A study of 753 utilities company workers examined the relationship between a measure of worker self-directed learning readiness and their job level, sex, age, education, race, job performance rating, creativity and problem-solving ability needed in their jobs, and the degree of change inherent in their work. (Author/MSE)

Examined first and second generation college attenders and their parents, approaching the college selection process. Students and parents completed questionnaires on attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and attributes. Parents who did not attend college emphasized cost, academic reputation, and personal attention; their offspring, social activities.…

A study of the full-time faculty rated highest by students and peers found that they used distinctive classroom interaction patterns including criterion-based praise of student verbal communication, expansion on student ideas, encouragement after error, provide alternatives for students to choose, and other indirect support of student…

Discusses some of the problems associated with requiring a highly structured set of laboratory exercises in undergraduate biochemistry courses. Describes a program where students perform short-term independent projects after completing experiments which introduce basic concepts and techniques. Provides lists of the experiments and some typical…

Discusses achievement motivation among distance education students, and describes a study of Kenyan primary school teachers enrolled in an in-service training course taught primarily through correspondence. A modified Thematic Apperception Test will be used to determine the correlation between achievement motive and performance score in written…

Describes statewide results on minimum competency testing (MCT) programs newly implemented in Texas, and discusses initial efforts to predict the impact of a specific statewide MCT program on retention and graduation in Houston. Suggests that the new MCT requirements, by discouraging high risk students who previously might have stayed in school,…

Considers President Reagan's address to the nation on February 5, 1981, concerning the state of the economy, as a contemporary secular version of the jeremiad, a rhetorical form that has persisted in America since colonial times. Describes Reagan's skillful use of the genre to motivate public response to what he viewed as an economic crisis. (NKA)

Describes how the author's opinion of contests for students changed from generally negative to overwhelmingly positive after he had experience with them. Recounts his experiences with the contests and describes the projects entered by his history students. Concludes that contests can work well in motivating students to write research papers. (AEM)

Examines the reasons why many young black males choose not to pursue a college education, and why black females do. Utilizes results of a survey of 127 students attending a historically black college. (FMW)

Discusses the goals and planning of a scavenger hunt which was designed to increase enthusiasm in students and promote active learning. States that a scavenger hunt instills a sense of community pride in students and that the community cooperation fosters a positive relationship with the school. Provides a sample scavenger hunt checklist. (GEA)

A French language program for Mexican children established by the Franco-Mexican Alliance uses penpal correspondence to motivate language learning. Age-appropriate and balanced learning activities and a well-articulated progression of courses make this a successful approach for children. (MSE)

An East German university faculty member's study of the relationship between teacher and student suggests that the most effective relationship is a collaborative one, especially in the context of research projects, and that continuous evaluation of specific achievements and student development both provides motivation and stimulates learning. (MSE)

Outlines three lessons designed to increase students' involvement in social studies classes, excerpted from the author's book, COMPUTERS, CURRICULUM, AND WHOLE-CLASS INSTRUCTION. Student surveys, supported by database and/or graphing software, are used to study immigration, banking and technology, and interpreting graphs and bias in information.…

Describes a unique educational program at the Peers School (Oxford, England) involving integration of science and craft and design technology and how it is structured. Shares practical experiences and difficulties. Comments on questions that have been posed regarding this program. (CW)

European and American students at the University of Bergen, Norway, were found to be more integratively motivated to learn Norwegian than Middle Eastern, African, and Asian students, who were found to be more instrumentally motivated. A weak positive correlation between integrative motivation and language proficiency and a negative correlation…