Instructors are constantly baffled by the fact that two students who are sitting in the same class, who have access to the same materials, can come to understand a particular chemistry concept differently. Variation theory offers a theoretical framework from which to explore possible variations in experience and the resulting differences in…

Providing a comprehensive survey of cutting-edge work on second language learning, this "Handbook," written by a team of leading experts, surveys the nature of second language learning and its implications for teaching. Prominent theories and methods from linguistics, psycholinguistics, processing-based, and cognitive approaches are…

Executive function (EF) skills are the attention-regulation skills that make it possible to sustain attention, keep goals and information in mind, refrain from responding immediately, resist distraction, tolerate frustration, consider the consequences of different behaviors, reflect on past experiences, and plan for the future. As EF research…

This study investigates the relationships of domain-general cognitive abilities and domain-specific verbal and mathematical abilities to students' educational characteristics when two theoretically grounded, but competing structural models are applied. In the standard model, a single latent ability causes interindividual differences in the…

Researching the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability raises many issues for educational research. Indeed, Maynard (2002, 33) has recently argued that "difference is one of the most significant, yet unresolved, issues for feminist and social thinking at the beginning of the twentieth century". This paper reviews…

The first and founding conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction was held in Belgium from June 10-13, 1985. This article concentrates on highlights that suggest intersections between three of the six conference themes: problem-solving; cognition-motivation interaction; and individual differences. Conference…

This paper addresses the question of whether there are significant differences among students in five certification areas in their attitudes toward educational research and their achievement in educational research coursework. Seventy-nine students of five certification areas in five graduate sections of educational research taught by the same…

Presents results of a study using a switching regression model to correct for biases in assessing the gain in economic knowledge from high school economic courses. Explains that regressors used included geometry, civics, female, African-American, college, twelfth, and dummy variables. Reports substantial differences between students who elect…

Presents study results suggesting some malleability in learning strategies that flow from cognitive style. Examines the effects and practicability of restructuring training as a means of addressing individual learner differences. Reports that training enhanced performance on two dependent measures tasks. Concludes that field-dependent learners…

Related research suggests that children may show some simple understanding of event covariations by the early elementary school years. The present experiments use a rule analysis methodology to investigate covariation judgments of children in this age range. In Experiment 1, children in second, third and fourth grade judged covariations on 12…

Past research indicates poor agreement about strategies people use to assess covariation between events. This research investigates method of assessment as one possible source of this low consensus. A set of problems was developed in such a way that different judgment rules would produce different decisions about the relationships between events.…

Four strategies used in judgment patterns were explored. Problem sets in which each solution strategy produces a unique solution pattern are depicted. Several experiments had been conducted using rules in this way with subjects from grade 4 through college. Problems were set in the context of concrete events which could be related, and subjects…

Analyzes instructional theory requirements and suggests that structural learning theories meet these requirements. Essentials of such theories are illustrated in the context of designing an instructional unit on subtraction. Structural learning theories are then described more generally and contrasted with cognitive theories. Implications for…

Language syntax is discussed, followed by an overview of algbraic syntax. Evaluating algebraic expressions was chosen as the means to investigate the psychological basis of syntactic skills. Subjects' ability to perform evaluative tasks appropriately using standard algebraic notation was ascertained; then similar tasks were presented using a…

This report provides an overview of eight experiments on covariation judgment training. Included are a literature review, rationale, and description of the rule-analytic approach used in all experiments. Experiment 1 identified undergraduates' understandings of rule use, finding self-report a poor method for diagnosing sources of error. Experiment…