An action research study described and evaluated a program for motivating students to read and to take more responsibility for their learning. The targeted population consisted of second- and fourth-grade students in rural-suburban communities west of Chicago, Illinois. Students' lack of motivation related to reading and failure to become…

This book, written by a father of school-aged children, challenges the idea that school reform must be based on raising test scores. Rather, it asserts that school reform should start by deciding what kind of students it wants to produce and then designing schools that will allow students to develop accordingly. The book advocates a child-centered…

Although research over the past 20 years has examined the dynamics of student learning, most initial studies focused on how scholastic aptitude tests and teacher rating scales predicted academic success. This study attempts to determine the relationship between scholastic aptitude and three approaches to learning: (1) presage; (2) process; and (3)…

Students in a senior (grade 12) basic English class were not motivated to read books unless required to do so by their teacher; they did little or no reading for pleasure. To increase recreational reading and instill a love of reading in the 17 subjects, a practicum, in the form of a reading program lasting about 2 months, developed strategies…

A survey of older students received responses from 4,461 people aged 60 or over in four European countries: United Kingdom, West Germany, France, and Belgium. The questionnaire had three sections: students' background; information on study methods, time spent, organization of work, and use of study aids; and Approaches to Study Inventory (ASI).…

Four case studies were conducted to evaluate the Arts Partners project, an umbrella program which brings together schools and art agencies who hire professional writers, artists, dancers, and musicians to hold 10-week residencies with students. The four schools, chosen randomly, included three elementary schools--one in upper Manhattan, one in the…

It has been argued that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) underestimates student achievement because the assessment has no consequences for the students, their teachers, or for their schools. This study was conducted to determine whether differences in test administration conditions and presumed levels of motivation engendered…

This book advances the premise that teachers, in addition to students, must be viewed as customers of the school. Teachers' jobs and work environments must therefore be redesigned for maximum professional growth and development. Unless teachers are supported in developing a quality work environment, efforts to improve schools will be marginally…

Amateur radio is a technology and activity that offers great potential when integrated into academic or vocational curricula. Programs with electrical, electronics, and electromechanical content can benefit from the use of amateur radio, and can also enhance language and communications skills. The biggest value of amateur radio may lie in its…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated factors that contribute to the engagement of students. Based on the theoretical model of Newmann, Wehlage, and Lamborn (1992), the study examined the effect of instructional approaches of teachers, contextual features of classrooms, and attributes of student experience on students'…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of cooperative learning on the attitude and achievement of teachers enrolled in a graduate statistics course. Thirty students received instruction from a faculty member fully trained in cooperative learning methodology. A nine-item survey was administered at the conclusion of the course.…

Audiographics is the merging of microcomputer graphics, telephone communications systems, and teaching strategies into a cost effective method of delivering distance education classes. The teacher creates visual images that are sent to and stored on computers at the remote sites. At the appropriate time the teacher and the remote site assistants…

This study, designed to examine instructional clarity, focuses on two questions from the literature: (1) Is it necessary for a lesson to contain keys, links, framing statements, focusing moves, and examples in order for students to achieve and be motivated? and (2) What is the specific purpose of links and focusing moves in instruction? Subjects,…

Two articles highlight different issues on foreign language learning and instruction in Denmark. The first article describes a research project at Roskilde University Center that focuses on group organized and self managed foreign language acquisition. The idea for the project came about as a result of concern over problems related to foreign…

Students must learn how to empower themselves and how to empower others if they are to survive in modern organizations (corporate, educational, and governmental). Traditional bureaucratic pedagogies, to which many faculty are accustomed, neither teach nor develop these skills. Furthermore, the use of bureaucratic pedagogies limits student…