This article examines significant social-emotional influences on gifted students' motivation. While students' motivation to engage in learning is very much determined by factors specific to each individual, understanding and knowledgeable teachers—and appropriate classroom and school environments generally—are key contributing factors.

This study looks at an RTLB working within classrooms in a cluster of schools, assisting teachers in implementing inclusive practices to increase social and co-operative interaction between Year 1 peers. The study explores whether the teaching of specific social and co-operative skills, with practice opportunities across the curriculum, increases this ...

This article outlines Chinese-speaking students' perceptions of what helps and what hinders their learning of science in English in New Zealand secondary classrooms. Six students were interviewed to ascertain their views and explore their experiences.

The quotation in the title of this article comes from Ryan, a New Zealand secondary-school student, in a statement to his teachers. Ryan wanted his teachers to recognise his impairment-related needs and experiences at school and to take these into consideration in their teaching. His statement also referred to the ...

Spelling – Write and Right! (Part 3)
In News and Views (No. 3 and No. 4, 2003) we gave you the lists of essential words that make up 75 percent of most writing. We left you with this question:
Q: The essential words make up about 75 percent of all ...

The banks provide tools for formative assessment. Recently developed resources support self- and peer-assessment.  Recent small-scale research projects provide information to support assessment and learning. Assessment Services are proactively networking and sharing information with other providers of professional development in assessment.

In this issue we continue to celebrate thirty years of set. While set has always been a refereed journal it is now officially recognised as such by the Commonwealth Department of Education Science and Training (DEST). This is a fitting milestone for a year of celebration.

Thirteen schools that produced high mean literacy scores, relative to their decile levels, in a nationwide survey were visited and studied to identify practices that might account for their students’ strong showing. Principals and teachers of Years 1 and 2 described their reading and language programmes and attempted to identify ...

This research shows that focusing on peer and teacher talk about Year 5 and 6 students’ scripts creates significant increases in the quality of the students’ written language. Students’ initial comments about their writing were largely general, affective, and unfocused. After professional development teacher support, a follow-up survey indicated a ...

Ros McLellan reports on a 10-term UK project "Raising Boys’ Achievement". She gives an overview of the research and offers a framework for thinking about strategies that have the potential to raise achievement, especially that of boys.