The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--was designed to examine problems and difficulties in primary science and to explore ways of overcoming these problems. Early research led to a proposal that children's questions and explanations could form the basis of an alternative teaching approach. However, several issues were raised which…

Synergistic psychology has been proposed as a meta theory for synthesizing different psychological theories into an explanation of how social, cognitive, and biological factors interact in human behavior. The basic theoretical assumption in synergistic psychology is that internalized social interactions become higher mental functions that regulate…

The Scientific Theory and Method Project (STAMPS) is concerned with students' understanding of two areas of science in secondary schools. One is understanding what a scientific theory is, and the other is understanding the methods used in conducting scientific research. In the science curriculum these topics are often described as the process of…

John Dewey proposed a transactive educational process in which personal experiences and development interacted with curriculum in order to transform the learner and the learning procedure. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate ways in which some of Dewey's concepts of progressive education provide a theoretical rationale for the increasing…

This paper contends that efforts at educational reform must focus, above all, on the instructional encounter between teachers and students. The argument is presented in triadic sequence: three basic assumptions about learning, three interrelated models of the instructional process, and three practical approaches to promoting cognitive achievement.…

The manual designed to accompany an orientation seminar for students concerning language learning processes and strategies and the design of their program includes materials for five sessions, in three sections. The first section covers language learning and acquisition in general and contains a survey of the participants' foreign language…

The errors of 187 bilingual students, aged 10 years, 11 months to 19 years, 8 months were analyzed as they studied English as a third language. Errors were categorized with two major learning strategies in mind: transfer and overgeneralization. Types of errors were related to degree of bilingualism, English proficiency level and age of the…

Discusses some of the benefits of having students work cooperatively toward a shared goal. Suggests that teachers become involved in research in this area and become associated with the National Science Teachers Association's Every Teacher a Researcher (ETR) program. Lists various types of research projects teachers could undertake. (TW)

Describes a self-managed learning approach designed to help engineering students take charge of their own learning. Discusses marker events, exploratory learning versus linear instruction, knowledge through self-discovery, information retrieval, production through writing and speaking, and promoting a mature response. (TW)

Reports on a study designed to determine the relative effectiveness of different instructional approaches on chemistry laboratory achievement. Investigated differences in achievement in spectrophotometry among college freshmen who received either traditional, learning cycle, or computer simulation instruction. Results indicated that students…

Reports on a study to determine the effects of the presentation of questions inserted into texts for students in introductory biology. Results indicated that students reading the text with questions at the beginning of the paragraph scored significantly higher on achievement tests than the students reading without questions. (TW)

Describes the progress of a kindergartern child acquiring English as her second language. (DF)

There is continued pressure for the application and integration of computer technologies into learning and teaching. For such innovations to be successfully implemented, students themselves must have the confidence, ability, and willingness to engage with computer technology. In some disciplinary and professional contexts such as the arts,…

China's cultural system is based not on the strength of the individual, but on the pattern of relationships maintained by all people. In communication, the Chinese put emphasis on the receiver of messages and on listening rather than on the sender. This cultural trait, derived from Confucianism, has a significant impact on the strategies native…

Instructors at two-year community colleges are faced with the challenge of helping students learn content knowledge and skills in an abbreviated period of time. In particular, developing students' critical thinking skills is an essential task. This paper reports on a study in which students in a Human Anatomy and Physiology class at a community…