Examined whether cognitive attributes differentiate depressed children from those with other psychiatric disorders. Findings from 108 child and adolescent psychiatric patients revealed that depressed children endorsed significantly lower self-esteem, more hopelessness, more externalized locus of control, and more depressive attributional style…

Examines learning style characteristics of developmental and nondevelopmental junior college students. Finds significant differences between developmental and nondevelopmental students including field dependence, learning in the afternoon, sound present during learning, and motivation. Finds that field dependence-independence was the single best…

Discusses the position of Aboriginal people in Australian society and the relation of this position to the provision of early childhood education. Focuses on possible ramifications of popular perceptions of behavior on experiences and development of Aboriginal children. (RJC)

Passive learners rarely play a role in their own education, but follow whatever their teachers decide is best for them. Active learners are self-motivated, independent people who take responsibility for themselves. (JOW)

Describes the results of a study of the preferred learning style of rural and urban secondary school students. Reports rural students significantly higher in serious, analytical, and active practical learner characteristics than their urban counterparts as well as more observation centered and fact oriented. (Author/DHP)

Examines whether problem solving, decision making, and other thinking skills depend more on deep expertise in a specialty or on reflective awareness and general strategies. General and specialized knowledge function in close partnership. The partnership's nature and implications for educational practice are explored. (Author/BJV)

Administered questionnaires to 63 pregnant nullipara to determine factors that may influence their decision to stop smoking following childbirth. Results revealed three factors which contributed equally to explaining variance: perceived self-efficacy, smoking habits during pregnancy, and attitude. Also found significant differences between…

Responding to Steven A. Stahl's critique of the author's reading style claims, this article cites four successful pilot programs using the Reading Style Inventory. All four schools demonstrated dramatic reading gains. Generally, holistic reading instruction methods appear to match most closely the reading styles of young children and poor readers.…

Research conducted by the Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum shows arts-integrated schools are the most promising way to improve American education. CABC's work is based on three principles: arts are cognitive domains triggering multiple forms of learning; effective arts education is an important educator model; and arts education will…

The Group Embedded Figures Test and Van Tilburg/Heimlich Teaching Style Preference instrument were completed by 31 agriculture student teachers (58% over age 25). Females were more field independent than the general female population. Overall, field independence was the preferred learning style and student-centered was the preferred teaching…

Investigates how metaphor influences a reader's ability to recall information about new concepts, assimilate new concepts into existing conceptual structures, and accommodate new concepts by creating new conceptual structures. Offers support for metaphor as an instructional device for formal reasoners. Suggests that metaphor may interfere with…

Investigates differences in learning styles between men and women. Seventy-two people of different ethnic groups responded to the Learning Style Inventory (D. A. Kolb, 1976), 12 Educational Dialectical questions, and 1 question concerning learning experiences. Findings reveal that men appear to find congruence between traditional education and…

Interviews of fifth and sixth graders (n=120) found that they approached a task perceptually instead of reasoning with equivalent fractions, which they had studied in school. (Author/MKR)

Provides middle-school teachers with practical ideas for modifying the curriculum for at-risk students experiencing academic difficulty. Stresses strategies for information acquisition, information, and utilization and development of individual metacognitive skills, self-concepts, and academic independence. Methods include using verbal cues,…

To teach effectively and reach as many students with varying learning styles as possible, a combination of teaching and learning styles may be more productive than a single approach. This article presents a five-phase instructional process for integrating small-group discussion, reading and writing from text guides, and writing activities to…