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.…

Teacher reactions to student academic performance may have utilitarian goals, whereas others are punitive. This study investigated these reactions, as well as situations that determine which strategies are used. Controllable causes of failure give rise to punitive and retributive strategies, whereas lack of controllability elicits utilitarian…

Investigated expectancy-value predictors for experiencing shame from test feedback and possible consequences of these reactions. If students believe they have the capabilities and are committed to a future goal for which the course grade is relevant, then a shame reaction may be a warning signal that future goals might be unattainable. (BF)

Examined multiple modalities of nonspoken forms of representation-specifically gestures, pictures, objects, and writing-used by three teachers in three years of first grade math lessons. Students must attend to visual as well as vocal means of expressing information to gain access to all information presented in mathematics lessons. (BF)

Reports results of a collaborative study of mathematics instruction in 1st and 5th grade students in Korea. Lessons consisted of sequences of highly organized, systematic patterns of instruction dominated by teacher questions that included higher level procedural and conceptual questions. Observations have implications for educators interested in…

In three experiments, students received a short science lesson on how airplanes achieve lift and then were asked to write an explanation (retention test) and solutions to five problems (transfer test). For some students, the lesson contained signals such as section headings and pointer words. Students given signals generated significantly more…

In two experiments, students received two presentations of a narrated animation explaining how lightning forms, followed by retention and transfer tests. The goal was to determine possible benefits of incorporating a modest amount of computer-user interactivity within a multimedia explanation. Results were consistent with cognitive load theory and…

Investigated situations where asking for assistance from a teacher is appropriate and necessary in resolving conflict with an aggressive peer. Relations between help seeking and children's grade level, gender, and self perceptions are discussed in terms of goal and strategy components in a social-information-processing model of conflict…

Aggressive Troublemaker and Victim factors were related to three components of self concept based on the large, nationally representative National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 database. At the 8th, 10th, and 12th grade levels, Troublemaker and Victim constructs were reasonably stable over time and moderately positively correlated (many…

Two models (exam and oral argument performance) to predict academic performance using ability, affective, and cognitive variables were evaluated using students in their first year of law school. Different processes appear to operate in each of the two academic tasks. The implications of the results for law school education and future research are…

Examined 1,100 boys and 1,100 girls who matched the U.S. population using the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) cognitive-processing theory, built on the neuropsychological work of A.R. Luria (1973). Results illustrate that the PASS theory offers a useful way to examine gender differences in cognitive performance. (BF)

A theoretical analysis is advanced that discusses social cognitive theory at the group level to explain the formation and impact of collective efficacy. Consistent with social cognitive theory, mastery experience was found to be a significant predictor of differences between schools in teachers' collective efficacy perceptions. (Author)

Models of self-regulated learning hypothesize that learners selectively match study tactics to varying tasks and diverse goals. In this study, students rated the frequency with which they applied 26 study tactics, used 20 textbook features and other resources, and adopted 30 goals for studying. Findings indicate students' reports of…

Examined manuscript letter writing skills of students in Grades 1-3. Three letter characteristics, grade, and alphabet fluency each made a significant contribution to the prediction of letter legibility after effects of other predictors were controlled. Letter legibility in turn made a significant contribution to the prediction of text legibility…

Root word vocabulary was studied in two normative samples (English-speaking, wide socioeconomic range) and in an advantaged sample. Findings suggest that greater efforts should be made to foster vocabulary acquisition in the primary years, and that a rough vocabulary curriculum sequence can be identified for the elementary years. (Author)