Written for teachers, this paper reviews basic concepts and issues relating to the topic of student motivation in the classroom and suggests strategies for teachers to use in motivating their students. The paper identifies four essential preconditions that must be in place if teachers are to motivate effectively and then provides descriptions and…

The study that is the subject of this document focused on how fifth-graders' knowledge and thinking about the westward expansion of the pre-Civil War United States was affected by students' participation in a curriculum unit on the topic. A stratified sample of 10 students was interviewed before and after they participated in the unit to…