A study was conducted among college students of Spanish to determine whether certain linguistic and ethnic attitudes can predict proficiency in Spanish as a second language. Attitudinal data did not predict second language proficiency, but evidence suggested that a positive orientation toward the Chicano community was not necessary for the…

This study investigated the relationship between internal and external locus of control in subjects in a verbal learning experiment. As hypothesized, the lack of freedom of choice was associated with decreased recall in internals. Being able to choose material lead to faster learning for both internals and externals. (Editor/RK)

Undergraduates read a prose passage and were tested on its contents. Difficulty, permission to underline key phrases, and financial motivation were varied. Non-highly motivated subjects performed better on the easy version; underlining aided highly motivated subjects and those reading the difficult version. (Author/RD)

The primary thesis proposed in this article is that Black children, because of their home experiences and cultural factors, are more responsive to variety in teaching and learning formats and more intolerant of the monotonous ones of their mainstream counterparts. (Author/EB)

Discusses current theories concerning motivation, considering them in connection with practical teaching conditions. Misunderstandings arise from the difference between the concepts "teacher" and "pedagogical expert." (IFS/WGA)

Providing specific instructions on reading material to be retained or to be forgotten induced college students to study all the material at a slower pace. A second experiment indicated that increased reading time was necessary for retention of the emphasized sentences. (Author/GDC)

In a study of declining college entrance examination scores, it was found that student-related factors, such as academic courses taken, were more closely related to test scores than school-related or family structure factors. (ED.)

Suggests that children will be motivated to learn if they are taught by educational games. Games emphasize the importance of the learning process, minimize the humiliation of failure, and capture children's interests. (Author/DB)

A model is presented which relates the adult in a job to that adult's interests and needs as viewed by the individual and others. The meeting or nonmeeting of these interests and needs is then related to the continuing education process and what effect that has on the individual's job. (Author)

Elementary school German programs can demonstrate both the value and the accessibility of the German language. Cultural experiences make both the language and the countries in which it is spoken inviting and attractive, and successful elementary programs can overcome old prejudices. (Author/MSE)

Examines the predictive validity of the "Attitude/Motivation Test Battery" (Gardner, et al, 1979), specifically the three composite measures derived from the battery--motivation, integrativeness, and attitudes toward the learning situation. Results demonstrate that the three factors are relatively consistent predictors of second language…

Demonstrates how minority "group" behaviors and beliefs can have complex and powerful effects on individual learning in the classroom. (HTH)

Argues that adults learn differently than children. States the assumptions of the pedagogical and andragogical models regarding the concept of the learner, the role of the learner's experience, readiness and motivation to learn, and orientation to learning. Reviews studies about the characteristics and processes of adult learning. Discusses…

Contemporary medical students, it is suggested, view science in particular and the intellect in general as difficult allies at best. What emerges are physicians without inquiring minds, physicians who bring to the bedside not curiosity and a desire to understand but a set of reflexes. (MLW)

Black respondents to a questionnaire identified lack of motivation and lack of quality education as major problems of Black Duval County students. Busing for desegregation purposes, although not liked, was regarded as the least serious problem. (CMG)