Autonomous learning, which implies the development of attitudes of responsibility and self-awareness related to thought processes on the part of the learner, is examined in the context of the organization and structure of the English public school system. Part 1 discusses autonomous learning and the way in which it may be developed in children…

The associations among cognitive automatization, abstract problem solving, and educational performance were studied using 127 fourth to ninth grade students. A number of measures of fast, automatic, and fluent performance (FAF measures) were used: writing the alphabet; reading from a word list; and mentally performing arithmetic operations. The…

A review of the literature on instruction in English as a second language (ESL) looks at four areas of ESL instruction individually and then derives conclusions and recommendations from those areas. The first area, ESL instructional approaches, includes discussion of the educational benefits of current ESL instructional approaches (audiolingual…

Differences in learning processes were studied in more versus less intellectually able undergraduate students. Thirty subjects were selected to represent a wide range of general and mathematical reasoning abilities, based on the following test scores: Necessary Arithmetic Operations and Vocabulary Test V2 from the Educational Testing Service ETS…

The results of a series of investigations into the effect on children's learning and recall of interest are summarized in this report. The report describes investigations using sentences, showing that interest has a pervasive effect on learning that is independent of the relationship between attention and learning. It then presents two compatible…

The language-across-the-curriculum (LAC) movement in Britain began in the 1960s with a few secondary school experiments, from which developed more coordinated attempts to lower interdisciplinary barriers. This movement was characterized by emphasis on the language-learning link, the crucial role of discussion in the learning process, and the…

This report of a study of 36 Australian families involved in distance education suggest ways to improve learning materials and cautions that more needs to be known about how children learn in isolation before new communication technologies can be used effectively. Researchers interviewed parents, pupils, and home tutors--mothers or governesses,…

This paper examines 10 principles of learning and suggests ways in which vocational education teachers may apply them in their classrooms. The following principles are discussed: reductionism, the law of effect, imitation and observational learning, classroom management without punishment, shaping, the law of primacy, token rewards, the law of…

This document consists of a discussion of the place and nature of evaluation within the autonomous learning scheme developed by the Centre de Recherches et d'Applications Pedagogiques en Langues (C.R.A.P.E.L.). The center's commitment to the development of an autonomous learning scheme dates back several years. It is the outcome of an attempt to…

The amount of time that should be spent on explicit teaching of language patterns and structure is an issue among second language teachers. Those who believe that language learning is a developmental process feel that there is no sense in teaching grammar and syntax explicitly since the learner can be expected to acquire these skills as he…

A study investigated whether syntactic differences between oral and written discourse interfere with the comprehension of beginning readers. Subjects were 28 second grade and 28 fifth grade students who read, orally, versions of stories identical in nature except for the structure of their syntactic patterns. One version contained structures more…

Generic teaching knowledge and skill is seen as a central component of preservice teacher education programs. Generic domains of teaching are the common base of knowledge and skills important to all teachers regardless of subject matter or grade level. Most classifications of generic teaching skills fall generally into one of two categories, one…

This document is the second of a series of four reports developed to provide a comprehensive overview of parent involvement, encompassing the family, parenting needs, and existing resources, in addition to current parent education approaches and practices. This "Family Academy Model" provides one interpretation of how the family functions as…

One of ten studies commissioned to investigate research needs and to stimulate planning activities, this paper addresses its recommendations to the National Institute of Education (NIE), the National Assessment, and other agencies with potential capacity to conduct or facilitate research in international education. A major part of the paper is…

This brochure is presented in the context of the "back to basics" movement to draw attention to the fact that the basics of a good education are skills that will enable people to live more effectively in the world of the future and that study of a foreign language contributes to the development of these skills. Basics are defined as…