This study examines the sociocultural trajectories of children's conceptual thinking in a technology-enriched early years science classroom (N=22). Of specific analytic interest is the intertextuality of children's science-related explanations constructed during adult-child dialogic interviews and peer-centred inquiry around a multimedia…

A study was conducted in the teacher training program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to explore the degree to which novice teachers apply the concepts, principles, and attitudes of ISD (instructional systems development) in their instructional planning and their beliefs regarding the efficacy of ISD principles for planning and…

A mapping strategy for improving critical thinking about expository text was employed in a study designed to help six high school students with difficulties in reading comprehension. Subjects were four sophomores in a remedial reading program and two juniors in a special education program for the mildly retarded. Subjects read passages from an…

Discusses a study of students' conceptualizations and misconceptions of how objects sink and float. Results showed little difference in the levels of understanding of the "sink and float" concepts by groups ranging from primary age to college. As age increased, terminology used by students varied, and misuse of terms increased. (TW)

The Mass Communication and Society Division of the proceedings contains the following 12 papers: "Free Congress Research and Education Foundation: An Extremist Organization in Think Tank Clothing?" (Sharron M. Hope); "Presence in Informative Virtual Environments: The Effects of Self-Efficacy, Spatial Ability and Mood" (Lynette…

Investigates two questions: (1) the sex-related differences in Landsat Mastery, road map reading, and map drawing among adolescents and (2) the relationship between spatial ability and mapping skills. Replicates significantly lower female performance on parts of the Landsat tasks. Concludes that spatial ability correlations with mapping are too…

Concept mapping with "Learning Tool," a computerized mapping program, was used to assess changes in the content and organization of 17 preservice teachers' concept maps for the topic of effective teaching. This study illustrates how concept mapping can be useful in describing students' evolving constructions of knowledge in a particular…

Describes the "SemNet" software and some of its uses as an educational and research tool, with emphasis on the similarities and differences between concept mapping and semantic networking. (PR)

Teacher beliefs have become important constructs in educational research with the recognition that beliefs are the best indicators of teachers' planning, decision-making and subsequent classroom behaviour. In this movement many probes and strategies have been employed by researchers for effective data collection and analysis. This paper discusses…

This monograph discusses Thomas Greenfield's writings and those of his two major detractors, Daniel Griffiths and Donald J. Willower. For nearly a decade Greenfield has attacked traditional theories of educational administration and argued for the centrality of mind in the construction of organizational and administrative reality. An introductory…

Concept mapping was used to tap the conceptual disciplinary (science subject) knowledge and pedagogical knowledge of seven biology and six geography teachers with short or long teaching experience. Results indicate that knowledge in both areas is unsatisfactory, experience does not improve the knowledge, and teachers mastered disciplinary…

This paper proposes a hypothesis for the interpretation of tense in English from the viewpoint of how the conception of time is reflected in linguistic temporal expressions. The hypothesis is then verified in light of acquisition data. The paper claims that following from the analysis of the conception of time in Section 2, three temporal…

Noting that, in terms of language acquisition, the "basics" at schools should parallel the "basics" of common sense family life, this book examines the connections between play, language development, and learning in young children. Chapter 1 deals with the role of the teacher in a changing society. Chapter 2 addresses some of…

This symposium on conflict management and decision making is comprised of three papers. "Two Approaches to Conflict Management in Teams: A Case Study" (Mychal Coleman, Gary N. McLean) describes a study that provided conflict management training to two employee teams using the traditional lecture method and cooperative learning (CL).…

The present study, "Mapping Rural Adolescent Girl's Participation in Residential Non- Formal Education Program--A Study in Lunkaransar Block, Rajasthan", was an attempt to understand the dimensions of rural adolescent girls' participation in the "Balika Shivir" Program. It is a six month residential non-formal education program…