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The current study examines how teachers' professional wellbeing is affected by teacher-level and school-level factors using the TALIS 2018 data. Teacher-level factors consist of teachers' instructional practices and teachers' professional practices and school-level factors include school climate, school leadership styles and workload. The Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to examine whether the principals' leadership, school climate and workload and teachers' instructional practices and teachers' professional practices explain the variation in teacher self-efficacy, teacher job satisfaction, and motivation and perceptions net of several important teacher-level and school-level control variables. The results revealed that both the teacher- and school-level factors were significantly related to teachers' professional wellbeing. These findings were discussed concerning five countries of Canada, China, Finland, Japan and Singapore. The implications of the findings for improving teachers' professional wellbeing are discussed.

We conducted a comparative study to evaluate the efficacy of synchronous and asynchronous interaction modes when providing feedback for improving academic writing, achievement motivation and critical thinking. The participants undertook an academic writing task, and were given feedback by a mentor using one of three interaction modes: asynchronous, synchronous e-feedback, and face to face. Data was collected from the participants via an assessment rubric applied to their writing after each stage of interaction, along with pretest and posttest questionnaires, and a semi-structured interview at the end. We found that synchronous feedback is more effective in increasing the quality of academic writing and achievement motivation, but for critical thinking we did not find any significant difference. We suggest that a strategy combining the advantages of each mode of interaction, considering the writers' experience, may be the most effective way to promote academic writing, achievement motivation and critical thinking.

Background: Individuals pursue teaching careers for numerous reasons, such as for instrumental or prosocial purposes. Aims: This study examined the personal (instrumental motivation) and social (prosocial motivation) utility of teaching as predictors of teaching quality in terms of clarity of instruction, classroom management, and cognitive activation. Sample: We used data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, which included 50,595 teachers from 1252 schools in 10 countries and regions. Methods: We performed a series of regression analyses to test a model of instrumental and prosocial motivation to predict three indicators of teaching quality (clarity of instruction, classroom management, and cognitive activation) while controlling for demographic characteristics (age, sex, educational level, and teaching experience). We examined this model in countries and regions from Eastern (Japan, Korea, Singapore, Shanghai and Taipei) and Western (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America) cultures. Results: Results demonstrated that instrumental motivation predicted clarity of instruction in the East and classroom management in both the East and West; prosocial motivation, however, was a more consistent predictor of all indicators of teaching quality, except classroom management in the West, across cultures. Conclusion: Teachers' prosocial motivation to benefit others and contribute to society must be considered to understand teaching quality across various cultural contexts. Implications for theory, practice and policy are discussed.

This study examined whether individual differences in causality orientation moderate the effects of monetary reward and choice on perceived competence, which affect intrinsic motivation in turn. Causality orientation refers to an individual's tendency to experience or interpret events in a social context in a specific way and to behave accordingly, and is directly related to the development of intrinsic motivation. We randomly assigned 103 undergraduate students to one of four conditions: reward (reward vs. no reward) x choice (choice vs. no choice). Participants were presented with puzzles to solve in the experimenters' presence, and they were free to continue working on it once the experimenters left the room. We measured the time spent on solving puzzles when participants were free to choose other activities, and used self-reported feedback on task enjoyment as an index for intrinsic motivation. We also measured perceived competence as a mediator. Task enjoyment was unaffected by reward in participants with high autonomy orientation, but dropped significantly in participants with low autonomy orientation. Choice over task increased perceived competence in participants with high autonomy orientation, but lowered perceived competence in the case of low autonomy orientation. We found no significant effects for time spent on puzzles. The present study contributes to current understandings of the causes of performance differences in various settings.

By reviewing regulative documents and extant literature, this paper explores the realities and trends of international students in East and Southeast Asia (ESA). It also shows motivation and strategies of four new players in the international higher education sector in East and Southeast Asia i.e., China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Apart from showing that intraregional students have not predominated the overall international student population in the region anymore, the paper highlights that ESA region has become an established hub of international students rather than a new emerging destination as it was in previous years. The overall net flow of international students in this region was still deficit prior to 2010s, but the deficit in 2017 is still less than that of 2010?s. This is probably the first study of its kind to examine the trends of international students as well as of higher education policies of countries in the ESA region. The findings of this study shall provide an insight into international higher education trends among the ESA countries for stakeholders, including policymakers, university managers, faculty, students, and parents.

