A cognitive processing model was adopted by the task force developing the National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP) Learning Style Profile (LSP). The LSP contains 23 independent scales representing four higher order factors: cognitive skills; perceptual responses; study preferences; and instructional preferences. The subscales…

An irrelevant auditory probe procedure was employed to evoke brain event-related potentials (ERPs) in 56 right-handed Caucasian males while they learned concepts presented to them in study booklets. A mastery test was administered to assess concept acquisition. Subjects were divided into two groups according to whether or not their achievement…

Evidence from video tapes of experts thinking aloud and using analogies in scientific problem solving is presented. Four processes appear to be important in using an analogy: (1) generating the analogy; (2) establishing confidence in the validity of the analogy relation; (3) understanding the analogous case; and (4) applying findings to the…

This paper examines and critiques several learning style inventories (LSI) in an effort to find the optimal research instrument for a proposed empirical study of both the quality of courseware and the impact of courseware characteristics on variations of learning effectiveness due to learner characteristics. Five LSIs are examined: (1) Dunn LSI;…

This paper reviews self-efficacy research with special emphasis on students in school. Bandura's emphasis on domain-specific assessment is useful for understanding student learning and fits well with current research on instructional processes. A self-efficacy model of student learning is presented, comprising entry characteristics, self-efficacy…

As part of the Continuing Professional Education Development Project at Pennsylvania State University, the learning styles of 148 practicing professionals (accountants, architects, clinical dietitians, and nurses) were investigated. The study objectives were: (1) to describe their learning characteristics using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory…

The study investigates differences in learning styles as measured by the Learning Style Inventory (LSI), an instrument designed to identify sociological, emotional, environmental, and physiological factors that form an individual's learning style. The subjects for the study were a sample of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders in a midwestern…

Microcomputers have presented instructional designers with an ideal tool with which to deliver individualized instruction. With a few exceptions, however, the results of cognitive styles research do not provide sufficient conclusions upon which to make design decisions. Critically missing in many studies is an explication of the conceptual binding…

Reports two studies comparing responses of Filipino and Nepalese students to learning process questionnaires to those for Australian and Hong Kong students. Presents evidence for a similar structure of learning processes in each culture. Concludes that little evidence supports the contention that Asian learners are more prone to rote learning than…

Explores how research in learning styles can benefit from findings in cognitive psychology. Discusses difficulties of research on learning styles and two relevant findings in cognitive research: the influence of prior knowledge on learning and the potential value to learners of metacognitive awareness. Urges rigorous conceptual and empirical…

An interview study examined the assumptions about adult learning held by 28 educational policy-makers, researchers, and staff developers. Fifteen assumptions were inferred from the interview data, each forming a dimension that describes learning as experienced by the participants: (1) Adult learning experiences are envisioned as similar for all…

Discussion of variables that affect successful completion of external degree programs focuses on a study that investigated the association between learning style and persistence among students from the University of Wisconsin System Extended Degree Programs. Literature on distance education is reviewed, and results of the study are analyzed. (35…

Reviews current research on different learning styles and capabilities of experts and novices which may guide software design: memory, cognitive processing, and performance differences; automatization, and coping strategies. Procedures which may enhance expert and novice performance when built into software are outlined. (MBR)

Proposes an approach to school laboratory experiences which leads to gradual acquisition of inquiry skills based on the idea of advance organizers. Presents a design which is context familiar and can serve as an introduction to scientific inquiry. Discusses student achievement, and teacher and student attitudes. (CW)

The Luria-Das Information Processing Model of human learning holds that information is analysed and coded within the brain in either a simultaneous or a successive fashion. Simultaneous integration refers to the synthesis of separate elements into groups, often with spatial characteristics; successive integration means that information is…