Worker-oriented, job-oriented, and cognitive task analyses have all been used as tools for closing the gap between what curriculum teaches and what workers do. Although they share a commonality of purpose, the focus, cost, and practicality of task analysis techniques vary. Worker-oriented task analysis focuses on general human behaviors required…

Researchers of computer ability have been largely influenced by the Galtonian perspective of intelligence assessment: a predominantly linear, construct-driven model based on identifying statistically determined factors. The use of this methodology, though, has far more to do with utility than theoretical rigor. Notably absent from this kind of…

There is a growing interaction between psychology and education, toward basic research and toward realistic educational events. This is being accompanied by a movement toward equity in education involving the creation of environments for learning that are more adaptive to individual needs than schools generally provide at the present time.…

An information processing approach was applied to the development and validation of a test battery intended for personnel selection, classification, and guidance; and design of training programs. The approach specifies that test should measure specific cognitive processes and basic abilities, rather than prior experience. Tests should be short,…

The problem of the panel on semantics, concepts, and culture, sponsored by the National Institute of Education Conference on Studies in Reading, was to determine how lexical, semantic, conceptual, and cultural factors contribute to reading comprehension. The contents of the document include the following: "Word Recognition Skills," which…

The aim of the panel on reading comprehension, sponsored by the National Institute of Education Conference on Studies in Reading, was to determine the influence of intellectual factors, general experiences with the world, knowledge specific to the particular reading task, and general decoding skills to successful reading performance. In addition,…

This review examined the sequencing and grading of tasks in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) task-based learning pedagogy. Recent research on task-based learning has focused on cognition and the role that cognitive processes play in determining the ease or difficulty of any particular task. It is argued that an understanding of the effects on…

Francophone learners of English as a foreign language performed metalingual and preference tasks requiring them to utilize second-language knowledge brought to mind under an aural priming activity or a written task. Results indicate important differences between recall with awareness and recall without awareness, which strongly suggests a positive…

Current issues in educational communications and technology are addressed in this collection of 35 papers, in which research reports predominate. Topics discussed include factors related to the learner, e.g., field dependence/independence, reading ability, learning strategies, and cognitive style. Presentation format and media and stimulus…

Research is reviewed on high success (low error rate) during instructional tasks in relationship to learning outcomes; alternative interpretations of the relationship are considered; and alternative strategies for controlling success during remedial reading instructional tasks are discussed. A simple procedure is described for the analysis of…

A review of the research on developing children's referential communication ability reveals two approaches: the role-taking approach and the task-analytic approach. In the role-taking approach, researchers attempt to improve children's communication accuracy by training them to be more sensitive to listener needs. In the task-analytic approach,…

A CONCEPT ATTAINMENT TASK IN WHICH CHILDREN ARE ASKED TO IDENTIFY A CONCEPT THROUGH DETERMINING WHICH OF A SET OF OBJECTS ARE OR ARE NOT INSTANCES OF IT WAS USED TO INVESTIGATE THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST WAS THE QUESTION OF TO WHAT EXTENT THEY USED OR LEARNED THE STRATEGY OF VARYING ONE FACTOR WHILE HOLDING ALL OTHERS…

This paper discusses the use of social studies in developing critical and creative thought in preschool children. The social studies curriculum at any age level involves three principles: the development of an understanding of the social sciences, encouragement of acceptable socio-cultural behavior, and the development of critical and creative…

In order to develop a humanistic approach to evaluating faculty, a pilot study was conducted of 27 students and 14 instructors in an associate degree program for medical laboratory technicians. Selected personal dimensions of the sample population were examined to chart each individual's personality, theoretical learning preferences, modalities of…

This paper presents a study using a neo-Piagetian theory to analyze the micro-structure underlying Piaget's "control of variables" scheme. Data are presented which support the conclusion that young children are capable of acquiring and utilizing this scheme before they acquire Conservation of Weight, that is, providing (1) that the…