While the concept of objectives is widely used in many applied fields of instruction, the systematic derivation and application of objectives for learning and instruction is a key feature of systematic instructional design. However, the treatment of objectives and the terminology surrounding them is sometimes nebulously employed. This article…

Classification is the taxonomic science in which a system of categories is established and in which the categories have some logical structure. Scientific classifications have included those by Aristotle, Linnaeus, and Lavoisier. Educational taxonomies include those developed by Bloom, Herbart, Dewey, and Piaget. The problems of taxonomy…

Proposes an expanded definition of critical thinking and discusses its components. Includes an outline of goals and objectives for a critical thinking curriculum. (MCG)

Views difficulties in determining educational objectives for the 1980s with specificity and precision. A major problem is that educators must formulate objectives more carefully now that education is so strongly influenced by the management-by-objectives movement. Topics discussed include theories of educational objectives, the relationship of…

The history of case-making for foreign language (FL) study in high schools and colleges in the United States is surveyed. The cognitive development case, which historically adhered to a faculty theory of psychology, emphasized the applicability of FL study as mental discipline. Though this notion has been in decline, educators are now looking…

The document presents exercises, documentation, and summaries from the second assessment of music by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Objectives were to test 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students' ability to value music as an important realm of human experience, to identify the elements and expressive controls of music, and to…

Six essays on technical measurement problems in criterion referenced tests and four essays by psychometricians proposing solutions are presented: (1) "Criterion-Referenced Measurement" and Other Such Terms, by Marvin C. Alkin which is an overview of the first six papers; (2) Selecting Objectives and Generating Test Items for Objectives-Based…

This three-part report discusses the concept of intelligence and its importance for educators. Part 1 considers the basic question of what intelligence is. Part 2 discusses the implications of notions of intelligence for schooling, dealing with both the training of content knowledge and the training of intellectual skills. Each of these first two…

Before the cognitive shift in educational psychology, research on teaching practices that brought about desired student outcomes were dominated by the process-product research program, a confirmative approach in which researchers attempt to discover relationships between teaching behaviors (the process) and learning outcomes of students (the…

Originally general education was a reaction against over-specialization and academic compartmentalization arising from the specialized degree structure--a reaction which stressed the need for a common experience for all students and emphasized the heritage of Western civilization. Early authors on the topic sought to define general education and…

The two essays in this report were presented at a colloquium on behavior variables related to citizenship education. The first essay, "Political Socialization and Citizen Competencies," by Byron G. Massialas, reviews behavioral science research as related to citizenship education and identifies the most significant findings in the field.…

The document consists of three articles by European educational experts on recent trends in secondary education within the member nations of Europe's Council for Cultural Co-operation. The first article, "Interdisciplinarity in Secondary Education," focuses on the tendencies to underestimate the complex managerial side of…