There is evidence that spontaneous learning leads to relational understanding and high positive affect. To study spontaneous abstracting, a model was constructed by combining the RBC model of abstraction with Krutetskii's mental activities. Using video-stimulated interviews, the model was then used to analyze the behavior of two Year 8 students…

Presents steps taken in planning, implementing, and evaluating a descriptive study that compares student approaches to learning in two settings: (1) a traditional university class with face-to-face instruction; and (2) a distance education course. A discussion and figures analyze student responses to questionnaires and interviews concerning…

This five month qualitative study explored, over time and across literacy events, the ways in which a second grade teacher, Ms. Wilson, and her students built a shared frame of reference, or shared mental context, for viewing reading. Data sources included: field notes, video and audiotaped records, artifacts, and teacher and student interviews.…