation. Sixty female intermediate EFL learners were selected from among a total number of 90 through their performance on a sample piloted PET and further homogenized in terms of their writing and motivation.…

This study examines the motivation of 20 Japanese students of English as a foreign language (EFL) who chatted electronically with 19 Taiwanese EFL students using online synchronous chat software. In particular, we were interested in four factors that affect task-based motivation: the willingness to communicate, task attractiveness, task…

Background: Self-handicapping is an attribution-related process whereby individuals create performance impediments/excuses to protect self-worth in socially evaluative environments. Thus, the prevailing motivational climate would appear to be an important factor when attempting to understand the situational self-handicapping process within school…

Reports on a small-scale study that investigated the relationship between on-task behavior, usefulness of materials as perceived by learners, and enjoyableness of materials. Data were collected daily over one term in two South Korean English-as-a-Foreign-Language classrooms. (Author/JL)

This study was designed to explore the relationships among individuals' dispositional ability conceptions, intrinsic motivation, experience, perceived competence, persistence, and performance. Participants practiced a novel task, completed surveys before instruction and after practicing the task, and completed a skill test. The results indicated…

Investigated the effects on middle school students of designing their own multimedia materials, including design knowledge, cognitive strategy, and motivation toward learning. Presents a theoretical framework, including project-based learning; describes questionnaires used; and discusses task ranking, planning and storyboarding, time management,…

The value of GIS within school curricula seems well perceived but ill-substantiated. This paper discusses the role of GIS in the development of higher order thinking skills and in motivating student learning. It then reports on attitudinal surveys undertaken before and after student exposure to GIS-related tasks. The tasks formed part of four…

Describes how the job characteristics model (J. R. Hackman), used by industrial-organizational psychologists to enhance the motivating potential of jobs in industry, can be applied to increase student motivation. The job characteristics model describes the relationship between the core characteristics of skill variety, task identity, task…