Motivation, Engagement and Educational Perfomance International Perspectives on the Contexts of Learning

Why is it that so many children in the US and England underperform academically in comparison with people in many other industrialized countries? Despite the ongoing search for effective teaching approaches, it would appear that for many children, motivation is the central issue. Arguing that current perspectives on motivation are too narrow, this book draws upon a major five year international study that has examined the impact of factors at the level of the child, the school, the family and wider society. In providing recommendations for policy and practice, this text sets a challenge to those who seek simplistic solutions to problems of student apathy and disaffection.

Julian G. Elliott is Professor of Education at the University of Durham. Neil R. Hufton has recently retired from his position as Principal Lecturer in Education at the University of Sunderland. Wayne Willis is Professor of Education at Morehead State University. Leonid Ilyushin is Head of the Department of Modernization of Education, Regional and International Cooperation in the Committee of Education in the St. Petersburg Government, and teaches at Hertzen State University and St Petersburg State University, Russia.