Examines two conflicting educational theories: constructivism and positivism. Constructivism sees human knowledge of the external environment as constructed and based upon the subjective observer, whereas positivism sees knowledge as fixed for scientific testing. Discusses their implications in the field of instructional development and recommends…

Constructivist theory argues that students construct knowledge for themselves and that each knows the world in a different way. The problem for education is how students can construct an "objectified" knowledge. Outlines an integrative framework for the description of information and problem-solving procedures and a problem-solving…

Describes different methods used to represent learning schemata with an emphasis on the clues for effective instruction that can be found in both the process of representing and the representation produced. It is argued that all representations offer direct or indirect suggestions for organizing instruction and student learning. (RP)

Outlines a path analytic interpretation of data collected in light of the theoretical formulation of a dynamic model of memory. An investigation of industrial trainees' capacity to differentiate various ferrous and nonferrous metals is described which emphasizes the role of relational, strategic, and empirical knowledge in cognitive skill…

Relationship between the social world and individual knowledge acquisition is explored. A general theory predicated on the assumption that social interaction is the driving force behind knowledge acquisition is postulated and then formulated as a model. A selection of results pertaining to social learning are presented. (Author/MBR)

Presents a detailed description of an instructional design model called ADAPT (Apply Delayed Automatization for Positive Transfer), which offers guidelines for the development of instructional systems that offer transfer of learned skills. The cognitive architecture is described, the process of skill acquisition is discussed, and two illustrative…

Describes two metacognitive tools, concept mapping and Vee diagraming, and reports on classroom research utilizing these tools in grade one through university instruction. Psychological and epistemological foundations of these tools are discussed, and student attitude changes after using these tools are reported. (64 references) (LRW)