The similarity attraction hypothesis posits that humans are drawn toward others who behave and appear similar to themselves. Two experiments examined this hypothesis with middle school students learning electrical circuit analysis in a computer -based environment with an Animated Pedagogical Agent (APA). Experiment 1 was designed to determine whether matching the gender of the APA to the studen...

Classroom climate has been demonstrated to associate with individuals’ various attributes and outcomes. Recent research has also confirmed students’ goal orientations deserving to be recognized as a significant achievement-related outcome. In this line, the current study intended to examine the relationship between Iranian EFL students’ perceptions of their classroom environment and their achie...

Although previous studies have highlighted the advantages of using e-books for learning, most have compared learning achieved with traditional textbooks with that achieved with e-books in a classroom situation. These studies focused on individual learning instead of on interactions among learners, learning behavior using ebooks after school, and parental observations of children using e-books f...

Test washback is held to be complex and multifaceted in that a host of cultural, social, individual, test, and institutional factors are involved in shaping it. Thus far, the majority of washback studies have had as their focus the role of teachers in test washback or washback to teachers. How educational environments or institutions might function in isolation or in interaction with other fact...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a constructivist approach to context-based video instruction for enhancing learning. To achieve this purpose, the authors examined whether video-based instruction that was developed using constructivist theory can affect student learning (i.e., comprehension and retention) and motivation (i.e., attention, relevance, confidence, and s...

OBJECTIVES To explore stakeholders' perceptions of learners teaching (near-peer teaching) in general practice in order to inform training policy. DESIGN Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 general practice stakeholders. Interviews continued until data saturation was reached. Transcribed interviews underwent thematic analysis. SETTING Nine general practices in NSW, ...

Demotivating factors can negatively influence the learners’ attitudes in learning English language. In the present study, demotivating factors and the strategies used to reduce demotivation among Iranian EFL learners were explored through both qualitative and quantitative research methods. İn the qualitative part of the study, semi-structured interviews including two main open-ended questions w...

Within the Moroccan context, the Higher Education Institutions have realized the importance of the integration of information technologies into the formal learning curriculum. However, the risks of demotivation remain large in tertiary education, even with the support of these new technologies. It is therefore essential to ensure consistently the maintenance of the learners’ motivation, which m...