This article addresses ten 'tricky' questions related to narrative inquiry in the field of language teaching and learning research. The questions come from the author's experiences of presenting lectures and seminars on narrative inquiry in many different contexts. The questions deal with issues to do specifically with narrative inquiry methods as…

There is increasing consensus among psycho-educational scholars about argumentation as a means to improve student knowledge and understanding of subject matter. In this article, we argue that, notwithstanding a strong theoretical rationale, causal evidence is not abundant, definitions of the objects of study (argumentation, learning) are often not…

The prevailing assumption by some that deep processing promotes stronger learning outcomes while surface processing promotes weaker learning outcomes has been called into question by the inconsistency and ambiguity of results in investigations of the relation between levels of processing and performance. The purpose of this literature review is to…

Although temporality is a key characteristic of the core concepts of CSCL--interaction, communication, learning, knowledge building, technology use--and although CSCL researchers have privileged access to process data, the theoretical constructs and methods employed in research practice frequently neglect to make full use of information relating…

Research on collaborative learning, both face-to-face and computer-supported, has thrived in the past 10 years. The studies range from outcome-oriented (individual and group learning) to process-oriented (impact of interaction on learning processes, motivation and organisation of collaboration) to mixed studies. Collaborative learning research is…

The author suggests that research into school learning has tended to neglect some important problems. He discusses the reasons for this and indicates that special needs and pressures in this area require consideration. (Author)

Critiques K. Kavale's meta-analysis, which reported reliable significant correlations between auditory-perceptual skills and reading achievement. Concludes that Kavale fails to provide evidence that teaching auditory-perceptual skills is useful to learning disabled children unless skills are functional reading skills. (Author/CL)

After a review of previous research, a critical review of "Comparative Values and Achievement of Mexican-American and Anglo Pupils," by Audrey J. Schwartz, and "Educational Achievement and Aspirations of Mexican-American Youth in a Metropolitan Context," by C. Wayne Gordon et al., is constructed. The objective of this paper is to extend and expand…

Reviews and discusses the literature on visual design and visual cognition; summarizes the results of an empirical study that investigated whether computer screen design with good visual design principles influence the learning process; and identifies challenges encountered in conducting research on screen design with respect to achievement…

This paper examines the tradition of research within the field of educational technology and cites problems endemic to the dominant research methods. It is suggested that a reexamination of the history of the field has intrinsic merit and is necessary at this time; furthermore, historical analysis may assist in the development of new research…

The computer is going to be a catalyst of deep and radical change in the educational system. New conceptual frameworks are needed for thinking about the learning process, and experimental methodologies need to be reexamined. Examples of computer impact in learning situations utilizing its interactive capabilities are presented. (BS)

The domain of research is considerably limited. The majority of societal goals for education are not completely known nor can they be explicitly enough stated for there to be sufficiently rigorous evaluation and research. (Author)

This paper argues that during the past two decades, research on teaching effectiveness can be identified with three differing paradigms: (1) the technical/"scientific"; (2) the humanistic; and (3) the person-centered paradigms. It is further proposed that if teaching is viewed as an art or craft and learning as an ever present process,…

Interest in mathemagenics (adjunct aids used in text to enhance learning) has most likely resulted from the indirect effects of inserted postquestions, whereby the learning of unquestioned material is enhanced as well as that of questioned material. However, since most mathemagenics research has occurred in laboratory settings in which subjects…

Types of comparisons for evaluation of mnemonics were identified based on equating exposure to the to-be-learned associations or on total study time. Experiments on the cueword method illustrated how highly analytical experiments on mnemonics might be conducted and how choice of comparisons in research could affect mnemonic evaluation. (Author/DWH)