Epistemic engagement among higher education learners often involves cognitive appraisal operations which generate emotional processes. This study aims to develop and validate a multidimensional "Emotional Presence Scale" (EPS) to measure learners' experience of emotion due to cognitive appraisal in epistemic processes. Based on the cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion, the EPS was developed and validated through a three-phase process of theoretical conceptualisation, item generation and psychometric analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of data on a multi-institutional sample of Japanese universities (N = 361) produced a four-dimensional structure of emotional presence: interest-curiosity, emotional awareness, expression management, and emotional regulation. The EPS has adequate psychometric properties and is meaningfully related to external variables of task value, satisfaction, and motivation. The findings indicate that the EPS could be a desirable tool to measure emotional presence in higher educational settings where epistemic engagement is crucial.

This qualitative comparative case study investigates the links between parental motivations and young (aged 4-12) heritage language learners' heritage language school attendance. The study aimed to understand parental motivations, drawing on the instrumental and integrative motivation framework. The study addresses two research questions: 1) Why do parents send their children to heritage language schools? 2) How best can we explain parental motivations in heritage language school participation? An analysis of semi-structured interviews with 15 Marathi and 15 Japanese parents revealed that both groups prefer heritage language schooling for their young children. Findings indicate that rather than instrumental motivation, it is Marathi and Japanese parents' strong integrative-affective motivations that contribute to children's heritage language schooling. This research suggests that parental motivation can more effectively be explained in terms of a continuum between instrumental and integrative-affective motivation instead of a mutually exclusive binary state. The study underlines the importance of parental motivations in the case of young learners' access to heritage language schools and provides empirical evidence on parents' role in heritage language schooling.

Objectives: This study investigated the impact of a peer support intervention on the breakfast habits of university students in Japan. Both breakfast frequency and breakfast composition were assessed. Design: The study adopted a combination of convergent and intervention designs and used a mixed-methods approach. Setting: College-based peer-support intervention taking place in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Method: Questionnaires on demographic characteristics and breakfast habits were administered to participants (n = 27) before the online workshop, immediately afterwards, and at 3 and 6 months after the peer support intervention, coupled with a 4-week breakfast status report. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with 17 participants to gain a more detailed understanding of the impact of the intervention. Results: Quantitative results showed that immediately after the intervention, breakfast intake frequency and breakfast composition improved significantly; however, post-intervention, there was a difference in persistence between frequency and composition. In the qualitative element of the study, 'peer stimulation' and 'coercion' were identified as drivers of the changes identified. In addition, 'changes in awareness and behaviour' and 'realisation of the need for breakfast' were noted by participants. Conclusion: Peer support interventions can improve the breakfast habits of university students. A follow-up intervention within 6 months for breakfast frequency and within 3 months for breakfast composition following the intervention may help sustain the observed beneficial effects.

Many Filipino migrant workers (overseas Filipino workers) in their status as adult learners struggle in learning the local language of their host countries to native-like proficiency level. With the aim of establishing a second language (L2) acquisition pattern that may be useful in designing responsive adult training and welfare programs, this study examines how these workers acquire their L2s and what factors influence their rate and success in L2 learning. Utilizing mixed methods research design with 15 overseas Filipino workers as samples who learned various local languages in 10 different host countries, this study reveals that immersion and actual use of the target language in authentic communicative situations can make language acquisition easier. Findings of this study also confirm that instrumental and integrative motivation coupled with strong target language (TL) community support can make L2 learning faster, while old age and non-necessity of the L2 at work can make the whole process slower. In terms of communication strategies, findings show that syntactic avoidance is the most common communication strategy used, followed by direct appeal to authority (native speakers) and use of gestures, facial expressions, and translation tools. As foreign workers, their motivational orientations in learning their L2 are for employment, cultural understanding, and cultural integration. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to second language teaching among adult language learners and overseas workers.

