Describes an empirical study based on a phenomenographic perspective that examined college students' understanding in relation to their thinking about concepts. Examines the relation between words used and their meaning in the process of understanding and learning. Results of qualitative interviews and contextual analysis are discussed.…

Four types of fundamental structures are briefly described and illustrated: the learning hierarchy, the procedural hierarchy, the taxonomy, and the model. Then a theoretical framework is presented for classifying types of subject matter content, and some implications of these content classifications are discussed. (VT)

The review demonstrates that studies of the role of instructional sequencing provide an important test of the assimilation-to-schema theory, and that many apparent inconsistencies in the literature may be better understood by an analysis of the internal assimilation process. (Author)

Describes a study of university students that examined the ability of people to learn a computer system by exploration and discusses the role of thinking aloud and reflection to obtain information about the goals of the user. Considers display-based, exploratory learning in relation to planning and problem solving. (Author/LRW)

Describes an empirical study which considered the different ways in which 26 university teachers intended to constitute a subject, how they then taught the subject, and how consistent their intentions and practice were. Considers the context of teaching and learning and the influence of conceptual change on teachers. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the current information processing conceptualization of memory, the process of learning by analogy, and the overall desired outcomes of their use to acquire and retain new information. Instructional implications of how to use analogies are discussed, and a set of prescriptive guidelines for using them is presented. (69 references)…

Discussion of cognitive psychology focuses on two types of cognitive tools--power tools and assimilatory tools--which are geared to information acquisition. The distinction between accommodation and assimilation is explained, implications for the design of intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) are suggested, and the question of learner…

Explains a nested hierarchy of conceptions of teaching and suggests a process of expanding awareness among academic staff of the relation between learning and teaching. Presents a case study of one lecturer's changing conceptions and discusses how conceptual change may be encouraged in academic staff. (Author/LRW)

Explains three worlds of instructional design: the world of knowledge, including knowledge structures and instructional strategies; the world of learning, including learning processes; and the world of work, focusing on real life task performance. Discusses implications for future research, stressing the promise of mental models as a theoretical…

Outlines a proposed model for understanding the human information processing system, which is conceptualized in terms of three interrelated major elements--executive, working, and long-term memory--with emphasis on the structure of long-term memory. Thirty-one references are listed. (MBR)

A synthesis is presented of the various rationales which predict the facilitative influence of instructional objectives on learning and retention. (Author)

Presents an approach to task sequencing that is based on a component-skills view of intelligence and learning. Related research in cognitive psychology and in computer based instruction is reviewed, and a cognitive model of human task sequencing is developed and then applied to an intelligent tutoring system for algebra. (39 references)…

Describes BACEIS (Behavior, Attitudes, Cognition, Environment viewed as Interactive Systems), a comprehensive theoretical model that includes internal and external factors affecting the development, retention, and transfer of thinking and learning skills. Uses of the model in instructional design, to guide research, and to critique existing…

Reports on an empirical study that investigated the use of hypertext information systems during architectural design problem solving. Discusses theoretical notions on design problem solving, changing informational needs, and educational implications related to learning in complex domains. (Author/LRW)

A look at an experiment using prose in which questions are categorized as 1) active; or 2) passive. (HB)