Constructionist learning is characterized by three principles: "learning-by-making,""holistic learning," and a freedom to choose learning styles. This paper describes a project with second grade homeschooling students that tested the feasibility of using HyperCard as a medium for constructionist learning. The "worlds"…

Leadership researchers and theorists alike have come to recognize that the critical tasks of senior level leaders are quite different from the critical leadership tasks of individuals occupying lower level leadership positions. Departing from the bulk of prior research on individual differences in leadership effectiveness which focused on…

This paper proposes that mild learning disability may often be more the result of teaching which ignores individual differences in learning style than the result of psychological processing and/or central nervous system disorders that are characteristic of true learning disabilities. A brief overview of learning disability identification explains…

Based upon the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky and informed by research from many disciplines including linguistics, anthropology, history and psychology, the knowledge about the nature of children's play and its relationship to literacy development has steadily increased. The play of young children is categorized as: (1) meaningful; (2) symbolic;…

Multicultural education is still a relatively new trend in the American system of higher education. As with any new pedagogy, there is a tendency to reduce the genuine possibility of educational reform to mere superficiality--good intentions lacking substance. Behind the "camouflage" of politically correct language and actions,…

A culturally-based approach to learning adopted by many Japanese students is hypothesized, and it is proposed that while it is effective in many areas of learning, it may hinder second language learning. Japan's politico-economic structures, geared toward efficiently manufacturing competent workers, encourages a psychology of procedure that tends…

Studies show that training students in the use of social and cognitive strategies contributes to learning; however, low-achieving students seem unable to benefit from such interventions. This intervention study addressed the following question: In secondary mathematics, what are the general and differential effects of training students in social…

The experience-oriented approach to early childhood learning assumes that the way children see, understand, and conceptualize is more basic than skills and knowledge, and that preschools should systematically work on developing children's awareness of different phenomena in the world around them. Content areas in this approach foster children's:…

One of the four algebra word problem structures found in K-12 textbooks is the propositional relation structure (Mayer, 1982). This type of problem asks students to establish equivalences between the variables or noun referents in the problem. The literature available indicates that students have inordinate difficulties, when trying to solve a…

Pressure on universities to reexamine their educational administration preparation programs has prompted reconsideration of reflective methods. The application of cognitive science to administrative problems as well as philosophical debates found in the literature have also led to this reconsideration. John Dewey's views on reflective methods have…

This paper, on a 1988-89 study of 219 undergraduates, addresses issues of cognitive development, learning style, and attitudes toward social diversity and social justice. A parallel study was conducted in spring/fall 1989 with subsequent changes noted. The table of contents presents the following sections: (1) "Background and Educational Context";…

This paper explores the research of the learning styles manifested in the middle school classroom and the implications those differences have to a successful teaching-learning paradigm. Various projects in the field are examined, including how students are profiled, how instructional methods can be modified to suit the needs of each learner, and…

This paper presents study results concerning the nature of successful academic performance, specifically examining to what extent self-regulated learning played a role in successful academic performance at the college level. (Self-regulated learning is defined as the integration and utilization of cognitive, metacognitive, motivational,…

The theory of multiple intelligence (MI) propounded by Gardner and Hatch suggests that human beings have seven distinct units of intellectual functioning, and that these units are actually separate intelligences with their own observable and measurable abilities. These intelligences were identified as logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical,…

A growing body of literature is questioning whether existing models of human development apply equally to men and women. Prevailing theories of human development have been criticized for being based on research with primarily male subjects of similar ethnic, racial, or class backgrounds. Some research supports the viewpoint that women have…