This paper argues that student motivation is nurtured more by intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards. Rather than relying on grades alone to stimulate students, this paper explores how engendering a natural critical learning environment can give students a sense of ownership in their own learning and lead to their commitment to that learning. We…

In this article, we describe how the concept of "learning to learn" has developed in Spain, and give you an overview of relevant Spanish projects. First, we sketch out how this approach has developed in Spanish educational laws. We then give examples of research projects, assessment instruments and instructional programmes pertinent to…

College teachers in the sciences and professional studies have endorsed collaborative learning group strategies for teaching undergraduate statistics courses, but few researchers provide empirical evidence that students' quantitative skills actually increase as a result of the collaborative experience. Assessment of the efficacy of collaborative…

Theorists of friendship in contemporary society have suggested that our relationships with peers are characterised by their emphasis on openness, disclosure and emotional communication. Moreover, Beck and Beck-Gernsheim argue that friendship, as a deliberately sought, trusting partnership between two people, can play an important role in…

Although the literature on language pedagogy encourages the use of pair work in the second language classroom, students sometimes seem reluctant to work in pairs, particularly on grammar-focused tasks. This study investigated the merits of pair work by comparing pair and individual work on an editing task and by analysing the nature of pair…

Inspired by the educational benefits of project-based learning, a class project for leadership courses is described that takes interview assignments to a new level. Students use the findings from their interviews with managers to develop a book on leadership that they have had a hand in from start to finish. The project provides a comprehensive…

We present an alternative method in the constructive perspective to enhance student learning through a multimedia project, in which computing and multimedia technologies are used to enable students to participate more actively in their own learning. Students in a second year course in the Multimedia University, Malaysia, used the multimedia…

GThe purpose of this article is to better inform educators about the what, why, and how of group learning so that they can more confidently and effectively use it to teach about sexuality. The article begins by presenting the "what" of group learning with definitions and descriptions of various methodologies, specifically cooperative and…

Purpose: The objective of this study is two-fold. First, it provides guidance to educators and trainers on establishing a cooperative learning environment. Second, it examines final-year undergraduate accounting students' opinions on the effectiveness of a cooperative learning environment in delivering generic skills for their future professional…

Purpose: The paper seeks to demonstrate the characteristics of group work that are required to teach the attributes of real world venture teamwork in tertiary entrepreneurship programmes. Design/methodology/approach: One-tailed Spearman correlation analysis is used to assess the associations between students' grades in four group assessment tasks…

The annual Philbrick Science Showcase is a family event that celebrates students' science learning and highlights an ongoing partnership with the Boston Nature Center, a Massachusetts Audubon Society sanctuary within walking distance of the Philbrick school. At least twice a year, students visit the Nature Center to extend the science curriculum,…

Professional bureaucracies of the Finnish municipal services are challenged by many modernization pressures manifested currently in the form of New Public Management. Along with efficiency demands the new emphasis is on the provision of client-oriented services by the means of multi-professional teamwork crossing the traditional sector boundaries.…

Group work has been promoted in many countries as a key component of elementary science. However, little guidance is given as to how group work should be organized, and because previous research has seldom been conducted in authentic classrooms, its message is merely indicative. A study is reported, which attempts to address these limitations.…

Differences in achievement were investigated for 80 female and 80 male university students who were randomly assigned to either cooperative or competitive teaching methods. After viewing a videotaped instruction on research design, participants completed a mini-assignment either individually in the competitive condition or with a same-sex partner…

For the last four years, Soenderholm School, near the town of Aalborg, Northjutland, Denmark, has had an optional subject in the seventh grade called First "Lego" League (FLL). FLL is an international contest which aims to advance pupils' scientific interest. The task is for participants to build and program a "Lego" robot able…