This paper proposes a model of learning dynamics and learning energy, one that analyzes learning systems scientifically. This model makes response to the learner action by means of some equations relating to learning dynamics, learning energy, learning speed, learning force, and learning acceleration, which is analogous to the notion of Newtonian…

The Fullerton Longitudinal Study is a contemporary prospective investigation that spans approximately a quarter of a century. Commencing at age 1, children and their families were systematically followed every 6 months from infancy through preschool and annually at ages 5 through 17. They were again assessed at age 24. The course of development…

Academic enabling behaviors play a significant role in the development of academically competent students. Academic enablers are behaviors that facilitate learning such as social skills, study skills, motivation, and engagement. In this study, teacher and student ratings were used to describe the academic enablers of a nationally representative…

The Departments of Mathematics and Statistics at Grand Valley State University are engaged in a project to address the mathematical preparation of all its majors, including prospective elementary and secondary mathematics teachers. In this article, we describe how the mathematics and mathematics education faculty in our mathematics department…

Little is known about how successful students in Web-based courses self-regulate their learning. This descriptive case study used a social cognitive model of self-regulated learning (SRL) to investigate how six graduate students used and adapted traditional SRL strategies to complete tasks and cope with challenges in a Web-based technology course;…

This study investigated ego developmental differences in adolescent academic orientations and academic achievement. A sample of 142 male and female high school students completed the Washington University Sentence Completion Test and self-report measures assessing academic locus of control, learning orientation (LO), and grade orientation (GO).…

Linear models of two of the most salient motivations for undergraduates to attend college--learning (intrinsic) and enhanced post-graduation earnings (extrinsic)--are estimated from a sample of 2,199 respondents to the 2000 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey of first-year students, supplemented by institutional records. Model…

Lack of student motivation to learn and study has become a problem to education institutions the world over. Numerous factors contribute to this situation in South Africa. Research has found that in spite of student potential, as well as resources and facilities found in schools and in higher education institutions, students are not inspired to…

The EZ-Yale Personality Motivation Questionnaire (EZPQ) was used to measure motivation as a facet of school readiness in a sample of 133 children during the spring of their final year of Head Start. Three motivational constructs assessed by the EZPQ, academic mastery motivation, negative reaction tendency, and outerdirectedness, were associated…

This study examined the relative benefits of mastery learning, overlearning, and fluency-building instructions for academic performance and long-term retention. College students enrolled in introductory quantitative methods classes (n = 168) were asked to practice every week with a computerized flash-card program until they attained various…

This article reports the findings of a study that examined how middle school struggling readers transact with the reading task demands of his or her respective classroom. The study also examined how each student's teacher transact with the student's reading challenges. The author used a descriptive, case study approach. Findings showed that the…

The educational "pipeline" that provides tomorrow's scientists and engineers leaks far more females than males, particularly in the junior high age range. The reasons for this are complex and still being studied. However, by college age, the gender differences seen at earlier ages seem to narrow or disappear when one considers only those students…

This paper explores motivational factors underpinning undergraduates' learning of research skills through individual research projects with collaborative tutorials. Research has long pointed to group support, positive affect and scaffolding as important for motivating and facilitating learning. Furthermore, UK government priorities have placed an…

There is concern among second language educators in Canada that male students are losing interest in studying French as a second language (FSL). In response, in the fall of 2003, a study was conducted to investigate gender differences in second language (L2) motivation among Grade 9 core French students. Building upon the traditional model of L2…

This paper outlines the implementation of a Science Rally held at Palm Beach State Primary School (Australia) which has a high proportion of disadvantaged families. Fostering the principles of multi-age grouping in primary schools, the rally aimed at engaging children in meaningful and exciting activities in a non threatening and success oriented…