The body of literature has pointed to the benefits of educational interventions in facilitating improvement in school motivation and, by implication, learning and achievement. However, it is now recognized that most extant motivation and learning enhancing intervention programs are grounded in Western motivational and learning perspectives, such as attribution, expectancy-value, implicit theories of intelligence, self-determination, and self-regulated learning theories. Further, empirical evidence for the positive impacts of these interventions seems to have primarily emerged from North American settings. The cross-cultural transferability and translatability of such educational interventions, however, are often assumed rather than critically assessed and adapted before their implementation in other cultures. In this volume, the editors invited scholars to re-assess their intervention work from a sociocultural lens. Regardless of the different theoretical perspectives and strategies they adopt in their interventions, these scholars are in unison on the importance of taking into account sociodemographic backgrounds of the students and sociocultural contexts of the interventions to optimize the benefits of such interventions. Indeed, placing culture at the heart of designing, implementing, and evaluating educational interventions could be a key not only to strengthen the effectiveness and efficacy of educational interventions, but also to ensure that students of a wider and more diverse range of educational and cultural backgrounds reap the benefits from such interventions. This volume constitutes the foundation towards a deeper and more systematic understanding of culturally relevant and responsive educational interventions.

The body of literature has pointed to the benefits of educational interventions in facilitating improvement in school motivation and, by implication, learning and achievement. However, it is now recognized that most extant motivation and learning enhancing intervention programs are grounded in Western motivational and learning perspectives, such as attribution, expectancy-value, implicit theories of intelligence, self-determination, and self-regulated learning theories. Further, empirical evidence for the positive impacts of these interventions seems to have primarily emerged from North American settings. The cross-cultural transferability and translatability of such educational interventions, however, are often assumed rather than critically assessed and adapted before their implementation in other cultures. In this volume, the editors invited scholars to re-assess their intervention work from a sociocultural lens. Regardless of the different theoretical perspectives and strategies they adopt in their interventions, these scholars are in unison on the importance of taking into account sociodemographic backgrounds of the students and sociocultural contexts of the interventions to optimize the benefits of such interventions. Indeed, placing culture at the heart of designing, implementing, and evaluating educational interventions could be a key not only to strengthen the effectiveness and efficacy of educational interventions, but also to ensure that students of a wider and more diverse range of educational and cultural backgrounds reap the benefits from such interventions. This volume constitutes the foundation towards a deeper and more systematic understanding of culturally relevant and responsive educational interventions.

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.

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.

The volume 3 of this series is designed to present educators with current research and emerging issues in teaching, learning and motivation in a multicultural context. The book is separated into four sections. In the introduction section we have outlined some of the current issues and recent thoughts about the nature of learning, teaching, and school reforms from a multicultural perspective.

This volume provides a platform for discussing theoretical and methodological developments in the field of motivation research related to learning and instruction. It highlights how motivation research is reaching out beyond its own traditional domain of study.

Helping teachers understand and apply theory and research is one of the most challenging tasks of teacher preparation and professional development. As they learn about motivation and engagement, teachers need conceptually rich, yet easy-to-use, frameworks. At the same time, teachers must understand that student engagement is not separate from development, instructional decision-making, classroom management, student relationships, and assessment. This volume on teaching teachers about motivation addresses these challenges. The authors share multiple approaches and frameworks to cut through the growing complexity and variety of motivational theories, and tie theory and research to real-world experiences that teachers are likely to encounter in their courses and classroom experiences. Additionally, each chapter is summarized with key “take away” practices. A shared perspective across all the chapters in this volume on teaching teachers about motivation is “walking the talk.” In every chapter, readers will be provided with rich examples of how research on and principles of classroom motivation can be re-conceptualized through a variety of college teaching strategies. Teachers and future teachers learning about motivation need to experience explicit modeling, practice, and constructive feedback in their college courses and professional development in order to incorporate those into their own practice. In addition, a core assumption throughout this volume is the importance of understanding the situated nature of motivation, and avoiding a “one-size-fits” all approach in the classroom. Teachers need to fully interrogate their instructional practices not only in terms of motivational principles, but also for their cultural relevance, equity, and developmental appropriateness. Just like P-12 students, college students bring their histories as learners and beliefs about motivation to their formal study of motivation. That is why college instructors teaching motivation must begin by helping students evaluate their personal beliefs and experiences. Relatedly, college instructors need to know their students and model differentiating their interactions to support each of them. The authors in this volume have, collectively, decades of experience teaching at the college level and conducting research in motivation, and provide readers with a variety of strategies to help teachers and future teachers explore how motivation is supported and undermined. In each chapter in this volume, readers will learn how college instructors can demonstrate what effective, motivationally supportive classrooms look, sound, and feel like.