Purpose: This study examined the factors that facilitated and obstructed the dissemination of a physical education lesson study (PELS) project in Peru, conducted in collaboration with Japan. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a qualitative approach, five Peruvian stakeholders in the field of physical education (PE) were interviewed. All the interviews were transcribed. The data were analysed using the Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT). Findings: The factors that obstructed the dissemination of PELS were lack of mutual observation of lessons among teachers and the resistance of teachers to the project due to the term "study" in "lesson study". Conversely, online dissemination of PELS may significantly improve its position in Peru. Disseminating PELS through small group practice and deploying it in the field of education through stakeholder collaboration comprised facilitating factors. Originality/value: This study could facilitate an understanding of Peruvian educational and PE culture and have ripple effects on the practice and dissemination of LS in other countries and subject areas.

Objective: It has been observed that toddlers tend to miscategorize several negative emotions (e.g., sadness, anger). On the other hand, when we infer others' emotions, an approach-avoidance tendency toward facial expressions is perceived antecedently before linguistically categorizing them into emotion-word-based categories, such as sadness, anger, and fear. Therefore, children may have categorized facial expressions in an approach-avoidance framework before they were able to classify them in emotion-word-based categories. Method: The present study explored this possibility by asking 3-year-old Japanese children (N = 36) to categorize facial expressions using both an emotion label and action response (i.e., approach-avoidance) in the same procedure. Results: revealed that while toddlers were confused by negative facial expressions using emotion labels, they could distinguish them using action responses like adults. Furthermore, children's categorization of facial expression by emotion label was partially similar to categorization by approach-avoidance framework. Conclusions: These findings suggest that although toddlers have difficulties in distinguishing between several negative facial expressions by emotion-word-category, they can distinguish how to react to these facial expressions just like an adult. Furthermore, toddlers might construct emotion-word-based categories based on approach-avoidance in early childhood. Finally, the developmental trajectories of categorization of facial expression by emotion-word-based category and approach-avoidance response are discussed.

A unique challenge for organizations is in leading diverse, dispersed teams whose members are motivated to work independently, but are willing to collaborate. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how nuanced variations in motivational patterns influences the relationship between work satisfaction and virtual team effectiveness. A sequential, mixed methods design was used to analyze and explain the moderating effects of motivational orientation on this relationship. In the first, quantitative phase, participating virtual team members completed an online survey with items comprising the five motivation source scales from the Motivation Sources Inventory, work satisfaction, and eleven variables measuring utilization of virtual team effectiveness attributes from the Virtual Teams Survey. Seven hypotheses were tested, with support found for three of the hypotheses. Work satisfaction and utilization of the virtual team effectiveness attributes were found to be positively correlated. Support was also found for hypotheses that the relationship between work satisfaction and utilization of the virtual team effectiveness attributes will be stronger for virtual team members (VTMs) with low self-concept external and / or moderate or high goal internalization patterns. In the second, qualitative phase, follow-up interviews were conducted to support and provide rationale for the quantitative results. Qualitative analysis of interviews revealed three major themes focused on concerns regarding team leadership, organizational support, and technology. Viewed in context with the quantitative results, the themes suggest that work satisfaction may be improved for most VTMs, regardless of motivation pattern, by strengthening leadership, aligning rewards with goals, and enhancing the technology used for team communication.

This paper compared technical/vocational education in: Germany, Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and Nigeria, and found that technical/vocational education was given proper attention in countries considered except Nigeria, where it was handled with laissez faire attitude. Set-Up of Technical/Vocational Schooling, Curriculum, Mode of Training and Conduct of Final Examination, Financing and Motivating Factor was the basis for comparison, and Nigeria lagged behind in these. Amongst the lessons for Nigeria's technical/vocational education sector are that her technical/vocational education sector be dual, while students should be appropriately motivated. Schools should collaborate with registered organizations (work-integrated learning) to train the students. The paper recommended that there should be national conference strictly on the status of technical/vocational education in Nigeria, so that necessary solutions could be proffered to the problems facing this part of the education sector. Finally, manufacturing organizations, etc. should be involved in the drafting of curriculum of the technical/vocational education in the country, while taking into consideration peculiarities of Nigeria as a sovereign nation.

