STEPHEN M. TONKS, Ph.D

RESEARCH:

My research interests focus on motivation and culture, and on ways to increase students’ motivation in the classroom. I also have strong interests in Japanese schooling and culture and in reading motivation. In my research, I strive to be open to the uniqueness of ethnicities and cultures, including individuals within these groups, such that existing theories of motivation may need to be tailored to groups and individuals in order to be effectively applied.

I am currently working on a study of perceived autonomy and academic motivation in Japanese elementary school students. Previously, I worked for six years on an intervention project called Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction that aims to increase reading engagement and motivation and thereby reading achievement in elementary school students.

EDUCATION:

• Ph.D., Human Development and Educational Psychology, University of Maryland
• B.A., Psychology and German, University of Michigan

COURSES:

• Issues in Human Development in the Elementary Through High School Years, EPS 405, Northern Illinois University (Spring 2007 Syllabus)
• Psychological Foundations of Education, EPS 501, Northern Illinois University
• Cognition and Motivation in Reading: Reading in the Content Areas (EDHD 426, University of Maryland)
• Human Development and Societal Institutions (EDHD 230, University of Maryland)

Full CV

Contact Information:
Stephen M. Tonks
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology & Foundations
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-5429
stonks@niu.edu

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Page updated Jan, 2007
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