In addition to the cult mystique that the notion of self-directed learning (SDL) has attained, controversy has arisen over its definition, its proper environment, and other issues. Consequently, a number of issues have arisen. The first is that adults are naturally self-directed. The reality is that adults' reactions to and capability for SDL vary…

This document offers teaching tips to be used if, on administration of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), a class were to present a profile of scores that would suggest the need for help in one or more of the motivation or learning strategies areas assessed by the MSLQ. Some tips are supported by research; others are based…

Personal characteristics of adult undergraduates who are 36 years old and older were studied. A sample of 24 adult students from a state-supported, urban university were interviewed/taped, and audio recordings were reviewed for descriptions of sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics. The dominant student profile was of a 44-year-old…

On the premise that the college classroom should heighten, not cool, a zeal for learning, the author proposes that colleges extend the range of alternative paths to personal growth through a program of voluntary temporary learning communities using diverse modes of inquiry. (JT)

Article investigated the effects of inanimate stimuli upon the learning behaviors of children as well as the presence of their mothers in a learning environment. (RK)

A comparison is made of the gains in examination performance of students in an open enrollment college for whom counseling in study strategy, immediate feedback, and motivational approaches were available or not available. (Author)

In a study of academic and behavioral changes in tutored inner-city children, the positive effects of a support system for tutors and the importance of considering motivational variables in designing adequate controls were highlighted. (EH)

Learning is defined as the modification and acquisition of knowledge, feelings, and abilities of the student--the outcomes of the teaching-learning process. The teaching-learning process in vocational education is intended to serve as the vehicle for achieving specific outcomes embodied in the goals of the vocational program. Two primary strands…

Guidelines for use by school practitioners in assessing students' motivation to learn are presented. Most of the instruments reviewed and literature discussed pertain primarily to the academic motivation and achievement of students in kindergarten through grade 12. Most are paper-and-pencil, self-report, group-administered measures that can be…

Social studies educators are encouraged to apply anthropological research to their understanding of classroom dynamics and the learning process. In 11 propositions, the contributions of anthropology to more effective teaching are explored. For each of these propositions, there are a number of relevant research questions to guide classroom…

Two concepts common in the literature concerning the affective dimension of personality are attitude and motivation. Motivation is an energizing agency producing activity congruent with the learner's underlying emotional disposition. Favorable attitudes provide endurance to the motivation necessary for prolonged application to learning. In second…

Recent studies indicate that the principal is key in planning for change and that innovations can succeed when the principal as change facilitator shares responsibility with others--assistant principals, teachers, and parents. This paper discusses two areas: (1) student learning enhanced through cultivation of critical thinking skills; and (2)…

How can we use practice time in the best possible way? Do we, as performers, have a keen enough awareness of the workings of our mind and body to be sure we are learning in the optimum way for secure performance? If not, how can we readily convey to others good habits for learning and memorisation? By demonstrating aspects of how experienced solo…

The interest approach is a vital part of each lesson. Various motivational devices are discussed: photographs, specimens, publications, student experiences, gimmicks, demonstrations, and the multiple option problem. (MW)