Discusses knowledge base development as a pedagogical activity and describes a study of eighth graders that compared three instructional conditions: (1) expert system development work; (2) problem-solving activities using computer-assisted instruction; and (3) a control group that used traditional noncomputer methods. Pretest and posttest scores…

Describes a study of the use of captioned television to improve the reading comprehension and vocabulary skills of U.S. Navy sailors that was conducted to help find low-cost, low-intervention methods of improving reading skills. Results for experimental and control groups are compared, and the evaluation questionnaire is appended. (17 references)…

A conceptual approach and a set of computer simulations are presented to demonstrate that random measurement error in the pretest does not bias the estimate of the treatment effect in the regression-discontinuity design. Focus is on the case of no interaction between pretest and treatment on posttest. (SLD)

Maintains that comparison of students' sketch maps at the beginning and end of the year can provide information on how student's representations of the world changes. Describes a study from the California International Studies Project (CISP) that provides an easy method for sorting and summarizing sketch map data. Illustrates the method with…

Describes an objective-based curriculum, Native Peoples of the Southwest, that was developed to educate elementary school children about Native American cultures. Program materials are described, including printed materials, slides, audiotapes, overhead transparencies, and artifacts; field testing is reported; and guidelines are offered for…

Describes a study in the United Kingdom that explored children's comprehension of television police dramas and the impact of the television shows on their perceptions of the police. Relationships between television viewing and beliefs about crime are discussed, and treatments for the experimental and control groups of children aged 10 to 16 years…

This study examined comprehension in four groups of undergraduates under text only, multimedia, and two diagram conditions of text supplementation. Results indicated that effects of text supplementation are mediated by prior knowledge and learning style: multimedia appears more beneficial to surface learners with little prior knowledge and makes…

Describes the Biomechanics Tutorial, a computer-aided instructional tool that was developed at Ohio State University to expedite the transition from lecture to application for undergraduate students. Reports evaluation results that used statistical analyses and student questionnaires to show improved performance on posttests as well as positive…

Discussion of long-term instructional development focuses on the development and implementation of a K-12 energy education curriculum over a 20-year period. Highlights include field testing; fund raising; learner performance on posttests; revisions and updates; and guidelines for long-term instructional development projects. (LRW)

Describes a study of sixth and seventh grade middle school students that examined the effects of learners' reported use of self-regulated learning strategies on achievement and motivation in learner-controlled and program-controlled computer based instruction. Discusses results of posttests, scores on a motivation survey, and the amount of…

Discussion of distance education for nontraditional students in higher education via the World Wide Web focuses on student attrition rates and how to increase persistence. Highlights include a profile of distance learners; theories of persistence; and persistence and retention strategies, including technical resources, pretests, human resources,…

Reports on a comparative assessment of a multimedia learning environment based on a guided discovery approach called CORE (Concept Object Refinement Expression) with two control conditions, lecture and electronic book, in an undergraduate radiography course. Discusses results of qualitative and quantitative measures of effectiveness, pretests and…

There is a body of literature suggesting that involving parents in their children's education is an effective strategy for children at risk of reading failure. In a pre-test/post-test control group design, parents in an experimental group received reading materials and were trained on techniques to stimulate their child during paired reading at…

This study had two purposes: (a) to investigate the developmental relationship between students' uses of fractions notation and their understandings of part-whole relations; and (b) to produce an analysis of the role of fractions instruction in students' use of notation to represent parts of an area. Elementary students (n = 384) in 19 classes…

This article briefly describes a curriculum study that had two main purposes. The first purpose was to develop and reflect upon a new energy technology curriculum at the lower secondary school level using an action research method. The second purpose was to determine the effect of collaborative activities, with the families of the pupils enrolled…