From the pragmatists to the neo-Piagetians, development has been understood to involve cycles of perception and action--the internalization of interactions with the world and the construction of skills for acting in the world. From a neurobiological standpoint, new evidence suggests that neural activities related to action and perception converge…

This article responds to Evans' (2002) framework for a research agenda for teacher development. The term teacher learning is introduced as the process by which novice teachers move towards expertise, and a distinction is made between teacher knowing and teacher identity. Cognitivism currently dominates considerations of teacher learning, but there…

The cultural validity of a psychological or educational theory is a function of its sensitizing and heuristic power for a given task addressed by a given community. African universities have inherited from the West a number of institutionalized arrangements for learning that tend to decontextualize the learning process by extracting learners from…

Discusses six issues that were the focus of the Ad Hoc Committee's Policy Statement and relates them to conducting research in the domain of out-of-school science learning. Suggests avenues for research in this area. (KHR)

Argues that mathematical learning should be viewed as a process of active individual construction and a process of enculturation into the mathematical practices of wider society. It further argues that the sociocultural perspective theorizes the conditions for the possibility of learning, whereas constructivist perspectives focus on what students…

Argues that "empowering" as a philosophy of education must balance its commitments to personal growth and to society, recognizing that just as personal power is primary and prerequisite to synergy so personal growth is prerequisite to societal contribution. (SRT)

Critiques traditional philosophical approaches to cognition and reality and compares them with contemporary notions derived from them. A position based on work of Crozier, Cazeneuve, and MacLuhan is argued for the key place of culture in explicating the universe of signs and in content and methodology of second language instruction. (AMH)

This article uses a sociocultural perspective of teaching and learning to synthesize previous articles in the series and speculate on future inquiry in the field of learning disabilities. It provides a model showing the expanding sociocultural contexts that frame learning and teaching. (DB)

In a review of literature on second language learning, an opinion is put forth that certain assumptions underlying the theory and the research have influenced researchers' attitudes about second language development and diminished the objectivity of the research. Furthermore the content of the research must then be examined within its…

The first of two assumptions underlying the thesis of this paper is that, in the face of escalating costs, uneven demographics, faltering revenues, and a serious erosion of public confidence, United States higher education must become more productive. Universities and colleges of all types must produce demonstrably more education, research, and…

Presents theoretical background for building an early childhood curriculum based on the Educare approach. Five principles are explained. They emphasize that learning drives development and that social interaction, interpersonal relationships, mutual understanding, and culture are unique in developmental processes. Concludes that teachers can have…

Discussion of school effectiveness, achievement outcomes, and sociocultural influences focuses on a study of Nigerian high school students that was conducted to determine whether or not instruction based on a sociocultural model could significantly alter students' attitudes toward learning and achievement in science. (51 references) (LRW)

Though most definitions of literacy focus solely on the uses of reading and writing, a sociocognitive perspective that incorporates social practices, conceptions of reading and writing, and literacy as a way of thinking is more productive. Within this view, literacy is culturally based, involves the higher intellectual skills, and is learned by…