Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore the importance of individual learner differences and the effect differentiated instruction (DI) has on learners' levels of engagement. Design/methodology/approach: The author carried out this research using a small-scale action research (AR) study. Findings: The findings suggest that in acknowledging…

When students are first learning to program, they not only have to learn to write programs, but also how to trace them. Code tracing involves stepping through a program step-by-step, which helps to predict the output of the program and identify bugs. Students routinely struggle with this activity, as evidenced by prior work and our own experiences…

This study aimed to examine the impact of an online writing system (OWS) providing individualized corrective feedback (CF) on learners' self-correction of grammatical errors (GE). It consisted of two phases: the pilot and the formal phases. Four EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Taiwanese university students participated in the study at the…

The focus of this article is on the design and administration of an online computerized dynamic assessment of an important area of pragmatics: implicature comprehension (i.e., indirect meaning). The assessment centered on indirect acceptances, refusals, and opinions. Drawing on Vygotskian psychology, this assessment had a dual aim: (a) to evaluate…

Students with special educational needs have largely been marginalised from regular schools. As the 1900s drew to a close, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act put an end to child segregation from regular schools as an attempt to prevailing equity amongst students and promoting individual differences. Accordingly, disabled students…

Being adaptive to the individual novice teacher is considered a condition for effective teacher mentoring. The aims of this study are therefore to explore (1) mentoring activities through which mentors intend to adapt to the individual novice teacher and (2) characteristics of adaptive mentors. Information was collected through on-site,…

Basic information for regular classroom teachers with students who are both gifted and learning disabled covers definition of this population; incidence; characteristics; and six teaching strategies, such as flexibility in how student demonstrates mastery of material, adapting for reading differences, and using attention-directing techniques. A…

This volume is the first in a series (developed in response to a needs assessment survey of special educators in Alberta, Canada) providing practical suggestions about instructional strategies, classroom management, preparing individual program plans, and understanding special needs. Book 1 highlights strategies for differentiating instruction…

The views of biology department heads concerning the state of the art in program development were surveyed. A random sample of 132 biology department heads in state-supported colleges and universities responded to questions focusing on program development and curriculum aspects. The responses were compared to those of English, history, and…