The Self-Determined Learning Model is designed to teach adolescent students to set goals, take action on those goals, and adjust their goals and plans as needed. The program resulted in dramatic changes in 17 of 19 students (ages 14-19), at levels that exceeded teachers' expectations. Additional social validation data from both students and…

A study examining wilderness orientation programs for incoming college freshmen surveyed 57 program leaders. Findings indicate that most programs supported social over academic goals and that assessment was informal and after the fact. Recommendations include revising stated goals and encouraging faculty participation if student retention is the…

Study examines whether children's achievement strategies predict their improvement in reading and mathematical skills during the first school year, or whether the skills predict the change in their achievement strategies. Results indicate that task-avoidant behaviors decreased subsequent improvement in reading skills, and that a low level of…

States that sixty-three percent of 125 developmental students who participated in a retention study in fall of 1995 subsequently left the university, citing financial and academic problems. Recommends improving student retention through the use of early introduction of financial, academic and career counseling, and development of a freshmen…

Presents advice on turning camp staff into a team with the power to give campers a good experience. Suggests reviewing expectations of staff, obtaining commitment to those expectations, treating staff with respect, teaming old and new staff members, creating a mission statement, and empowering staff through communication. Includes a sample mission…

Investigated how the goal of becoming a teacher emerges. Four sources of influence were identified: family, teacher, and peer influences, and teaching experiences. In addition, influences such as critical incidents and emotions, and social-historical factors such as status and pay of teachers, were prominent in the goal histories of participants.…

This article on speech-language therapy argues that new emphases on the client's life participation, involvement in clinical decision making, and cultural sensitivity should be seen as additions rather than alternatives to therapeutic impairment-oriented approaches. It proposes that the client's progression toward life goals be the standard used…

The culminating project in completing a doctorate in education is the preparation and final defense of the dissertation. Specifically in educational administration and leadership, the student will have exerted hours of energy participating in course work, internships as well as in written and oral comprehensive examinations. By the time a student…

The role of educational psychology classes is often implied because of its inclusion in most teacher education programs; however, the struggle over how to structure courses has often resulted in learning experiences that do not best meet the needs of all students. The major controversy centers on both the course content and methodology used by…

Using the perspective of principal-agent theory, we suggest that the target setting process imposed by the government has shifted teachers' focus away from their personal educational priorities. Our evidence suggests that schools with a higher proportion of students with high academic achievement differ in their practice of target setting from…

This study investigated differences and shifts in learning and motivation constructs among male and female students in a nonmajors, yearlong structured inquiry college physics course and examined how these variables were related to physics understanding and course achievement. Tests and questionnaires measured students' learning approaches,…

Although the term "learning communities" may be familiar to some faculty, this article describes several types of learning communities and explains the benefits to both students and faculty. Fostering workforce skills, encouraging problem-solving skills, and increasing retention and success are some of the benefits for students and faculty. In…

Over the last three decades there has been a major shift in how practicing educators think about intelligence. One great driving force of this change can be attributed to "Frames of Mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligences," written by Howard Gardner in 1983. Gardner's book is conceived around the premise that every human being maintains seven (now…

Links between students' achievement goal orientations and learning tactics were investigated using software (gStudy) that supports a variety of learning tactics and strategies. An achievement goal questionnaire was administered to 307 students enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course. Data tracing study tactics were logged for 80…

This study assessed the psychometric properties of two scales that can be used in predicting team performance: specifically how team members assess the market orientation of their work unit as well the leadership skills present in the team. The first scale is a three-dimensional assessment of the unit's market orientation (innovative, process, or…