Motivation is a major socio-psychological factor to draw much attention of linguists and English Language Teaching (ELT) specialists in this decade. But most of the studies, conducted by ELT researchers at universities, basically deal with urban learners, which do not present sufficient findings in this field of research. This study primarily…

The opportunity and right to obtain a free public education provides the opportunity for all Americans to achieve success socially, financially, and professionally. The public education system has endured decades of changes as it attempts to address social, cultural, and academic issues that arise as the nation evolves. The public education system…

Examines 1,213 Tennessee elementary teachers' responses to 6 organizational indexes to determine effects of school organization and administrative support on teacher commitment. Finds novices needed organizational support for behavioral management and boundary tasks, midcareer teachers needed autonomy and empowerment, whereas veterans' commitment…

A study of the role of the modern language program at Michigan Technological University looks at perceptions of administrators, faculty, and students concerning the program and language learning needs, and student motivation in studying languages. Concludes that despite language enrollment and retention problems, modern language courses are both…

In this paper, I discuss a network-based collaborative project that focused on the learning conditions non-native speakers (NNSs) of Spanish perceived to be necessary to satisfactoraly communicate with native speakers (NSs). Data from online discussions, end-of-semester surveys, and final oral interviews are presented and discussed. The results of…

Within many educational institutions across the world, the delivery of undergraduate and post-graduate courses is facilitated by online learning technologies. The development and transformation of traditional academic courses for online learning delivery provides a number of opportunities for both the academic institution and prospective students.…

This paper discusses the role of customized learning environments in the teaching of English to undergraduate science and technology students and focuses on a more subject-specific and skills-oriented approach in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It may be argued that multimedia technology and the Web have a vital role to play in integrating…

This paper considers the additional uses of CALL in the Endangered Language (EL) context. It briefly reviews ELs and reports on CALL for ELs in general. It then reviews the extra uses of CALL for ELs; these include changing negative attitudes towards the language, arousing interest in the language and contributing to language maintenance and…

Practices for improving adolescent literacy--which includes reading, writing, and speaking--are much discussed and debated among secondary school educators and researchers. At Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama, the debate has ended after teachers and administrators implemented several practices that elevated student achievement from…

Personalized learning: Everyone knows it needs to happen, but how? It is one thing to believe in the importance of high school reform. It is quite another to embrace a system that helps every student leave high school with a diploma and plans for postsecondary education or training that lead to productive and self-sufficient adulthoods. This…

This report presents the findings for private four-year colleges that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appended are: (1) Data for Private Four-Year Colleges and Universities; and (2) What Works in Student Retention: Instrument. (Contains 15…

This document presents the proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA). The theme of this conference is "Navigating Currents and Charting Directions." The theme reminds us that, although we are constantly pushed to account for the quality and impact of our research, we…

This report compares results from 1996 national study of the current attitudes of American teenagers with similar 1974 and 1983 surveys. Almost 1,000 students between 13 and 17 years from households representative of the national population in geographic distribution, population density, household size, age of household head, and family income…

This book presents 11 author-contributed chapters concerning the role of adjunct college faculty, ways that such faculty members can obtain resources to maximize their effectiveness, and relationships of adjuncts with other faculty and the administration. Chapters have the following titles and authors: (1) "Program Policies and Administration"…

This case study provides a practical example of collaborative action research at work in a classroom setting, and illustrates how collaborative action research can be used to help teachers answer questions about their own practice and professional development. Following a review of the available research and historical foundations for…