This study applied a model of student academic motivation to an existing set of classroom data from 323 third graders in 17 classes from 2 Stanford, California elementary school districts. The model proposed that common forms of student-motivated behavior, such as task engagement, are systematically related to students' cognitive structures and…

To teach creative writing effectively, teachers must be writers themselves and be willing to pass on their tricks of the trade to students. Conducted to determine what structures existed to help teachers pass on their skills, a survey of creative writing in high schools in the Chicago suburban area revealed a continuum, with only one school having…

A theoretical framework is presented to investigate the interactions of certain motivational factors with test-wiseness. Test performance is a function of two independent elements: the cognitive learning in the classroom situation and the test-wiseness in the testing situation. These situations are associated with independent sets of affective…

As part of an American History survey course at East Tennessee State University, students conducted research on ordinary objects from homes, barns, and workshops in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, learned techniques for displaying and interpreting artifacts, and designed and constructed exhibits illustrating aspects of homelife and work in the…

In an attempt to understand human aggressive behavior, psychologists have explored and emphasized variables related to the aggressor, the victim, and the situation, e.g., intentions of the aggressor and the consequences for the victim. Observer-related variables, such as level of moral reasoning have not been studied. To examine the relationship…

Intended for teachers who would like to correlate creative writing with creative ideas and activities, this publication presents ideas that will serve as springboards to other creative ideas and activities. Consisting of six main sections, each containing an introduction, the first section of the book presents: a statement of purpose; a discussion…

"Whether it is to further learning in general, or discipline in particular, teachers must effectively exercise power." Five power bases available to teachers are identified in this paper each containing the common element that they are all dependent upon student beliefs. These power bases are: (1) coercive power, based on a student's belief that…

In an effort to form baseline data and information on the activity of learners participating in courses offered by Athabasca University, an individual learner tracking study was initiated. A random selection of 38 learners submitted weekly forms indicating their level of activity in courses, their motivational level, and the amount of contact they…

Advocating preschool children's introduction to microcomputers, this document describes the advantages of computer learning for the child, academic skills that can be taught, results of an experiment that field tested microcomputers in a nursery school, and guidelines for parents to use when selecting software for their children. An introductory…

Guided by the belief that impressions of communication competence are based on observations of behavior appropriate to a particular context and on inferences about others' capabilities and motivations, a study was undertaken to (1) examine the relationship between self perceptions and other perceptions, (2) discover the role of motivation in…

The main concern is a longstanding one in classroom instruction--the determinants of effective team performance. The paper explicitly examines the effect of teacher-controlled factors on the use and functioning of student teams. From a sample of 500 undergraduate students, data are obtained on aptitude, diversity, instability, motivation,…

On the first day of classes, most students in introductory biology courses (a) believe that their effort is the most accurate predictor of their academic success, and (b) are confident that they will work hard and earn high grades. Despite their optimism, many students do not follow through on their expectations, and their grades drop accordingly.…

The purpose of this study was to compare low readers and high readers in adult basic education (ABE) programs in New Jersey in terms of demographic characteristics, motives for enrolling in ABE, and desire to learn certain functional competencies. Fifty-two low readers and 52 high readers responded to items on the Interview Schedule of the Adult…

Composed by English teachers at the elementary, secondary, and college levels, this book describes practical methods for teaching writing. Part one contains essays on issues related to teaching writing, such as motivation, evaluation, and teaching sequence. Part two describes more than 100 practical lessons for classroom use, each of which…

This paper provides some examples of American English that have been borrowed from other cultures and languages, and proposes that teachers develop students' lifelong reading interests through the study of folklore and dialect materials. Language development and appreciation relate to personal identity development insofar as individuals express…