Autonomy is a basic human need having influence on motivation. Facilitating student autonomy is an essential ingredient of effective programs for maximizing internalized change and increasing motivation in troubled and troubling youth. This article examines the theoretical concepts of autonomy and control related to choices and considers their…

This paper reports on a study which examines the extent to which specified cognitive, social, and metacognitive strategies, are used by language students when working with computer-based materials (CBMs), in self-study contexts outside of the language classroom; particularly in a self-access centre (SAC). Data were collected using questionnaires,…

How do young people who are financially dependent on their parents but living in share households conceive of the concept of independence? The meanings of independence are discussed in relation to a qualitative study of young people who described themselves as independent although they accepted money on a regular basis from their parents. Their…

A great deal has been written in the professional literature about the importance of dispositions for beginning teachers with initial certification; however, little attention has been paid to the dispositions necessary for advanced certification candidates. What dispositions are expected of advanced certification candidates? How can these…

This study investigated the interaction between students' academic background (high school grades, standardized exams, and enrollment in advanced high school courses) and how much autonomy they reported having in high school science through labs and projects. The objective was to see if students who reported experiencing more or less self-directed…

The concept of autonomy can help secondary reading teachers help their students to become better readers and users of text. Research indicates that many students in content areas do not know how metacognitive strategies can be implemented so that students can become autonomous. Practical suggestions for helping readers become autonomous include…

This handbook was created by 138 Colorado educators statewide to provide their colleagues with exciting ideas for infusing life skills into the school curriculum. This handbook offers a wide variety of practical learning experiences for elementary through high school level students in three broad categories: career development; independent living;…

Parents across the nation are experiencing the phenomenon of adult children returning home to live with their parents after brief or extended excursions into independent living, or of adult children reluctant to move out until their financial or lifestyle expectations are guaranteed. Referring to these grown children as "nesters," this…

Items of Altemeyer's 1986 version of the "Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale" (RWA Scale) were analyzed as philosophical propositions in an effort to establish each item's suggestive connotation and denotation. The guiding principle of the analysis was the way in which the statements reflected authoritarianism's defining characteristics…

This report evaluates how effective the brokerage system operated by the Community Living Society in Vancouver (British Columbia) has been in meeting the needs of individuals with a mental handicap living in the community. The program stresses service brokerage, a mechanism to deliver the planning resources required to arrange and purchase…

This paper offers advice, from members of People First, concerning the process of having individuals with disabilities move out of institutions and nursing homes into community living arrangements. The first section lists categories of questions that express the potential concerns and worries of people who are going to move, such as "Why do…

This guide focuses on some of the realities parents must face in helping their daughters with disabilities to become more self-reliant and, ultimately, independent. The degree to which daughters with a disability are encouraged to strive for an independent life may be critically less than for sons. These differences have far-reaching implications…

A study was conducted to determine what progress is made by nursing students during their first two years of study in the development of affective characteristics closely associated with professional level practice. Two affective characteristics associated with professionalism were studied; autonomy and assertiveness. The Inner Directed Scale of…

Research toward the development of a theory of independent study and telemathic, or distance, learning is discussed in this paper. The concepts of independent study, educational programs, learning programs, teaching programs, and telemathic teaching are defined, and telemathic teaching programs are classified according to distance between teacher…

Although a copious body of research literature concerning the practice of adult self-directed learning exists, the theoretical dimension remains undernourished and poorly developed. If a theory for self-directed learning is to be developed, educators have to decide what is the critical element among the three words in the term self-directed…