Writing groups have been implemented in higher education institutions in the US, UK and Australia as a means of supporting a writer's productivity (e.g., journal articles or book chapters) as well as developing their soft academic skills (e.g., collegiality). However, writing groups are seldom discussed in the Japanese context. Therefore, this study describes the development, facilitation and implications of writing groups at a Japanese university (i.e., graduate and faculty level groups who met on a weekly basis for eight to ten weeks). The ways in which the facilitator managed each group using structured and unstructured approaches are discussed focusing on a description of the social, theoretical and practical activities of each group. In order to analyze the efficacy of the writing groups, participant experiences were explored in terms of their initial assumptions, expectations and successes. Finally, the characteristics of the two writing groups are compared to previous research findings. The comparison demonstrates that both groups are similar to those in other contexts. Group members are faced with universal issues such as time pressures, motivation, and varying writing abilities. Overall, this study draws attention to the characteristics of two types of writing groups at this particular university, and begins the conversation regarding the development, facilitation and efficacy of these groups in the Japanese context.

Regarding education as "the social" rather than an intentional action between individuals, this paper discusses the fair way of its distribution. Fairness is presumed to be relevant to the distribution of resources for education not only among people belonging to the same generation in the same society, but also among people belonging to different generations and different societies. To keep society sustainable and to leave a sustainable society to future generations, it is not sufficient to keep resources intact. It is also necessary to leave a fair way, i.e. the fair way of sharing burdens and benefits, for future generations. The educational significance of John Rawls' difference and just savings principles is elucidated in contrast to Robert Nozick's account of the entitlement of property. The main conclusion of the paper is that, if we see education as "the social", we cannot design fair education without concern for the welfare of those who are living in different societies and are not yet born. (Contains 1 note.)

The purpose of this study is twofold: to assess the acceptance and usefulness of Nagoya University Small Private Online Courses, which is an online end-of-life care educational program through popular social media designed to supplement traditional end-of-life care education among healthcare professionals and to get constructive feedback with the aim of enhancing the impact of the program on fundamental knowledge of and attitudes toward end-of-life care provision. All 107 participants nationwide enrolled in this educational program completed the entire study. We found evidence of the beneficial effect of the social media strategies on participants' knowledge and practice toward end-of-life care. In addition, data analyses provided insights into modifiable factors associated with learners' active participation.

International comparative studies revealed that US students' mathematics performance is not at the level of expectation of mathematics education community. The latest of such study is, Third international Mathematics Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R, 1999) continued show poor performance of US students in international arena. Total of 38 countries had participated in TIMSS-R and focus was the mathematics achievement of 8th graders. In TIMSS video study only 6 counties participated along with the US. Five participated in TIMSS 1999 video study outperformed the US in mathematics achievement. Since the teachers and their decisions on teaching plays significant role in students learning, future US mathematics teachers can learn from accomplished practices in international arena. The purpose of this study is to investigate preservice teachers' analyses of such practices. The study is qualitative in nature. Data collection included students' written analyses on videotaped lessons and follow up interviews.

A response model that is able to detect guessing behaviors and produce unbiased estimates in low-stake conditions using timing information is proposed. The model is a special case of the grade of membership model in which responses are modeled as partial members of a class that is affected by motivation and a class that responds only according to the level of ability. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to compare the proposed model with an approach that ignored guessing and an approach based on item filtering. In each simulated condition, the proposed model outperformed the other approaches by showing the lowest level of bias and the highest precision of item and persons estimates. Finally, the model was estimated using real life data from Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies research (PIAAC). The results showed slight but expected corrections for the levels of proficiency in all countries.

The aim of this paper is to explore perspectives on equity, quality, motivation, and resilience by focusing in depth on the perspectives of educators in one small, semi-rural school in Japan. The paper is intended to provide rich, in-depth data and discussion as a way of providing insights from different perspectives into findings from large-scale international assessments. The two key questions addressed in the paper are, (1) How are equity and quality achieved and maintained in Japanese elementary schools? and (2) How are student motivation and resilience perceived and fostered in Japanese elementary schools? These questions are addressed through analysis of key official documents related to the questions, together with analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with education professionals working in an elementary school. The paper will contribute to understanding the perspectives of teachers in a particular school context in Japan on the roles of state, teachers, and children themselves in the task of achieving and maintaining equity and quality in a high performing education system.

