This study was aimed at extending previous correlational findings on the motivational components of test performance, studied among seventh graders by Pintrich and De Groot, to college students and to sequential task performance, including a voluntarily performed task. Performance was also examined under different experimental conditions of…

Many students are not actively engaged in learning in mathematics classrooms. The purpose of this study was to develop understandings about student engagement with the mathematics curriculum and its influence on student engagement. The research was conducted in two seventh-grade classes taught by the same teacher, who used direct instruction. The…

Sixteen underachieving gifted students at Oliver High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were identified for a pilot program called Project Inspire, which sought to improve student achievement and build self-esteem, especially for disadvantaged Afro-American students. Teachers were selected as mentors for the students, and the mentors were…

This report presents the results of a survey of graduate students, both U.S. and foreign, enrolled in U.S. universities who were focusing their advanced studies on a world area. The survey was designed to determine how students become interested and involved in foreign language and area studies and focussed on several questions, in particular:…

This study investigated the relationship of students' sense of belonging in their classes to measures related to motivation, student effort, and academic achievement. Data from 612 fifth- through eighth-grade middle school students revealed that the sense of belonging in a class was related to: (1) students' expectations of academic success; (2)…

School failure in elementary school students from low income families has been a serious problem in Brazilian public schools for many years. A number of studies were implemented in an effort to reduce the incidence of school failure. One set of studies focusing on teachers' causal perceptions revealed a combination of socio-economic determinism…

Books that remind children and adolescents that writing is fun and that they can be writers not only confirm the reading/writing connection, but also demonstrate that reading can be a springboard to writing. Writing and receiving letters is very exciting to beginning readers, and there are many picture books that provide examples of how to write a…

Originally developed for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on motivating low performing students is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an overview on the topic; the full text…

A 10-module computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program on study skills was field tested to determine its effectiveness with high school students, using 50 advanced seniors in a large Texas high school as subjects. The program consisted of a study skills pretest, the CAI modules, a notebook on study skills, and a posttest. The modules were…

Intended for preservice and inservice educators of secondary school reading teachers, this index provides references to the following topics: the reading process, psychology and reading, student evaluation, reading materials, reading programs, reading personnel and resources, reading skills, reading in the content areas, reading interests and…

Student writing can be used in literature classes as a motivational and learning tool. Through careful planning, writing activities can (1) demonstrate that student ideas on literature will be considered seriously, (2) integrate students' literary opinions with those of the instructor and established critics, (3) improve student writing skills,…

The incidence and causal factors of dropping out of school and grade repetition at the primary school level in the Nandi District of Kenya were examined. The study involved longitudinal analysis of primary school flow from 1976 to 1982 in five representative schools. Data were gathered through questionnaires and interviews with District Education…

A four-phase positive discipline plan, based on William Glasser's "Reality Therapy" concepts and designed for grades K-5, is described. The goal of the plan is to teach the students to assume responsibility for their own actions; discipline is instructional, as opposed to punitive. A record is kept for each child upon which all serious behavior…

Designed to stimulate student motivation, this handbook contains a wide variety of activities and strategies for use at the elementary and secondary school levels. Nine sections contain incentive ideas which can be applied to student achievement, teaching techniques, subject areas, community resources, public relations, special programs,…

Effective schools research has delivered some relatively concrete findings on important issues facing this country's educators. The result has been an extensive collection of effective schooling practices which have potential for increasing performance in young people. In reviewing effective schools literature, implications of the data were found…