Learning objectives are intended to be used as tools for both instructors and students. Student use of learning objectives is related to developing metacognitive skills and self-regulation of learning. Many medical institutions provide learning objectives to their pre-clerkship students, but it is unknown if or how the students use them. A…

This study explores the perception of critical thinking (CT) among students in undergraduate humanities programs. It uncovers a strong alignment between the learning objectives of CT within the curriculum and students' perceptions. Students not only recognize CT but also underscore its importance, affirming their perceived improvement in critical…

In conjunction with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and governors across the nation, the initial drafts of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were introduced in 2009 with the final draft being released in 2010. With a goal of eliminating stagnant academic progress, the Standards were written to outline precisely what…

Background/Context: There is a pressing need to consider how citizens should live together, especially in societies that are increasingly ethnically and politically diverse. Even though multicultural education is constructed very differently and serves very different purposes in different national contexts, relatively little attention has been…

Purpose in life is beneficial for adolescents and their communities. However, less is known about supports for purpose development during adolescence, particularly in the school setting. The study described here drew from theories about teacher beliefs and knowledge, and a multidimensional definition of purpose in life, in order to learn from…

Going green? For many, this phrase has a definitive ending, such as an "!" or a strong "." For the authors, the journey began with the questions: (1) What should students be "learning" about sustainability?; and (2) How do we know that they "are" learning? Their journey to understand the relationship between student learning and sustainability…

The author of this article arrives at the conclusion that media literacy/competence of personality is the sum total of the individual's motives, knowledge, skills, and abilities (indicators: motivation, contact, content, perception, interpretation/appraisal, activity, and creativity) to select, use, create, critically analyze, evaluate, and…

Reviews definitions of the social studies presented by Robert D. Barr, James L. Barth, and S. Samuels Shermis in "Defining the Social Studies" (1977). Suggests that the social studies should derive its content and teaching methodologies from the social science disciplines. Journal availability: see SO 507 149. (Author/DB)

Current reform documents place a strong emphasis on students' understandings of the nature of science (NOS). Interestingly, the importance of this educational outcome is not new and has been agreed upon as important by most scientists and science educators for the past 100 years. Despite numerous attempts, including the major curricular reform…

Economic literacy and economic efficacy are addressed by examining basic goals and assumptions of economic education and by suggesting areas that need systematic attention and investigation. To clarify goals, an operational definition of economic literacy must be developed and used in a criterion-referenced testing instrument. A definition of…