Students’ school motivation and engagement are key contributors to the quality of their academic learning and performance, as well as growth in other important areas of life (social, emotional, and physical health). Fostering motivation and engagement is thus a meaningful educational purpose, both in and of itself and as a pathway to holistic student development. However, motivation and engagement do not develop in a vacuum, and effort seeking to facilitate them cannot be effectively pursued without understanding their underpinning sociocultural influences. In the first edition of this volume, “Big Theories Revisited” (McInerney & Van Etten, 2004), authors of major models of school motivation and engagement were ‘challenged’ to look into their theoretical work through a sociocultural lens. The volume has been well received as objectively reflected in the number of citations of its chapters. Significant progress has since been made in the theorizing and research of ‘big theories’ of school motivation and engagement. In this volume, we invited a group of internationally-renowned scholars to re-examine their theoretical and conceptual work by highlighting the ‘what’ (factors) and ‘how’ (processes) of sociocultural influences in association with the key motivation and/or engagement construct(s) of their expertise. We made it clear to our contributors that we solicited new chapters rather than chapters with merely rehashed materials. As a result, this volume, “Big Theories Revisited 2” (Liem & McInerney, 2018) contains chapters that critically discuss sociocultural influences on school motivation and engagement constructs as viewed from focal theories including self-determination theory, achievement goal theory, personal investment theory, expectancy value theory, self-efficacy theory, self- and co-regulated learning models, and many others. Whereas some of the chapter topics covered in the initial edition are also part of this edition, some are new and provide fresh sociocultural angles on achievement-relevant processes and outcomes. Likewise, whereas some of the authors contributed to the earlier edition of the Volume, many of them are different. What appears to be the same across the two editions is the scholarly distinction of the authors and the substantive rigor of the chapters in advancing our current understanding of this field of enquiry. Readers will learn much from and be inspired by stimulating ideas presented in this volume.

The aim of this book series is to provide a much needed outlet for the wealth of cross-cultural research that has not impacted upon mainstream education. This particular volume is divided into four parts: the motivation context; the learning context; the family context; and the curriculum context.

Illuminating Social Life has enjoyed increasing popularity with each edition. It is the only book designed for undergraduate teaching that shows today's students how classical and contemporary social theories can be used to shed new light on such topics as the internet, the world of work, fast food restaurants, shopping malls, alcohol use, body building, sales and service, and new religious movements.A perfect complement for the sociological theory course, it offers 13 original essays by leading scholars in the field who are also experienced undergraduate theory teachers. Substantial introductions by the editor link the applied essays to a complete review of the classical and modern social theories used in the book.

The internet has fundamentally transformed society in the past 25 years, yet existing theories of mass or interpersonal communication do not work well in understanding a digital world. Nor has this understanding been helped by disciplinary specialization and a continual focus on the latest innovations. Ralph Schroeder takes a longer-term view, synthesizing perspectives and findings from various social science disciplines in four countries: the United States, Sweden, India and China. His comparison highlights, among other observations, that smartphones are in many respects more important than PC-based internet uses. Social Theory after the Internet focuses on everyday uses and effects of the internet, including information seeking and big data, and explains how the internet has gone beyond traditional media in, for example, enabling Donald Trump and Narendra Modi to come to power. Schroeder puts forward a sophisticated theory of the role of the internet, and how both technological and social forces shape its significance. He provides a sweeping and penetrating study, theoretically ambitious and at the same time always empirically grounded.The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of digital media and society, the internet and politics, and the social implications of big data.

This collection of 58 articles from the recently-published third edition of the INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EDUCATION focus on learning, memory, attention, problem solving, concept formation, and language. Learning and cognition is the foundation of cognitive psychology and encompasses many topics including attention, memory, categorization, etc. Most books in the area either focus on one subtopic in-depth (e.g. an entire book on memory) or cover the gamut of subjects in a series of long, technical handbook-like chapters. This concise reference offers researchers and professors teaching in the area a new take on the material that is comprehensive in breadth, but lighter in depth - focusing on main findings, established facts, and minimizing the amount of space taken up by large, multi-volume references. - An introduction to a complex field via summaries of main topics in this discipline - Contains contributions from the foremost international researchers in the field - Makes content available to individual cognitive psychology researchers

Since the early-modern encounter between African and European merchants on the Guinea Coast, European social critics have invoked African gods as metaphors for misplaced value and agency, using the term “fetishism” chiefly to assert the irrationality of their fellow Europeans. Yet, as J. Lorand Matory demonstrates in The Fetish Revisited, Afro-Atlantic gods have a materially embodied social logic of their own, which is no less rational than the social theories of Marx and Freud. Drawing on thirty-six years of fieldwork in Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Matory casts an Afro-Atlantic eye on European theory to show how Marx’s and Freud’s conceptions of the fetish both illuminate and misrepresent Africa’s human-made gods. Through this analysis, the priests, practices, and spirited things of four major Afro-Atlantic religions simultaneously call attention to the culture-specific, materially conditioned, physically embodied, and indeed fetishistic nature of Marx’s and Freud’s theories themselves. Challenging long-held assumptions about the nature of gods and theories, Matory offers a novel perspective on the social roots of these tandem African and European understandings of collective action, while illuminating the relationship of European social theory to the racism suffered by Africans and assimilated Jews alike.

Cultivating motivation is crucial to a language learner's success - and therefore crucial for the language teacher and researcher to understand. This fully revised edition of a groundbreaking work reflects the dramatic changes the field of motivation research has undergone in recent years, including the impact of language globalisation and various dynamic and relational research methodologies, and offers ways in which this research can be put to practical use in the classroom and in research. Key new features and material: · A brand new chapter on current socio-dynamic and complex systems perspectives · New approaches to motivating students based on the L2 Motivational Self System · Illustrative summaries of qualitative and mixed methods studies · Samples of new self-related motivation measures Providing a clear and comprehensive theory-driven account of motivation, Teaching and Researching Motivation examines how theoretical insights can be used in everyday teaching practice, and offers practical tips. The final section provides a range of useful resources, including relevant websites, key reference works and tried and tested example questionnaires. Written in an accessible style and illustrated with concrete examples, it is an invaluable resource for teachers and researchers alike.

In an age where the quality of teacher education programs has never been more important, educators need a fundamental understanding of human growth, development, and change at different ages and stages across the life span. The present volume draws upon the latest research to help teacher preparation instructors select and convey essential content on human development. Such efforts serve to prepare education professionals to work with infants, children, adolescents, and adults across diverse educational settings. The chapters included in this volume summarize empirical research that supports the teaching of human development as it applies to PreK-12 and postsecondary settings, describe instructional practices used in college courses that are effective for teaching teachers-in-training about human development, and provide a systematic discussion of issues that influence the teaching of human development theories, research, and classroom applications. The contributing authors are accomplished educational and developmental psychologists that have years of experience in teacher preparation. Their respective chapters provide insights into the challenges that teachers-in-training confront in learning about human growth and development and how novice teachers can apply knowledge of human development in their professional practice.

This is a practical guide to motivating younger and older learners. It looks at why some students are easier to motivate than others, and why students lose motivation as they become older. McInerney outlines strategies teachers can use in the classroom, taking into account the needs of students from different backgrounds. The book is richly illustrated with vignettes and case studies, and includes questions and exercises to help teachers apply the suggested approaches in their own situations.