Using difficult materials, the authors attempted to improve college students' self-regulation by allowing extended study time before taking a test. The authors also examined whether background knowledge and note-taking strategies would be positively related to self-regulation. Results imply that test performance is more related to note taking and…

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. Analyses showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence.…

Knowledge construction and scientific reasoning were examined during a unit in genetics, in which anomalies were used as a catalyst for student learning. Students used genetics simulation software to develop hypotheses and run tests of fruit fly crosses to develop mental models of simple dominance trait transmission. Instruction was intended to…

Investigates commonly cited experiential qualities (internal locus, volition, perceived choice) to propose a model of the essential nature of perceived self-determination in intrinsic motivation. Results supported model in which internal locus and volition, but not perceived choice, constitute valid indicators of self-determination. Discusses…

Investigates consistent participation in extracurricular activities as a contributor to long-term educational success. Consistent extracurricular activity participation was associated with high educational status at young adulthood including college attendance. Educational status was, in turn, linked to reciprocal positive changes between…

In 2 experiments, learners who were seated at a computer workstation received a narrated animation about lightning formation. Then, they took a retention test, a transfer test, and rated the speaker. The results are consistent with social agency theory, which posits that social cues in multimedia messages can encourage learners to interpret…

Describes the nature and occurrence of knowledge-construction links (KCLs) in 3 6th-grade classrooms that varied in degree of learner centeredness. KCLs are operationalized as prior learning that students bring to their current classroom experiences and include school and nonschool experiences. They are hypothesized to facilitate a…

Investigates how well kindergarten phonological awareness (PA) and naming speed (NS) account for reading development to Grade 5. PA was most strongly related to reading in the first two years of school, and NS's initially weaker relationship increased with grade level. Children with weak PA and slow NS were most likely to develop reading…

Describes 2 points of view about the relationship between oral-language and literacy skills: The phonological sensitivity approach posits that vocabulary provides the basis for phonological sensitivity, which then is the key language ability supporting reading, and the comprehensive language approach posits that varied language skills interact…

Examines longitudinal prediction of English and Spanish reading skills in a sample of 249 Spanish-speaking English-language learners at 3 time points in kindergarten through Grade 1. Phonological awareness transferred from Spanish to English and was predictive of word-identification skills. Other variables showing cross-linguistic transfer were…

Tests a theoretical model of mastery motivation with 169 4-year-old African American at-risk children and their parents. The results showed that parents' education predicted parenting beliefs, parents' global self-efficacy predicted parenting beliefs and parent-child relationships, parenting beliefs predicted parent-child relationships,…

Rudeness and status can affect group-problem-solving processes. A new statistical method for analyzing group processes was used to analyze predictors of agreement and solution score. In successful groups, agreement was affected positively by academic status and negatively by justifications. In unsuccessful groups, however, agreement was affected…

Investigates the development of narrative thought by analyzing the structural complexity and social-psychological understanding displayed in the story compositions of 151 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. A clear developmental progression was observed in structural complexity in terms of plot structure and the construction of flashbacks. (Contains…

Examines if a few seconds of high school teachers' nonverbal (NV) behavior can predict students' ratings of these teachers (SRT). NV behaviors while administering the class and using the board were unrelated to SRT. Positive judgments of NV behavior while disciplining the class and interacting with students were positively related to SRT.…

Secondary-level history teachers participated in a study examining differences among experts, experienced teachers, and novices in classroom use of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) and content knowledge. The results support the theory that development of teaching expertise is associated with a change from HOTS-lean and content-rich…