We tested the effects of instructional method (lecture vs. mastery) and aptitude (high, medium, low GPA levels) on students' academic performance and achievement motivation goals. Students enrolled in a developmental psychology course received either traditional lecture or mastery (Keller's Personalized System of Instruction [PSI]) instruction.…

This article describes research conducted to evaluate the impact of service learning on exam scores and emotional empathy in a life-span development course. Service learning was 1 of 3 project options offered in the course; others included an interview project and a research paper. With the exception of the first exam, scores were significantly…

Cooperative learning has been proven to be helpful in enhancing the learning performance of students. The goal of a cooperative learning group is to maximize all members' learning, which is accomplished via promoting each other's success, through assisting, sharing, mentoring, explaining, and encouragement. To achieve the goal of cooperative…

Background: The No Child Left Behind Act legislation requires both higher standards and higher success rates at the same time. Failure of students to learn to read adequately as shown by national and state test results and the need for continued school success had prompted education officials to implement two reading programs--Voyager Universal…

The authors examined the effectiveness of a 2-year (kindergarten and first grade) oral English intervention provided to 534 Hispanic English-language learners in transitional bilingual education (TBE) and structured English immersion (SEI) programs. Using latent growth modeling, the authors compared instructional programs in relation to growth…

National stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of college graduates to think critically. Research shows that, while both faculty and students deem critical thinking essential, only a small fraction of graduates can demonstrate the thinking skills necessary for academic and professional success. Many faculty are…

This study examined the effects of peer tutoring on children's social interactions and compared social interaction behaviors between children who are English-language learners (ELL) and children who are primary English speakers (PES). Single-subject withdrawal design (ABA) was applied in this study and classwide peer tutoring was used as the…

The effects of a voluntary summer reading intervention with teacher and parent scaffolding were investigated in an experimental study. A total of 24 teachers and 400 children in Grades 3, 4, and 5 were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: control, books only, books with oral reading scaffolding, and books with oral reading and…

A study examined whether self-evaluation of writing should precede peer evaluation, and explored effective strategies for peer evaluation of writing. Seventy-six advanced placement English students in a Raleigh, North Carolina, high school were divided into experimental and control groups. The control group participated in peer evaluation of…

Total Physical Response is a strategy for learning second languages developed by James J. Asher. The Tomatis program, developed in France by Alfred Tomatis, is a method for treating dyslexia and communication problems and is also used for teaching basic elements of foreign languages. Suggestology is a psychotherapeutic system based on yogic…

This paper offers brief discussions of central aspects of public policy and curriculum guidelines for early childhood education in Minnesota and provides capsule descriptions of Piagetian research and national events reflecting trends in early childhood education. Following examination of these topics, the discussion contrasts the Piagetian…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two methods of instruction, experiential training and didactic training, in facilitating the acquisition of several desirable teacher behaviors. Results indicate that teaching communication behaviors is possible with experiential training. (Author)

Basic skills lists, prepared by departments of education from five states within the United States, are examined in order to identify and define universal basic skills needed by teachers to instruct their pupils more effectively. Examination of these lists reveals that, although no single common definition of basic skills exists among the lists,…

AN EXPERIMENT TO COMPARE SPACED NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT, MASSED NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT, AND POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IN AUTOMATED TEACHING IS DESCRIBED. THREE GROUPS OF COLLEGE FRESHMEN WERE USED IN THE STUDY. EACH GROUP WAS GIVEN INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL CONTAINING AMBIGUOUS IMFORMATION INTERSPERSED AMONG MEANINGFUL INFORMATION. ONE GROUP RECEIVED A…

TWO REPLICATIONS OF AN EXPERIMENT WERE CARRIED OUT WITH GIFTED (MEAN VERBAL IQ -- 127) 11TH GRADE STUDENTS IN A LARGE HIGH SCHOOL. THE MAIN PURPOSE WAS TO EXPLORE WHETHER "SET-LEARNING" MIGHT BE A MECHANISM OF LEARNING EMPLOYED TO A MARKED DEGREE BY GIFTED SECONDARY STUDENTS. CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS WERE THE TWO TOP-ABILITY…