Developmental theorists use their research to generate philosophies on children's development. They organize and interpret data based on a scheme to develop their theory. A theory refers to a systematic statement of principles related to observed phenomena and their relationship to each other. A theory of child development looks at the children's…

Although often labelled obsolete and ethically dubious, twentieth-century behaviourist principles of learning have been central to the development of instructional technology and the design of modern learning environments. Using Andrew Pickering's philosophy, this article addresses behaviourism as a mangle of practice to highlight the conceptual…

Responds to A. L. Brown's 1994 assertion that behaviorism and most learning and developmental research impede theoretical progress and negatively affect educational practice. The author first discusses how Brown inappropriately uses the most outlandish research and practice in the behaviorist tradition as an excuse to reject behaviorism outright,…

This paper focuses on the notion of human learners as being structure-determined. Alternate views of educational phenomena and educational research of G. Cziko (1989), D. Bohm and F. D. Peat (1987), H. Maturana and F. Varela (1980, 1987), and S. E. Pirie and T. Kieren (1989, 1990) are considered. A mathematical theory of chaos, random…

This paper examines the possibility of developing a conceptual framework on which future research on the application of electroencephalography (EEG) to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) could be based. Consistent associations between EEG and cognitive functions for learning and instruction have the potential for bringing cognitivism into the…

Some personal reflections on instructional design and its relation to constructivism are explored. Instructional design in its present form is out of sync with the times in that its orientation, methods, and research base are behavioristic, or positivistic. However, a constructivist theory of instructional design is possible, particularly if…

Self-directed learning (SDL) is among the most productive areas of research in adult education. Malcolm S. Knowles is credited with a comprehensive synthesis of adult teaching and adult learning principles. Andragogy, the art and science of helping adults learn, lies at the heart of Knowles' work. Lucy M. Guglielmino theorized regarding the…