A central goal of the learning sciences is to discover principles that determine the optimal amount of instructional assistance to support robust learning (Koedinger & Aleven, 2007). We examined learning outcomes from providing and withholding stepwise instructional explanations as students studied worked examples and solved physics problems. We…

The articles in this Special Issue reflect the growing interest in applying laboratory-based research to educational settings. These articles highlight the contribution of metacognitive monitoring and self-regulation to effective learning and performance. At the same time, they illustrate the methodological and theoretical challenges involved in…

The focus of this special section is on the processes involved when solving information-based problems. Solving these problems requires from people that they are able to define the information problem, search and select usable and reliable sources and information and synthesise information into a coherent body of knowledge. An important aspect…

In collaborative learning the question has been raised as to how learners in small groups influence one another and converge or diverge with respect to knowledge. Knowledge convergence can be conceptualised as knowledge equivalence and as shared knowledge prior to, during, and subsequent to collaborative learning. Knowledge equivalence refers to…

The theoretical framework of conceptual change has gained growing influence for analysing learning difficulties. The article pleads for combining conceptual change approaches in the learning sciences with established categories from mathematics education research, such as "Grundvorstellungen" and epistemological obstacles. These didactic…

Highlights the important role of experiences in the social and cultural context, prior knowledge, and the emotional aspects of learning in relation to self-directed learning in life. Summarizes important aspects of process-oriented teaching in four principles, and discusses the challenges for teachers and schools in developing a process oriented…

Research on collaborative learning, both face-to-face and computer-supported, has thrived in the past 10 years. The studies range from outcome-oriented (individual and group learning) to process-oriented (impact of interaction on learning processes, motivation and organisation of collaboration) to mixed studies. Collaborative learning research is…

It is argued that learning and instruction could be conceptualized from a process-analytic perspective. Important questions from the field of learning and instruction are presented which can be answered using our approach of process analyses. A classification system of process concepts and methods is given. One main advantage of this kind of…

Explores links between the characterization of learning stemming from the phenomenographic research orientation and D. Schon's reflection-in-action. Makes the case that parallels between these points of view open up new ways of viewing Shon's work that facilitate theoretical development for the phenomenographic view of learning. (SLD)

Summarizes the teaching-learning theory of Piotr Gal'perin and discusses its use in classrooms. Gal'perin extended L. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development to include a teaching-learning model of the formation of mental actions that integrates the notions of mediation, activity, and internalization. (SLD)

Because animations can depict situational dynamics explicitly, they have the potential to help learners build coherent, high-quality mental models of complex change processes. Further, "interactive" animations provide opportunities for learners to deal with available information selectively and so avoid excessive processing demands. However, to be…

Outlines the beginnings of a teaching theory based on student learning processes, focusing on the regulation dimension of teaching and learning and the effects teaching and learning have on each other. Discusses congruence and friction between these regulatory modes of control. Contains 74 references. (SLD)

Reflects on the characteristics of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments and external representations and the research opportunities they offer to cognitive learning theory (CLT). Points out ways that CLT can contribute to understanding of CSCL by pinpointing situations in which high levels of cognitive load are generated.…

This introduction to the special issue shows how it brings together and integrates the most recent theoretical, empirical and practical developments in the field of interest and learning. (SLD)

Presents a cognitive theory of multimedia learning that draws on dual coding theory, cognitive load theory, and constructivist learning theory and derives some principles of instructional design for fostering multimedia learning. These include principles of multiple representation, contiguity, coherence, modality, and redundancy. (SLD)