Complexity Theory (CT) provides a useful framework for understanding Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Using an ecological model, CT studies the dynamic processes of change and emergent outcomes over time, tracing back how trajectories may have been affected by changes in and interactions among multiple variables and subsystems. Language learners…

Language classrooms are complex systems, but theory often simplifies these processes making researching effectiveness difficult. Assemblage theory -- a theory of complexity in the social sciences -- allows us to examine complexity in the language classroom. In this paper, I present an account of the language classroom that captures the complexity,…

An extensive number of studies acknowledge the transformed nature of literacies by building on the complexity of multimodal semiotic repertoires and available digital resources (Reinhardt & Thorne, 2019; Toffoli, 2020). The exposure to such resources and tools makes digital literacies dynamic as environments provide students with opportunities…

The paper describes a project designed to develop and implement a computer based system to be utilized in the design and analysis of vocabulary-controlled dictation material. The system is based on the use of the 1,500 most frequently used words in business communications (as established by Mellinger), and words are coordinated with the theory…

Although both the products and processes of technology have provided many means for better and faster learning at a lower cost, technology has not been implemented enough in elementary and secondary schools to make a difference in overall productivity. This is due to a basic contradiction between the organizational structure of today's schools and…

This paper examines the relationship between a major instructional feature of the college course, the textbook, and computer based instructional technology. The strategy suggests that the textbook, along with the instructor, assumes the major teaching responsibility and that the computer is used in a supportive role involving information summary,…

Research that identifies factors that facilitate information processing and enhance performance without reducing group confidence and decision satisfaction may influence future development of groupwork systems. This paper contains a review of the literature on cognitive and motivational issues in both group decision-making and learning contexts…

With the introduction of computers into education, learning is becoming a student-centered process actively directed by the students themselves, rather than a teacher-centered process in which students receive information passively. This situation requires a substantial reassessment of concepts of curriculum and courseware development. This…

A review was made of current practices, problems, and related efforts to improve public education. It showed that teachers have been asked to perform an impossible instructional task, and to improve public education a systematic study of the important relevant variables must be initiated. These findings need to be implemented in systematic…

The present research addresses the issues of whether there exist certain cognitive skills that facilitate transfer, and whether such skills are themselves transferable across domains. Of primary concern is the instructability of such skills. The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation Project (STACI) is a two-year research project testing the…

This paper describes the computer education programs for teachers that have been implemented by the Singapore Institute for Education. After examination of computer education programs in advanced countries, it was determined that the program in Singapore should include the following features: applications-based learning across the curriculum;…

A student testing system was developed consisting of computer generated and scored equivalent but unique repeatable tests based on performance objectives for undergraduate chemistry classes. The evaluation part of the computer system, made up of four separate programs written in FORTRAN IV, generates tests containing varying numbers of multiple…

Discussion of the view of education as a process of development, rather than as knowledge acquisition, focuses on the use of computers and other new information technologies (NITs) in primary schools. This is a paper from a 1987 working conference sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). (16 references)…

Does educational technology work? Does its application in classrooms help children learn? Can teachers improve their own understanding and practice through technology? The answer is yes; however in a period of widespread concern about educational quality, teachers, parents, policymakers, and taxpayers deserve answers that go beyond fervent beliefs…

This document describes the systematic approach used at Philips High School (PHS) in Birmingham, Alabama, to collect, store, and use various diagnostic tools when assisting special population enrollees with choices influencing their educational/occupational goals. It explains how the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) is used in combination with…