Compared to skilled adult readers, children typically make more fixations that are longer in duration, shorter saccades, and more regressions, thus reading more slowly (Blythe & Joseph, 2011). Recent attempts to understand the reasons for these differences have discovered some similarities (e.g., children and adults target their saccades…

This article aims to provide an extensive review of web-based instruction (WBI), implemented within the realm of English language teaching (ELT). WBI is a teaching method that utilizes computer technology to promote learning experiences by leveraging the internet and web applications. It is suggested that educators carefully consider the related…

Navigation in a complex environment can rely on the use of different spatial strategies. We have focused on the employment of "allocentric" (i.e., encoding interrelationships among environmental cues, movements, and the location of the goal) and "sequential egocentric" (i.e., sequences of body turns associated with specific choice points)…

This article describes the research design of, and reports selected findings from, a scoping study aimed at examining current and planned applications of 3D immersive virtual worlds at higher education institutions across Australia and New Zealand. The scoping study is the first of its kind in the region, intended to parallel and complement a…

In a series of three experimental studies, the effectiveness of three-dimensional computer simulations to aid the understanding of chemical structures and their properties was investigated. Arguments for the usefulness of three-dimensional simulations were derived from Mayer's generative theory of multimedia learning. Simulations might lead to a…

This work explores the feasibility of proposing universal design guidelines for E-training modules considering aging differences as an important factor. A controlled experiment was designed and conducted to evaluate the effects of module design characteristics on information recall, satisfaction, disorientation, and task workload, and the…

Purpose: Applications of online Second Life (SL) prevail over the world. The purpose of this paper is to make a review and synthesis of recent research studies on SL. Design/methodology/approach: Documental analysis is employed. Totally, 135 research publications, published in 2006-2008, are reviewed and synthesized. Findings: Findings are as…

A theoretical integration of the storage and processing functions of working memory in language comprehension is presented. A computational theory is described in which storage and processing are fueled by activation. Capacity is expressed as the maximum amount of activation available in working memory for either storage or processing. (SLD)

This study used a desktop virtual environmental simulation of 18 large-scale residential environments to test effects of plan layout complexity, physical differentiation, and gender on acquired spatial knowledge. One hundred sixty people (95 males and 65 females) were assigned at random to the different conditions. After a learning phase,…