Education data are growing in quantity, quality, and value. When appropriately used to guide action, data can be a powerful tool for improving school operations, teaching, and learning. Education stakeholders who possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to appropriately access, analyze, and interpret data will be able to use data to take…

It has been estimated that of the nearly two million immigrants who enter the United States every year, nearly half have limited access to citizenship, job training, other postsecondary education, and jobs due to low literacy levels, limited formal schooling, and limited English language skills. Adult education programs serving this population can…

Games are an effective and cost-saving method in education and training. Although much is known about games and learning in general, little is known about what components of these games (i.e., game attributes) influence learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is threefold. First, we review the literature to understand the "state of play" in…

In 2007, the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) received funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program to implement the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership System for Excellence (PULSE), a set of reforms designed to improve the quality of school leadership throughout the district. A major component of PULSE is the…

This paper argues that if thinking skills are to be integrated into the curriculum two needs must be addressed: (1) the manner of teaching content must be revised so that thinking skills are used and reinforced during the learning process, and (2) courses whose primary focus is the improvement of thinking skills must be offered. A comparison is…

Examines the teacher's role in computer-based problem solving using sixth grade students and a computer program called Rocky's Boots. Ways in which the program could be used in thinking skills programs are discussed, program improvements are suggested, and teacher intervention is identified as a critical element in computer-based training. (LRW)

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare reasoning level, American College Test (ACT) science, process skills, and physical science misconceptions of preservice elementary and secondary science teachers and to investigate gender differences. The stratified randomly drawn sample (n=68) consisted of preservice elementary and…

Myth is integral to modern as well as ancient societies in its service to multiple interrelated social functions. Among these are to explain phenomena and direct action, to justify particular interests or practices, to dramatize ideals, and to provide cultural cohesion. Three prevailing myths that are especially problematic are the myths of…

Clinical interviews were conducted with 25 seventh- and eighth-grade students to determine: (1) the extent to which they could produce correct graphical representations of familiar situations; (2) to what extent they could infer relationships from graphs; (3) what are the most commonly held graphing misconceptions and how stable they are; and (4)…

A framework for studying individual variation in tactile map reading is offered and a set of research guidelines suggested. It is argued that the reading process may be viewed as a many-leveled set of skills viewed from an information processing rather than a psychometric perspective. Individual variations are studied and classified. (Author/PB)

Considers research concentrating on the correlation between knowledge structure and learning. Suggests implications of this research to classroom teaching. Cites characteristics of unsuccessful and successful problem solvers. (RT)

Reported are two studies which describe the early development in children of the ability to consider every one of an array of instances. Taken together with other recent studies, the data reveal early development in preschool children of a fundamental, general problem solving skill. (PCB)

An action theoretic account of skill learning and skill use is offered as a useful heuristic for life-span developmental psychology. The version presented is one that is particularly prominent in industrial psychology in the German-speaking countries. (Author/RH)

Engineers in industry were surveyed to identify what they think are important skills to emphasize in the general engineering curriculum. Results, based on 62 questionnaires (100 were mailed), are presented and discussed. One finding is that industry highly values reasoning and communication skills in addition to engineering skills. (JN)

Defines metacognition and describes the effects of incorporating metacognitive aspects into instructional design. Three types of knowledge--declarative, procedural, and conditional--are discussed as necessary components of metacognitive awareness, and positive effects on the learner in terms of motivation and performance are described. (Author/LRW)