Linguistic landscape (LL) research seeks to account for the visible displays of multilingualism on public signage. While surveys of signage in the LL produce quantitative descriptions of language contact in a given area, such analyses shed little light on people's interpretations of multilingual signs. Moreover, even within more qualitative inquiries, after eliciting people's stated understandings of linguistic phenomena, the analyst is faced with "interpreting the (participants') interpretations" of the roles and functions of languages on public display. As one means of achieving this in a principled and revealing way, this article discusses the discourse analytic method known as "motive analysis," developed by Kenneth Burke. Burke's concern was how and why people impute motives to human action through language use. By focusing on Japanese university students' perceptions of multilingual signage, this study outlines three distinct characterisations of the motivations behind English language use on signage in the Japanese LL. The students' interpretations draw upon discourses of commercialism, cultural essentialism, and globalisation, and accordingly project both materialist and idealist worldviews. The article concludes that motive analysis, used in conjunction with a folk linguistics approach, is a particularly apposite method for providing coherent and defensible analyses of people's interpretations of societal multilingualism.

The Collaborative Learning Project is a language exchange program in which American and Japanese university students have the opportunity to interact with native speakers over the course of a three-week period. This paper reports the outcomes of the Collaborative Learning Project in terms of its effectiveness in fulfilling student expectations and their integrative motivation, i.e. social and cultural motivation. Using quantitative and qualitative data, this research includes the first project (2012) as a preliminary study, and the second project (2013) as the basis of the formative assessment. In their responses to questionnaires, the majority of the students reported that the program fulfilled their expectations and fostered their integrative motivation. After participating in the project, the participants were motivated to continue learning Japanese and seemed to be more interested in the study abroad program/studying abroad.

The phenomenon of women's underrepresentation in engineering is well known. However, the slow progress in achieving better gender equality here compared with other domains has accentuated the "numbers" issue, while the quality aspects have been largely ignored. This study aims to shed light on both these aspects via the lens of mentors, who are at the coalface of guiding female engineers through their education and subsequent careers. Based on data collected from 25 mentors (8 men and 17 women from 8 countries), the paper explores their experiences of being mentors, as well as their views on recommended actions for nurturing female engineers. The findings reveal that the primary motivation for becoming a mentor was personal for men and women. Many mentors from countries with relatively lower female labour participation rates perceive their roles as guarantors of their mentees' successful future career paths, and a similar trend can be found in mentors in academia. The study underscores the need for invigorating mentors' roles in order to secure a more equitable future for engineering education.

We clarify how individuals actively interact with socio-cultural contexts to attain regular employment in Japan. Based on a large sample (N = 3,512) of part-time employed and unemployed college graduates (23-39 years old), we found that: Career decision making self-efficacy predicted job search; a lack of both hope and fulfillment motivated job search, while having hope promoted it; wishing for perfect vocation and being free from both inclination towards personal interests and passivity motivated job search. Clients' desire for "a perfect vocation," should not necessarily be considered as a career barrier but, perhaps, rather as an asset for motivating job search. Counselors should seek to better understand the influence of clients' socio-cultural contexts on their career attitudes.

Objective: To examine whether the combined use of a task-specific self-efficacy scale for oral health behaviour (SEOH) and an oral health questionnaire (OHQ) would be useful for evaluating subjects' behaviours and cognitions. Design: Questionnaires. Methods: One hundred and eighty-five students completed the SEOH and OHQ. The 30-item OHQ uses a nominal scale, and the 25-item SEOH includes four subscales with items rated on a five-point Likert scale. The SEOH score of each student was evaluated on the basis of the sum of all scores. The relationship between SEOH scores, including scores on all subscales, and observed values on the OHQ was examined using chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis. Results: Female subjects exhibited higher average scores than male subjects on both the SEOH and self-efficacy scale. Logistic regression analysis revealed eight significant interactions between scores on the SEOH, including its subscales, and OHQ items for male and 10 significant interactions for female. Conclusion: Combining the SEOH and the OHQ is useful as a psychological criterion for the clinical assessment and prediction of motivation and skills with respect to oral health behaviour. (Contains 5 tables.)

