This review proposes that a better understanding of motivation and achievement in schools can be developed if social goals are examined along with task and ability goals. Hypotheses are proposed about the antecedents and consequences of social goals, and areas for future research are outlined. (SLD)

A model of self-regulated learning is proposed as a structure for analyzing cognitive processes involved in self-regulation and for interpreting findings from disparate research traditions. The model is used to examine recent research on how feedback affects cognitive engagement with tasks and the relationship between engagement and achievement.…

Studies of Mexican American students and classroom interaction are reviewed and critiqued from a perspective based on the work of Lev Vygotsky. Research suggests that Mexican American student involvement can be promoted through collaborative learning techniques, acceptance of student language use, and the use of material related to student…

Characteristics of eighth and ninth graders in 92 honors, regular, and remedial English classes (1,564 students); the quality of instruction; and links between instruction and achievement were studied in an organizational analysis of the effects of ability grouping. Student participation and discussion were higher in honors classes. (SLD)

It is argued that an epistemology that supports theories of situated cognition and social constructivism can be found in the tradition of John Dewey's pragmatism. Dewey's pragmatic social behaviorism is a powerful theory of learning that stresses the roles of labor, tools, and language as activities of enculturation. (SLD)

Long-term intellectual and academic benefits related to an early childhood educational intervention, the Carolina Abecedarian Project, were found for 93 students from low-income families (98% African American). Results from 7 to 10 years after intervention supported the relative efficacy of preschool treatment over that given in early elementary…

In an exploration of the challenges of creating a collaborative approach to parent involvement, the beliefs of 19 African American adolescent mothers about learning and literacy were determined through peer group discussions. Data revealed a continuum of perspectives and a great deal of intergroup variability, as well as some shared goals. (SLD)

A peer mediation program in a suburban elementary school was studied to determine the types of conflicts, the strategies used in conflict resolution, and the types of resolutions at school and at home. Comparisons of 144 program students with 83 untrained students revealed significant impact of peer mediation. (SLD)

Three field experiments involving 145 students in kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 4 examined the effects of different recess timing regimens on children's behavior. Results in terms of prerecess inattention and social interaction on the playground are discussed in relation to play deprivation theory and massed versus distributed practice. (SLD)

Examines the proof practices and constructs of a group of students educated with a "post-Cockcroft" mathematics curriculum. Finds that although students are actively involved in developing mathematical ideas, it is within a restricted mode in which ideas of inquiry have become largely instrumentalized. Contains 17 references. (Author/ASK)

Addresses the notion of story as a framework to help organize teachers' personal understandings of their craft, first describing one teacher educator's experiences with handling preconceptions in learning to teach and with using well-remembered events as a bridge between personal understandings and the world of classrooms and educational…

Local Parent Teacher Association presidents were surveyed to determine which topics should be included in family life education curricula and to examine attitudes about related issues. Responses were compared to responses from 12 years earlier. Results found increased support for instruction on key topics, particularly at the middle school level.…

Reviews and updates handwriting research conducted in the 1980s, adding two categories of research efforts to previous work: the use of mental models in forming letters during handwriting instruction; and handwriting instruction for special needs populations such as adult literacy and learning disabled students, remedial education students, and…

Experimental studies based on the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model (conducted between 1980-1990) were identified to determine the value of teaching students through their learning style preferences. Meta-analysis determined that matching students' learning style preferences with educational interventions compatible with those preferences is…

Building on previous data, researchers used West Virginia school district data to investigate the value of examining structurally determined opportunities and costs to explain high school students' dropping out. The study interpreted dropping out as a rational consequence of students' assessments of the opportunities and costs associated with…