Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) have the potential to provide one-on-one, just-in-time instruction, guidance or mentoring in classrooms where such individualized human interactions may be infeasible. Much current APA research focuses on a wide range of design variables tested with small samples or in laboratory settings, while overlooking…

The "Handbook of Research Methods in Early Childhood Education" brings together in one source research techniques that researchers can use to collect data for studies that contribute to the knowledge in early childhood education. To conduct valid and reliable studies, researchers need to be knowledgeable about numerous research…

This study examined curriculum deliberation and decision-making in higher education through selected interviews with 11 university teachers in 11 different disciplines. All were full-time and tenure-track or already tenured. After completing individual interviews the participants gathered for a culminating discussion. Examination of the data found…

An investigation was undertaken in 1984 in 14 schools of librarianship and information studies (SLIS) in England and Wales. The extent to which information technology concepts have been incorporated into SLIS syllabuses was studied in conjunction with SLIS heads and by examination of curriculum statements. Six sources are given. (Author/EJS)

The effectiveness and use of the Science and Technology in Society (SATIS) materials in United Kingdom schools are summarized. Questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations were used to collect data from both students and teachers. (KR)

Although researchers in higher education propose alternatives to traditional approaches to assessment, traditional methods are commonly used in college or university science courses. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and validity of Prospective Science Teachers' (PSTs) concept maps as authentic assessment tools in a…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured/unstructured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters,…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured/unstructured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters,…

The majority of middle school teachers are prepared in either generalist elementary programs or subject-specific secondary programs, yet researchers and teacher educators have little understanding of the ways in which these divergent pathways prepare teachers for working at the middle school level. In this study, preservice teachers from an…

The study reported in this paper intended to trace what Chinese children think about life and identify their naive theories. Fifty-eight 5-year-old children in Taiwan from 39 kindergartens were interviewed using a semi-structured instrument. Results indicate that preschool children have preconceptions about the concept of life even before entering…

A study was done to broaden the understanding of how medical school programs can integrate the biomedical and psychosocial domains and to gather information for curriculum and program development and evaluation. The study used an exploratory, qualitative research approach and collected data through interviews with 22 expert medical faculty and…

Determined if there are certain propositions that physics students (N=31) share with respect to a topic, to what extent is a student's knowledge on a subject idiosyncratic, and if there are different groups of students whose members share distinctive sets of propositions. Results are reported and discussed. (DH)

Often too little attention is paid to the implementation of a new curriculum developed with considerable expenditure of both funds and energies. It is suggested that a greater fidelity of use would be achieved by a multilevel approach to implementation spanning several years. (JS)

Ways in which children think of 10 are considered first. Then a study with 14 second graders is reported; students were placed at three levels with respect to their addition and subtraction concepts. Findings are detailed, along with implications for instruction. (MNS)

This paper presents the thesis that pair problem-solving serves as an aid to students in developing their metacognitive skills. Metacognition has been defined as knowledge and cognition about cognitive objects and as any kind of monitoring. The ability to monitor one's thoughts and actions is greatly facilitated through the pair problem-solving…