Objective: Intrinsic academic motivation is one of the most important psychological concepts in education, and it is related to academic outcomes in medical students. This study examined the relationships between academic and family conditions and intrinsic academic motivation. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: The study group consisted of 120 healthy second-year medical students. Method: Participants completed questionnaires dealing with intrinsic academic motivation, lifestyle factors, academic and family conditions, and academic performance. Results: In the multiple regression analysis (adjusted for age, gender, and lifestyle factors), taking pleasure in school and spending time with family were positively associated with intrinsic academic motivation scores. Conclusion: Pleasure in school and spending time with family are correlated with intrinsic academic motivation among medical students. Good academic and family conditions may contribute to lowering the incidence of and/or increasing the rates of recovery from low intrinsic academic motivation. (Contains 3 tables.)

This qualitative interview study investigated Japanese understandings of spirituality, religion, and The Divine. Thirteen native Japanese living in central Ohio (6 male, 7 female) answered open-ended questions about spiritual or religious activities they engaged in, motivations for engaging in them, what constitutes sacredness, why humanity and the universe exist, and what happens after death. Content analyses identified prominent themes. Participants overwhelmingly reported no religious affiliation and espoused certain secular beliefs, yet the majority also reported beliefs related to traditional Japanese religions. Overall, understanding of existence and the human condition appeared to blend Buddhist, Shinto, and secular themes at a psychological level. Conceptualization of The Divine included themes involving interrelatedness, real-world perfection, and connection to the human heart.

International schools and schools offering curricula and qualifications that are not those designed and delivered by the state are increasingly common in many countries. They offer parents an alternative to national schools and the normative education they deliver. This article compares five research exercises conducted in Switzerland, Japan, Argentina, Israel and Singapore that attempted to understand what motivated parents to choose for their children schools that were outside the national mainstream. It concludes that common motives exist and it proposes eight factors that appear to have near universal appeal. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

In mathematics education, utilizing international comparisons to support implementation of educational reforms has become increasingly common. With the advent of "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study" (TIMSS), educational reform seems to have transitioned to a reactionary process rather than a calculated adaptation of current educational systems. These policy changes may be in response to a need to demonstrate international superiority, determined by these standardized tests. This paper explores the history of educational reform in Japan and Singapore to investigate possible connections between achievement levels and reforms each country made to their educational systems. Frank's Framework will be used to guide the analysis of their educational policies with a focus on how these countries use aspects of this framework to guide reform decisions, or if they use a narrow focus on the TIMSS results. These results can then be extended to the process of reform development in the United States.

Demotivation can negatively influence the learner's attitudes and behaviors, degrade classroom group dynamics and teacher's motivation, and result in long-term and widespread negative learning outcomes. 900 university EFL learners were surveyed to investigate the demotivating factors in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japan, and the relationship between past demotivating experiences and present proficiencies. Affective states and capacity to self-regulate learning were compared among learners with varying academic interests, experiences, and proficiencies. Demotivating factors were grouped into three categories: external conditions of the learning environment, internal conditions of the learner, and reactive behaviors to demotivating experiences. Internal and reactive factors were shown to correlate with long-term EFL learning outcomes. Findings from this study indicated that beginning, less-proficient learners in non-English majors were least likely to control their affective states to cope with demotivating experiences. Finally, this paper discusses steps that might prevent or minimize demotivation and facilitate remotivation. (Contains 7 tables.)

The authors provide an analytic framework for studying the joint influence of personal achievement goals and classroom goal structures on achievement-relevant outcomes. This framework encompasses 3 models (the direct effect model, indirect effect model, and interaction effect model), each of which addresses a different aspect of the joint influence of the 2 goal levels. These 3 models were examined together with a sample of 1,578 Japanese junior high and high school students from 47 classrooms. Results provided support for each of the 3 models: Classroom goal structures were not only direct, but also indirect predictors of intrinsic motivation and academic self-concept, and some cross-level interactions between personal achievement goals and classroom goal structures were observed (indicating both goal match and goal mismatch effects). A call is made for more research that takes into consideration achievement goals at both personal and structural levels of representation. (Contains 5 tables, 3 figures, and 6 footnotes.)

