This book provides a fresh look at the question of learner motivation and engagement, beginning with an investigation of potential motivations not to learn, the better to help instructors find more successful ways to engage learners in any given situation. After examining various kinds of resistance to learning, the book goes on to describe effective ways of overcoming resistance and engaging learners.Grounded in the literature of many fields, such as Adult Education, Psychology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, and Communication (as well as the author’s own decades of experience), the book connects the concepts surrounding learning resistance directly to engagement and human motivation, drawing these ideas together to make the case for practicing motivational immediacy in all learning spaces. The second section of the book focuses on the various tools effective teachers might use to mitigate learner resistance and foster authentic and lasting engagement. The author devotes a chapter to using curriculum and Instructional Systems Design (ISD) processes to effectively foster engaged learning in different learning spaces and contexts. Two chapters are devoted to applying the theory and methods to specific domains: online learning environments, and face-to-face classrooms with both undergraduate and graduate students. The last section includes a chapter that provides a potential method to measure effectual learning in the classroom, and one that addresses the ethical issues sometimes said to exist in efforts to mitigate learner resistance and foster engagement in its place. The final chapter draws the book to a close by presenting a fluid whole that will greatly improve understanding of the ideas as well as the methods best used to reduce learning resistance, increase learner engagement, and facilitate motivational immediacy and effectual learning.

Learners are always motivated; they just may not be motivated to learn the things you are wanting them to learn. Motivational Immediacy refers to the moment-by-moment motivation of learners during a learning event. This is in contrast to typical global views of motivation, and while casting a much heavier burden on the instructor, brings with it more deep, meaningful, and permanent learning. Motivational Immediacy in the Workplace focuses not only on fostering learner engagement with a primary emphasis on the role of the instructor, but also addresses the work and concerns of curriculum writers and training directors. The author defines Motivational Immediacy as both a phenomenon and a practice and provides concrete steps for practical action. Motivational Immediacy, as a construct, refers to a moment-by-moment feeling of motivation on the part of the learner to engage in the learning opportunity directly at hand. As a practice, it is the instructor’s process of working to stay connected with individual learners and foster engagement consistently at every moment of the teaching activity. The author addresses this idea from a learner-centered orientation, making the case that understanding and empathizing with the learner’s perceptions is the most effective way to promote efficient, meaningful learning. The book will provide a comprehensive conceptualization of learning engagement and learning resistance. It begins with a substantial theoretical framework and then shifts to direct applications to practice in the workplace. Motivational Immediacy is multidisciplinary and draws from fields such as Adult Education, Workplace and Training Development, Psychology, Educational Psychology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, and Communications.

This volume covers topics including: translation issues in cross-cultural research; African American teachers for African American students; the social mediation of metacognition; and cross-cultural similarities and differences in affective meaning of achievement.

The Handbook of Instructional Communication offers a comprehensive collection of theory and research focusing on the role and effects of communication in instructional environments. Now in its Second Edition, the handbook covers an up-to-date array of topics that includes social identity, technology, and civility and dissent. This volume demonstrates how to understand, plan, and conduct instructional communication research as well as consult with scholars across the communication discipline. Designed to address the challenges facing educators in traditional and nontraditional settings, this edition features a wealth of in-text resources, including directions for future research, suggested readings, and surveys for instructional assessment.

Distance Learning is for leaders, practitioners, and decision makers in the fields of distance learning, e-learning, telecommunications, and related areas. It is a professional journal with applicable information for those involved with providing instruction to all kinds of learners, of all ages, using telecommunications technologies of all types. Stories are written by practitioners for practitioners with the intent of providing usable information and ideas. Articles are accepted from authors--new and experienced--with interesting and important information about the effective practice of distance teaching and learning. This special issue of Distance Learning consists of several Ends and Means articles that I have written or coauthored and that I have organized using the three major elements of the community of inquiry (CoI) framework. The last section has articles written by other authors who incorporated CoI.

In recent years, the traditional way of teaching has been substituted by online teaching. Teachers have had to think about efficient and effective teaching methods and activities in online delivery that can keep students interested and engaged. It is important to examine teacher cognition and its relevance to classroom management and teaching practice as the role of technology in teaching and learning cannot be overestimated. The Handbook of Research on Teacher and Student Perspectives on the Digital Turn in Education examines the cognitions of teachers and students, their attitudes and perceptions regarding online teaching, and their personal experiences and challenges regarding the use of online platforms and digital tools. This book discusses the implementation of digital technologies in primary, secondary, and tertiary education that facilitates the learning and teaching process and creates a student-centered environment. Covering topics such as digital literacy, student engagement, and pedagogy, this reference work is an essential resource for practitioners, scholars, administrators, policymakers, researchers, academicians, instructors, and students.