Explores how research in learning styles can benefit from findings in cognitive psychology. Discusses difficulties of research on learning styles and two relevant findings in cognitive research: the influence of prior knowledge on learning and the potential value to learners of metacognitive awareness. Urges rigorous conceptual and empirical…

Describes early research examining the validity of the original Inventory of Learning Processes. Presents a revised version of the inventory with reliability and validity data. Discusses reflective and agentic processing as the two major routes to academic achievement. Concludes that the smooth flow of cognition depends on the student's…

Study described what and how preservice teachers learned during a field-based elementary physical education methods course. Interviews, observations, and written work indicated they felt the development of pedagogical content knowledge was salient in learning to teach. They linked inadequate pedagogical content knowledge to problems observing and…

Focuses on the enhancement of chemistry students' skill in problem solving utilizing problem categorization techniques. Indicates that explicit training in categorization skills can lead to higher achievement in complex problem-solving situations but that such achievement may be limited by the lack of linkages between students' conceptual…

The cognitive factors that contribute to competence in the biological sciences were examined. The role played by cognitive style and analytical ability is discussed. The ability to abstract relevant information, evaluate it, and use it is affected by the skills of analysis and cognitive style. (KR)

The diversity of cognitive style and learning strategies will become a guiding principle for the organization of language discovery environments that have a dynamic and adaptive learner profile as their core. This article describes a model for these environments and details the contents of a technologically based language learner profile.…

A study found systematic, structural gender differences between male (n=266) and female (n=144) college students in perceptions of and approaches to learning. It is argued that gender variation in study behavior is an important but often neglected source of variation in student learning that can and should be managed by educators. (Author/MSE)

Describes three learner assessment strategies and their possible effects on text design strategies for distance education materials. Prior knowledge, reading ability and text readability, and learning styles are examined; learner characteristics and potential instructional strategies are discussed; and the relationship of learning styles to…

Microcomputers in education are only valuable if there is software to stimulate each specific student. Teachers must understand each student's learning style then use computer software to meet individual needs. Students should become aware of their individual learning preferences and apply specific techniques to acquire knowledge more efficiently.…

Examines specific applications of constructivism in teacher education and its relevance for teachers, focusing on how the development of empowered learners can be facilitated by examining how individuals construct concepts. Presents educational practices and guidelines within higher education programs that facilitate the development of teachers as…

Information acquisition and processing skills of 661 Finnish vocational education students were studied through students' writings, including an open-ended test. About 20 percent were assessed as self-directed learners, but the majority could search for and transmit information in a text. Results are discussed in light of demands of further…

Counterintuitive moments in the classroom challenge common sense and practice and can be used to help mathematics students appreciate the need to explore, reflect, and reason. Proposed are four examples involving geometry, systems of equations, and matrices as counterintuitive instances. (MDH)

Drawing on personal experience and research on gender, a college teacher explores how women's ways of knowing and experiencing have implications for instruction, specifically in an organizational behavior course. Feelings of self-doubt, novelty, terror, and alienation that accompany women into the management classroom are examined. (Author/MSE)

Investigates influences of educational set and cognitive preference of the student as independent variables on knowledge and cognitive organization outcomes in the context of other educationally significant variables. Concludes cognitive preference is an important variable contributing uniquely to achievement and cognitive organization in the…

The function of the child-centered school is to facilitate learning so that learners become the workers and teachers become collaborative learning enhancers. Four curriculum strands (self-readiness-competence-inquiry) are woven into a learning model that integrates learning styles, curriculum structure and subject-matter organization,…