Examines the belief that teaching is not merely a job but a calling, analyzing survey and interview data from 527 preservice teachers. Compared to other preservice teachers, those who felt a calling displayed significantly more enthusiasm, commitment to teaching, and willingness to accept sacrifices and extra duties. (SM)

Describes a study of the characteristics differentiating Danish high school dropouts from those who remained, focusing on family background, social factors in the educational milieu, and the effect of motivation, achievement, and ability. Dropping out was associated with lack of motivation and achievement. (DMM)

Described is the Vale Interactive Science and Technology Adventure (VISTA) center that caters specifically to primary school students, involves concepts and skills from the National Curriculum, and researches playing children's patterns of learning. The plans for the future and early descriptions of students reactions are reported. (KR)

Presents 12 practices that child care directors can use to motivate teachers. (BB)

Simply involving teachers in decision making does not ensure a more effective school. As one San Diego high school's experience with strategic planning shows, teachers must have previous experiences that stress personal validation, build collegiality, and provide opportunities for inquiry and reflection. Principals must be able to gauge staff…

Argues for a critical language awareness (LA) and for LA to be closely linked to the development of learners' practical language capabilities. The paper offers a critical evaluation of three major programmatic statements about LA: Committee for Linguistics in Education (1985); National Congress on Languages in Education (1985); and Hawkins (1984).…

Three articles help practitioners better understand exercise behavior motivation, providing guidelines and techniques for motivating children, adults, and older adults to adopt physically active lifestyles. The articles offer pertinent exercise motivation concepts and show how the concepts can be used to help people of all ages exercise regularly.…

Reports findings indicating that high school U.S. history teachers spend more time teaching about the twentieth century than earlier eras. Indicates that the reverse is true of world history teachers. Suggests that both teacher groups rely heavily on textbooks, lectures, and discussion. Reveals that teachers desire greater home support for…

Describes an entrepreneurial workshop experience for African-American high school students at Albany State College (Georgia). Discusses the beginnings of the program, its purpose, and activities during the workshop. Includes participants' and coordinator's comments. Suggests that the experience encourages students' desire to improve their lot in…

Discusses an award winning elementary economics education program at an Atlanta (Georgia) innercity school. Describes the program goal of developing a sense of economic empowerment for each student. Includes information on the program structure, implementation, curriculum, impact, and evaluation. Reports that the program has had a positive effect…

To examine the effect of motivational manipulated conditions on students' mathematics scores, elementary students received either ordinary standardized test instructions or special instructions (do as well as possible for themselves, parents, and teachers). Those given special instructions scored significantly higher in the test, implying that…

Suggests that a school environment that stresses learning or task goals is more conducive to cognitive engagement than an environment that emphasizes the demonstration of ability. The initial results of a case study in a middle grades school illustrate how stress on task or ability goals affects the school learning environment and student…

Proposes the use of humor and the personalization of word problems by inserting students' names in the problem statement as methods of gaining students' attention. Illustrates their use in a mixture problem and the Tower of Hanoi problem. (MDH)

Discusses the impact of the telecommunication experience on student skills (thinking, reading, writing, group dynamics, and basic computer literacy) and student motivation and attitudes (educational attitudes, self-concept, and world view). Discusses indirect learning as the heart of the project approach to education. Lists research questions on…

The scoring system in cross-country running illustrates that the way in which results are reported and the opportunity to improve through hard work can provide crucial incentives. Establishing incentives that make students dissatisfied with their present effort without being overwhelmed or made fatalistic is a challenging task. (SLD)