The primary goal of this study was to test a credibility-learning model in U.S., Chinese, German, and Japanese classrooms. Using structural equation modeling, an etic credibility-learning model was generated from the common significant paths of the hypothesized model across the four cultures. Teacher credibility showed only an indirect relationship to cognitive learning, mediated by affective learning and motivation. Specifically, teacher competence and caring showed a positive relationship to affective learning, which, in turn, was associated with motivation, which was then related to cognitive learning, but teacher trustworthiness had neither direct nor indirect association with affective learning, motivation, or cognitive learning. Additionally, the results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the three-factor model of teacher credibility applied across the four cultural groups. (Contains 3 figures and 5 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to analyse the beliefs about inclusion and teaching students with disabilities of physical education teachers from various countries and cultures. The participants were 29 physical education teachers from Ghana (Africa), Japan, the US and Puerto Rico. The research method was explanatory multiple-case study situated in the theory of planned behaviour. The primary data sources were attitude surveys and interviews. Survey data were analysed with descriptive statistics and the interview data were analysed using a constant comparative method. Results indicate that the teachers' beliefs tended to vary on inclusion and teaching students with disabilities. Paradoxically, they expressed compelling intrinsic motives while voicing a multiplicity of concerns on teaching students with disabilities. They all desired greater opportunities for relevant professional development, which should be made available more frequently by school districts. (Contains 3 tables.)

This report describes the current state of affairs and reform in Japan in 2007 of the theory, policy, and practice of lifelong education. As in most countries, Japan has been talking of decentralisation in government, of giving more local autonomy to communities and of promoting individuality in education. In line with these aims, the government has said it promotes lifelong learning for the economic security, wellbeing, and the quality of life of the people in the new millennium. The fall in birth rate and rise in the proportion of old-aged pensioners have supported the general reform towards lifelong learning. However, recently it seems that the government has switched to focus on more tightly controlling school education which had been liberalised during the past 10 years--leading some to feel that the government was using recent adolescent crime and delinquency as a guise to recover centralised influence in schools. Some observers have interpreted this re-focus on school education reform as abandoning the drive towards individual autonomy and lifelong learning. The new revisions to education laws and the prevailing socioeconomics surrounding education are summarised. Based on a full literature survey, theory and analysis on how to initiate the social intrinsic motivation to lifelong learning, this study shows that the government is likely on the right track by pushing through the reform laws to set minimum standards in education--as the only foundation upon which lifelong learning can flourish.

The purpose of the present study was to extend the findings obtained in previous reversal theory based dance research by investigating dancers' perceptions of their own arousal levels and performance and their motivational states when performing. A group of modern dancers (n = 21), performing at a dance competition, acted as volunteer participants. They were subsequently divided into serious (n = 11) and playful (n = 10) groups on the basis of their Motivational Style Profile (MSP) serious-playful dimension scores. A modified "dance version" of the State of Mind Indicator for Athletes (SOMIFA) was used to compare the two groups on their experience of arousal, alertness and energy and their motivational states at four different performance sessions. In addition, their self-rated performance ratings were compared. The results are interpreted in the light of reversal theory and their implications for dance performance set out. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

The Young Children's Computer Inventory is a Likert-type survey instrument designed for use by first grade students at home or in schools. Addresses the historical antecedents of the instrument, reports construct validity and reliability based upon pilot tests in the United States and Japan, and provides recommendations for the practitioner with respect to appropriate questionnaire format and administration procedures. (Author/GLR)

The competitiveness of Japanese industry is in part because of their quality circles. Despite the West's interest in most Japanese business practices, quality circles have been difficult to transplant. This may be a result of misconceptions about their nature and the erroneous idea that workers' motivation is sociocultural, whereas in fact it is primarily economic. (JOW)