Developmentalists state that children are born with the intrinsic motivation to learn, but studies show that this intrinsic desire to learn begins to wane during the early school years, around third grade, and continues a steady decline through eighth grade. Intrinsic motivation is at the core of information literacy, the foundation for a desire…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of multimedia as a delivery tool for enhancing vocabulary in second-language classrooms. The mixed method design focused on specific techniques to help students acquire Spanish vocabulary and communication skills. The theoretical framework for this study consisted of second language theories…

In this article, the author shares her experience and the lessons learned in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for a decade. After thousands of lessons, uncountable revisions to those lessons, numerous hours of professional development, access to dozens of talented colleagues, and an abundance of thoughts and insights from…

Modeling is a core practice in science and a central part of scientific literacy. We present theoretical and empirical motivation for a learning progression for scientific modeling that aims to make the practice accessible and meaningful for learners. We define scientific modeling as including the elements of the practice (constructing, using,…

All of the ideas and advice you can get on research-based school improvement don't matter if your community does not address norms that discourage and dishonor academic achievement. Fortunately, here's a book with lots of successful examples from real schools that shows how educators can collaborate with others to reverse poor motivation, reward…

Middle schoolers are developing skills for learning. Part of those skills is learning how to be an active participant in class and take control over their classroom behavior. Students who are not actively listening or participating are not internally motivated to learn the material. It was my hope that by reflecting upon their participation each…

This study was designed to examine the relative contributions of student and parents' socio-demographics, students' beliefs about learning, parental support of children's learning, peers' attitudes towards learning, teacher-student interaction and curriculum content to students' motivation to learn. The sample consisted of 275 school-age children…

This article reports the findings of a 2003 study involving 526 Hong Kong tertiary students, aiming to explore their motivation towards the learning of English, Putonghua and a chosen third language (French, German or Japanese). Based on Dornyei's and Csizer's (2002) work [Dornyei, Z., Csizer, K., 2002. "Some dynamics of language attitudes…

The population of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners has increased significantly in higher education settings in the United States today. It has been reported that Japanese ESL students are generally unsuccessful when studying in English speaking countries. The typical way of reading in English for Japanese students is the…

THE POSSIBLE IMFORMATIONAL, EMOTIONAL, AND CONCEPTUAL AND INTEGRATIVE FUNCTIONS OF FILM MUSIC WERE PRESENTED. A LIST OF TECHNIQUES FOR ACHIEVING THOSE FUNCTIONS AND CRITIQUES OF THOSE TECHNIQUES AS USED IN MOTION PICTURES WERE INCLUDED. TYPES OF INFORMATIONAL FUNCTIONS OF MUSIC EXPLAINED AND ILLUSTRATED WERE--DELINEATION OF PERSONALITY OR…

The introduction reviews a number of findings and problems in the measurement of achievement motivation and raises some questions concerning the possible friction between motivation to achieve and curiosity. Subjects for the two pilot studies es were ninth graders of average (95-113) and high IQ (128 +) from a predominantly upper middle-class…

Research on the function of color in instruction and learning is reviewed, and the rationale for its use in instructional materials and as an aid to learning is examined. Three points are made: (1) on the basis of research results, it is not yet possible to prescribe the use of color cues in instruction; (2) color is presently being used in…

The interaction between the individual and his reading was analyzed according to four major points, and the contributions that reading can make to his total development were discussed. The first major point discussed was purpose for reading. It was pointed out that teachers need to help each pupil see the need for reading in terms of his own…

This dual language manual, written in both Spanish and English, will help the teacher in a Behavior Analysis classroom utilize the Token System to motivate, reinforce, and foster independence in pupils' learning activities. The rationale and procedures for earning, giving, and exchanging tokens is clearly explained. The use of helpful accessories…