As the baby boomer generation moves into its late 30's and early 40's, the number of students returning to college older than 35 has increased, and is, in fact, one of the fastest growing student populations in higher education. Most adult students return to school for job-related reasons. Adult students participating in forensic programs do so…

The literature and prior research findings support the belief that motivation-related strategies must be developed to support at-risk learners in postsecondary vocational programs. Essentially, two fundamental approaches have been used to conceptualize motivation. Mechanistic approaches ignore the thinking processes of humans and stress the…

A classroom technique for helping elementary and secondary school students of English as a second language (ESL) integrate language skills into the language arts curriculum is described. The activity, shadow play, is used as a culminating experience in a unit on the solar system, and consists of the development of dramatic scripts based on folk…

A computer-based attention reduction model of training is presented, and associated issues related to instructional systems design are outlined. Attention reduction training (ART) is based on the dual task assessment procedure developed by researchers in the area of memory. The technique involves having subjects respond to two tasks…

A study investigated the effects of the motivational variables of attribution and self-efficacy on the continued use of successfully learned strategies which promote independent learning from text. The subjects consisted of 11 freshmen and sophomore students participating in a two-week workshop on learning strategies which included a study project…

Interest or motivation, intelligence and experience, and psychosocial access are inextricably bound together in successful educational programs, and none can explain or predict performance by itself. In the realm of interest and motivation, it has been found that youth want to learn how to be effective, like to do the things their parents value,…

The impact of interest on specific quantitative and qualitative measures was studied by examining the relationship between interest in research methodology by education students and knowledge in the area. The "Study Interest Questionnaire" (Winteler and Sierwald, 1987) and a questionnaire on interest in empirical research methodology were…

A new interactive model of attention, perception, memory, and arousal is introduced; and its use in assessing characteristics of the perceptual process is demonstrated. The principal concern is not the presentation of new data; rather it is placement of existing psychological data within a new context. Topics discussed include: attention as an…

Dealing with student motivation in the reading curriculum, this paper begins by discussing why motivation is important. Next it explores reasons for lack of motivation and ways to remedy the problem, including teacher enthusiasm; appropriate reading materials; variety in teaching methods; balance among cognitive, affective, and psychomotor…

The role of such affective variables as integrative motivation in successful adult second language learning is explored. It is argued that the myth of the melting pot is based on commitment to integration, and that integrative motivation is thus viewed as desirable in minority group members. Studies of affective variables in second language…

The study investigated whether performance levels of employed students receiving financial aid increase singnificantly as a consequence of monetary incentive, and whether there are result differentials for some students and not for others. The assumption concerning the incentive value of financial aid was not supported by the study's results.…

Aptitude is not a valid predictor of achievement in a foreign language. Studies show that motivation does affect achievement. Since the student's attitude and performance are affected by the teacher's attitude, teacher-learner interaction should be recognized as a major determinant of successful FL study. (KM)