Heather Ann Meyer

Understanding Motivation and Schooling: Where We've Been, Where We Are, and Where We Need to Go

This paper presents an interpretive summary of the progress that has been made in the study of motivation, especially as this work relates to the area of education. Motivation research has “come of age” with theoretical frameworks rooted in an established body of findings, and with the development of core methodologies for pursuing further knowledge. It has begun to provide a firm base for guiding educational practice. Current work is clearly in accord with mainstream psychology in that cognitive models of motivation are the predominant guides for research. Future work is likely to focus increasingly on how the meaning construction process affects engagement in tasks. Researchers should consider a wider array of research procedures and give greater attention to understanding motivation as it occurs in natural settings, especially as educational interventions are attempted. A serious deficiency in the motivation literature is that relatively little attention has been given to differences related to sociocultural backgrounds.

The Conceptualization of Violence-Prone School Subcontexts Is the Sum of the Parts Greater than the Whole?

This article raises concerns about how context is conceptualized and researched in many current school violence inquiries. For example, research has shown that specific school subcontexts (e.g., hallways, cafeterias, and bathrooms) tend to be violence prone. Yet students’ and teachers’ understanding of violence in these school subcontexts remains an underresearched topic. Current school violence research often has a singular focus on either subjective assessments of violence as a “problem” or on the frequency and severity of violent events in schools. This body of research does not offer in-depth conceptual explanations as to why certain school subcontexts are consistently more violence prone. In this article, we also raise concerns about the lack of a philosophical discussion surrounding the meaning of school violence to school professionals, students, and society.

Teachers’ reasoning about school violence: The role of gender and location

Abstract This inquiry uses a Cognitive Developmental Domain theory framework to examine how male and female teachers balance different moral and non-moral components when reasoning about hypothetical school fights. The potential impact of teachers’ attributions towards the gender of the intervening teacher and fighting students, and the location of the fight were examined. This investigation found that male middle school teachers expressed more conflict than female middle school teachers when reasoning about whether the gender of the intervening teacher or the fighting student impacted a teacher’s response. When asked to reason about a hypothetical fight, female middle school teachers were more conflicted than female elementary school teachers, particularly when the location of the fight was manipulated. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Monitoring and Mapping Student Victimization in Schools

International data suggests that the most successful violence prevention programs are adapted to fit a specific school site and involve all of the constituents in a school setting. In contrast to many of the popular skills-based programs that are commonly implemented in schools across the United States, the authors explore the utility of combining monitoring and mapping techniques to prevent specific forms of school violence and aggression in specific spaces and times in school. Examples of the successful implementation of monitoring and mapping techniques in schools are provided.

Child and parent perspectives on routes to and from school in high crime neighborhoods

Abstract This study examined childrens understanding of the danger and potential harm they face while traveling to and from school in two urban neighborhoods with high crime and violence rates. A qualitative methodology was used to explore how students negotiate danger or potential harm within the context of their routes to and from school.Structured interviews with three hundred seventy-seven second, fourth, sixth, and eighth graders (and 106 of their parents) were analyzed utilizing an inductive coding process (emergent themes). When students were asked to discuss the safety of their school routes, emergent themes included students fear/awareness of death, fear of violence/victimization, and fear of gangs. Students also mentioned getting driven to school and better monitoring as ways that their school routes could be made safer. Parents discussed similar fears and concerns as their children. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.