Grantees undertaking such projects are encouraged to express freely their professional judgement. This report, therefore, does not necessarily represent positions or policies of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred. ii Note to Readers... All papers that are commissioned by The National Research Center on the Gifted

and Learning is to monitor developments in learning theory and research. This chapter discusses the changes in learning and motivation theory that have influenced the field since the beginning of the series.

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ive Theory, Bandura (1986) wrote that individuals possess beliefs that enable them to exercise a measure of control over their thoughts, feelings, and actions, that "what people think, believe, and feel affects how they behave" (p. 25). These beliefs comprise a self system with symbolizing, forethinking, vicarious, self-regulatory, and self-reflective capabilities, and human behavior is the result of the interplay between this personal system and external sources of influence. In all, Bandura painted a portrait of human behavior and motivation in which the beliefs that people have about themselves are key elements. Social Cognitive Theory and Self-efficacy Bandura (1986) argued that self-referent thought mediates between knowledge and action and that the capability to self-reflect is the most distinctively human characteristic, for it permits individuals to evaluate their own experiences and thought processes. Through reflection and selfevaluation, individuals can alter their

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Recent scholars have dismissed the utility of self-esteem as well as programs designed to improve it. The authors challenge these contentions on conceptual, methodological, and empirical grounds. They begin by proposing that the scope of recent analyses has been overly narrow and should be broadened to include specific as well as global self-views. Using this conceptualization, the authors place recent critiques in historical context, recalling that similarly skeptical commentaries on global attitudes and traits inspired theorizing and empirical research that subsequently restored faith in the value of both constructs. Specifically, they point to 3 strategies for attaining more optimistic assessments of the predictive validity of selfviews: recognizing the utility of incorporating additional variables in predictive schemes, matching the specificity of predictors and criteria, and using theoretically informed standards for evaluating predictor–criterion relationships. The authors conclude that self-views do matter and that it is worthwhile and important to develop and implement theoretically informed programs to improve them.

Complex dynamic control tasks (CDC tasks) are a type of problem-solving environment used for examining many cognitive activities (e.g., attention, control, decision making, hypothesis testing, implicit learning, memory, monitoring, planning, and problem solving). Because of their popularity, there have been many findings from diverse domains of research (Economics, Engineering, Ergonomics, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Management, Psychology), which remain largely disconnected from each other. The objective of this article is to review theoretical developments and empirical work on CDC tasks, and to introduce a novel framework (Monitoring and Control framework) as a tool for integrating theory and findings. The main thesis of the Monitoring and Control framework is that CDC tasks are characteristically uncertain environments, and subjective judgments of uncertainty guide the way in which monitoring and control behaviors attempt to reduce it. The article concludes by discussing new insights into continuing debates and future directions for research on CDC tasks.

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This paper considers the development of the whole person from the perspective of developing capacities in eight domains: (1) cognition/thinking, (2) affect/emotion, (3) conation/volition (or self-regulation), (4) physical/bodily-kinesthetic, (5) social/interpersonal; (6) spiritual/ transpersonal, (7) moral character, and (8) temperament, personality, and self-views. Basic research is considered as well as how interested adults, especially educators, can facilitate development in these areas. Parents, educators, and concerned citizens around the world are asking questions about how best to prepare children and youth for successful adulthood in the twenty-first century. The question takes on added importance because humanity is immersed in a social and cultural environment that is changing at an accelerating rate (Kurzwiel, 2001). Simultaneously, there is exponential growth in an understanding of human capacities and the potential for human development (Damon, 2004). Though every human society has dealt with issues of preparing children and youth for adulthood, the potential benefits have never been greater for providing the proper learning experiences so that young people may flourish as adults. While it is acknowledged that schools are not the only social institutions responsible for the education of children and youth (Huitt, 2009), schools are where most will engage in formal, systematic learning experiences rather than the informal and sometimes conflicting learning experiences provided by the home, community, and larger society (Wikeley, Bullock, Muschamp, & Ridge, 2007). Focusing on schools as a means for preparing young people for adulthood is one of the hallmarks of developed countries (The National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983). On the other hand, when positive connections are made between home, school, and community, the impact can be even more powerful (Epstein, &

This paper considers the development of the whole person from the perspective of developing capacities in eight domains: (1) cognition/thinking, (2) affect/emotion, (3) conation/volition (or self-regulation), (4) physical/bodily-kinesthetic, (5) social/interpersonal; (6) spiritual/ transpersonal, (7) moral character, and (8) temperament, personality, and self-views. Basic research is considered as well as how interested adults, especially educators, can facilitate development in these areas. Parents, educators, and concerned citizens around the world are asking questions about how best to prepare children and youth for successful adulthood in the twenty-first century. The question takes on added importance because humanity is immersed in a social and cultural environment that is changing at an accelerating rate (Kurzwiel, 2001). Simultaneously, there is exponential growth in an understanding of human capacities and the potential for human development (Damon, 2004). Though every human society has dealt with issues of preparing children and youth for adulthood, the potential benefits have never been greater for providing the proper learning experiences so that young people may flourish as adults. While it is acknowledged that schools are not the only social institutions responsible for