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This research was conducted as part of Project CIRCLE, a collaborative project between the University of Texas at Austin College of Education, the Austin Independent School District, and the Eanes Independent School District. The intent of the project was to establish collaborative knowledge-building communities in high school classrooms among secondary students and teachers and university students and faculty supported by innovative constructivist uses of computer technology. The primary goal was to determine the effects of such knowledge-building communities on students' approaches to learning. The study took place in one inner city and one suburban high school in the Austin, Texas area. The Student Perceptions of Classroom Knowledge-Building (SPOCK) instrument measured four aspects of students' perceptions of their own knowledge building and intentional learning behavior: (1) knowledge building; (2) question asking; (3) self-regulation; and (4) lack of initiative. In addition, the instrument measured extent of teacher directedness in the classroom and extent of collaborative learning among students. Overall, the results suggest that the infusion of technologies that support knowledge building, intentional learning, and collaboration can enhance the establishment of collaborative knowledge-building communities in high school classrooms and can influence students' perceptions of the classroom environment. (AEF)

Working memory is where we "think" as we learn. A notion that emerges as a synthesis from several threads in the research literatures of cognition, motivation, and connectionism is that motivation in learning is the process whereby working memory resource allocation is instigated and sustained. This paper reviews much literature on motivation and working memory, and concludes that the apparent novelty of the proposal offered to describe motivation in terms of working memory results from the apparent lack of cross-channel exchange among these research traditions. The relation between working memory and motivation is explored in the context of the interactive compensatory model of learning (ICML) in which learning is considered to result from the interaction of ability, motivation, and prior learning. The ICML is recast in light of the revised definition of motivation offered here. This paper goes on to suggest ways in which a range of teaching and learning issues and activities may be reconceptualized in the context of a model emphasizing a learner's working memory that makes use of chunks of previously acquired knowledge.

A study examined how self-efficacy, causal attribution, and outcome expectancy beliefs are related to reading and writing for ethnically diverse college freshmen and whether the patterns of belief-performance relationships for ethnically diverse students are similar to those found for white, middle class populations. Subjects in the ethnic sample were 138 freshman students (47 males, 91 females) and included 50 African Americans, and 68 Mexican Americans or Hispanics at a western state university; those in the comparison sample were 150 predominantly white, middle class undergraduate students (29 male, 121 females) at a midwestern state university. Both samples were administered measures to assess self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, causal attributions, reading performance, and writing performance. Results indicated differences between ethnic students and white, middle class students in the patterns of beliefs and in the relationships of beliefs to performance for reading and writing. These differences may significantly affect persistence and effort in reading and writing activities that in turn affect skill development. (Two tables of data are included.) (SR)

The report documents third year activities of the Educational Center for Disabled Students serving college students with a broad range of both physical and learning disabilities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Center goals include improving student academic performance and attitudes through the use of computer technology and academic skills training, establishing the Center utilizing appropriate computer equipment and software, and disseminating model project information. Major third year activities focused on continued evaluation of Center activities and outcomes and development of replication materials. Specific achievements were: (1) development of a formal assessment methodology for assessing educational and technological needs of disabled students; (2) component evaluation of Center technological, skill training, and adaptive interventions; (3) development of resource materials for technology and software vendors; (4) expanded program evaluation through expanded student and staff logs; (5) presentations and papers focused on replication oriented materials; (6) development of formal papers covering Center assessment techniques, intervention methodology, and evaluation results; (7) increasing business community dissemination; and (8) development of a replication booklet. Appendixes include planning documents, assessment instruments, suggested intervention strategies, a bibliography of information sources, and an inventory and vendor list. (DB)

The We Do--They Do Model provides an evaluation methodology that service providers can use on a small scale to obtain data for themselves and for the over-all system. The model allows for complete assessment of ongoing program implementation and outcome. Three questions are used to organize evaluation activities: (1) Did staff (We) do what we said we were going to do? (2) Did participants (They) do what they were supposed to do? and (3) If everyone did what they were supposed to do, how would we know if it did any good? These questions allow for evaluation of program activities and outcomes for both formative and summative purposes. It focuses on staff activities, client activities, and the outcome of these activities. The Model allows for relating of outcomes to program goal activities. It is useful for establishment of objectives, identification of specific treatment activities, and establishment of assessment methodology. Key aspects of the Model are a focus on evaluation of treatment integrity, and a simple reporting method that service staff can use with minimal disruption of activities. Use of the model is illustrated in the evaluation of the University of Nebraska's Educational Center for Disabled students. Computer technology was used as an intervention to train disabled college students. Objectives included improvement in attitudes and in academic performance. (MAC)

A study examined the relationships between the motivational variables of self-efficacy (the belief that one is capable of performing effectively) and outcome expectancies (contingency or causal dependency between actions and results) and performance in reading and writing. Subjects, 153 college students, completed measures of self-efficacy for reading and writing, outcome expectancy, reading achievement, and writing achievement. Data analysis revealed that self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs are significant predictors of reading and writing performance. If persons experience reading and writing as important behaviors related to desired life goals both for themselves and for others, they will be more likely to engage in reading or writing activities and to persist in reading or writing tasks. (FL)

Grade-level and achievement-level differences were studied in control-related beliefs and relations between students' beliefs and their reading and writing achievement for 364 students in grades 4, 7, and 10. Results suggest that beliefs characteristic of particular achievement levels are not simply reflections of age or grade level. (SLD)