A meta-analysis is performed to determine if the cognitive style construct of field dependence/independence is related to achievement in computer programming. The studies for this meta-analysis came from three major sources: computer searches of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), Psychological Abstracts, and Education Index…

This study investigated junior high school students' use of problem-solving heuristics and metacognitive processes and the relationships that might exist between the students' use of these processes and their cognitive style. Using a computer microworld called "Nimbot" based on the ancient game of Nim, 10 seventh- and eighth-grade…

Defining metacognition as the set of skills and strategies one uses in monitoring and modifying how one learns, this paper addresses ways in which interactive hypermedia/multimedia instructional programs might enhance the meta-cognitive abilities of the learners who use them. It begins by identifying key issues and approaches to metacognition,…

The 4MAT system (an eight-step cycle of instruction that combines four learning style types and students' preferences for right-brain or left-brain modes of learning) can guide instructors in planning teaching strategies to meet students' diverse learning needs. Each of the eight steps of the system emphasizes one of the learning types and…

Fifty adult male inmates at Lake Correctional Institutional (Florida) were administered Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale to determine their capability of self-directed or independent learning. The mean score on the scale was 135.1 and the standard deviation was 17.235. The results were compared to Guglielmino's national norm.…

Teachers, principals, and supervisors need to determine the kinds of learners being taught in the school/class setting. Are pupils good by nature, bad, or neutral? Concepts held pertaining to each pupil assist in determining objectives, learning activities, and evaluation techniques. The Puritans believed that individuals were born evil or sinful.…

Serving as a bridge between research in the cognitive sciences and educational policymakers and practitioners, the first part of this report reviews recent research on thinking and learning. Findings emphasize work on higher order learning, the role of knowledge in learning, and the development of a disposition for thinking. Topics detailed…

The model developed for use with science teachers--called the Scientific Theory Profile--consists of placing three well-known philosophers of science on a grid, with the x-axis being their methods for judging theories (rational vs. natural) and the y-axis being their views on scientific theories representing the Truth versus mere models of what…

Researchers have suggested two models of risk preference to account for subjects' preference for tasks of moderate difficulty. The affective model proposes that pride of success and shame of failure are responsible for the observed preference. The cognitive model suggests preference for tasks of moderate difficulty because they are the most…

Logical learning theory stresses that learning occurs through logical relation. Materials most "related" to the cognitive organization of the learner are most readily retained. To test whether the "chronological" constructs of covert rehearsal and familiarity could account for the learning attributed to "logical"…

Ideally, learning resources should be built over a shared pool of fine reusable granular learning objects. However, in order to avoid contextual lacks, dynamic creation of such resources would mostly rely on the conceptual relationships among learning objects inside a repository. These conceptual relationships, as well as the learning objects…

Little is known about the Type B behavior pattern which is allegedly antithetical to the coronary-prone Type A pattern. The purpose of this study was to develop a descriptive profile of individuals in middle adulthood who exhibit the Type B pattern. Cognitive/attitudinal characteristics, stress reactivity, and health status were examined in 98…

Eleven major models of learning styles are compared in terms of variables, appropriate populations, validity of instrumentation, and supporting research. Discussion considers: (1) Dunn and Dunn's Learning Style Inventory for grades 3 through 12 and Productivity Environmental Preference Survey for adults; (2) National Association of Secondary…

Teachers continue to address the question of how to adapt instruction to recognize the existence of different learning styles yet provide quality education for all students. Traditionally, instructional models available to teachers and curriculum planners ranged along a continuum from lockstep to individualization. This definition has led to…

This final report describes a general purpose system for developing intelligent tutors based on the Structural Learning Theory. The report opens with a discussion of the rules and related constructs that underlie cognitive constructs in all structural learning theories. The remainder of the text provides: (1) an introduction to the Structural…