Forty college students in a first-year biology course were randomly assigned to a learning journal (experimental) or scientific report (control) group. Results showed that the experimental group used more metacognitive strategies and more sophisticated cognitive strategies during a learning task. (SLD)

Study compared the effectiveness of mental imagery (MI) and visual illustrations (VI) on learning a specific subject. College students received either text alone or text plus VI and/or MI. MI was important for learning and information processing and VI for achievement on multiple-choice and drawing recall tests. (SM)

The strategies of four men with mild mental retardation when performing calendar calculations were investigated. Results suggested that subjects were aware of calendar rules and regularities, including knowledge of the 14 different calendar templates. Their strategies were rigidly applied and relied heavily on memory, with little manipulation of…

This study investigated taxonomic clustering and use of frequency associations as features in the semantic memory of children (n=30 in grades two and six) with learning disabilities (LD). Results suggested that, when individual child-generated word lists (i.e., meaningful) are used, children with LD may not be impaired in their ability to utilize…

Two experiments using a script for learning concrete procedures examined cooperative learning, effects of learning about equipment in advance, and retention of information over six weeks. Results from 114 undergraduates support positive effects of cooperative learning and a script incorporating simultaneous use of planning, performance, and…

Defines the concept of autonomous learning. Presents the Strategies Program for Effective Learning/Thinking (SPELT), including its underlying assumptions, instructional model, teacher training procedures, research findings, and anticipated future development. Research results include implications for learning-disabled and gifted students. (KS)

Used data from infants in operant head-turning procedure to examine effects of structure and redundancy of speech context on discovery of two target syllables. Clustering strategy, which presupposes basic element of perception and aggregates these elements to form units, may complement bracketing strategy, which presupposes endpoint cues and…

In response to Derry (EC 233 120), this article considers implications of learning strategy instruction for teachers of special education populations. The paper identifies relatively easy- and relatively difficult-to-train cognitive strategies, and reviews research on mnemonic instruction (complex mnemonic instruction, group-generated mnemonic…

Reports on a study of first-year college students who received instruction in metacognitive awareness for reading and writing. Describes metacognitive teaching strategies such as use of reflective journals or "reading logs," in which students recorded their thought processes as they read text and wrote papers. States that analyses of logs…

Examines the computational strategies of 10 young street vendors in Beirut by describing, comparing, and analyzing computational strategies used in solving three types of problems: (1) transactions in the workplace; (2) word problems; and (3) computation exercises in a school-like setting. Indicates that vendors' use of semantically-based mental…

Illustrates "hard" and "soft" theoretical constraints of cognitive structures and examines ways in which the learning mechanism feature of the Soar architecture places hard constraints on all models that use the feature. The relationship between architecture and model in terms of the degree to which a model is compliant with constraints set by the…

Argues that Dewey's views on dualisms expressed in "The Child and the Curriculum" show signs of influence from Hegel's work on dialectic, and examines whether Dewey's method of resolution is applicable to all disputes. Analyzes Dewey's use of the analogy of an explorer and a map to illustrate the relation between the psychological and…

Analyzes two classroom episodes using a classroom mathematical practice together with students' diverse ways of contributing to its continual regeneration as the unit of analysis. Asserts that a classroom mathematical practice is composed of three interrelated types of norms: a normative purpose, normative standards of argumentation, and normative…

Describes the success, the methods (mental, informal written, standard algorithm) and the strategies of informal written arithmetic to be observed when 300 elementary students worked on six addition and six subtraction problems with three-digit numbers. (Author/MM)

Assesses two aspects of the validity of verbal reports in children's subtraction: reactivity and veridicality. Results reveal that students were able to able to provide veridical strategy reports, and that the instruction to verbally report had few effects on task performance. Informal findings indicate that students had less difficulty reporting…