The role that affective states play in learning was investigated from the perspective of a constructivist learning framework. We observed six different affect states (frustration, boredom, flow, confusion, eureka and neutral) that potentially occur during the process of learning introductory computer literacy with AutoTutor, an intelligent…

Research suggests screen reading is slower and possibly less accurate than reading from paper. Six study and test sessions over 10 months examined correct scores and retrieval responses for learning material presented via these two media. Correct scores did not differ suggesting that close matching of material can eliminate any decrement in…

This study illustrates how stories about people's experiences half a century ago can still be of educational value today. Using as a case example an interview-based study with war-brides who came to Canada after World War II, the authors show how reflexive narrative research can be a catalyst for learning for several groups of people on at least…

This article reports an empirical research project that investigated the ways in which people's commitment to Christian faith content influenced their ways of learning. The project was set in a context of theories of adult experiential learning, and took the concept of the processes of internalization and externalization as its major focus. Within…

In this article, the author describes another teacher's unique approach to teaching science in one unusual second grade classroom. Immediately upon entering the classroom, the author was surrounded by an array of colors, shapes, and objects typically found in a forest. A multitude of puppets, stuffed animals, and live animals filled the classroom.…

In the present study, it was hypothesized that (1) changes in (1) state anxiety from rest to the beginning of a speech (sensitization), in (2) changes in state anxiety during the first minute of the speech presentation (habituation 1), and in (3) state anxiety during the last minute of the speech presentation (habituation 2) are all significant…

Congruent with the University of South Australia's mission to widen access, first-year students of business studies enter the university with a wide range of educational backgrounds and experiences. Previous work (Meyer & Shanahan, 1999) has revealed that such students vary considerably in their views about what learning is, and how they engage in…

This case study examines a group of archaeologists working at a new project that strives to be more environmentally friendly and community inclusive, and positions these archaeologists as adult learners who are simultaneously creating a new vision of archaeology and learning to enact new forms of archaeological practice. Using the framework of…

It has long been a goal of science education in the United States that students leave school with a robust understanding of the nature of science. Decades of research show that this does not happen. Inquiry-based instruction is advocated as a means for developing such understanding, although there is scant direct evidence that it does. There is a…

Chemistry is a unique language in and of itself that can be difficult for students to understand. For instance, a white powder can be translated down to the atomic level in a chemical equation, thus creating a chemical word that needs to be decoded. In this article, the author shares an approach to a basic curriculum that makes chemistry…

Learning that arises from interactions at work is the focus of this study. More specifically, the concrete activities of adult learners and their interaction partners were of interest because such learning activities largely determine the quality of learning outcomes. The results of the study are summarized in the form of a typology of interactive…

Understanding the interrelations among students' cognitive, emotional, motivational, and volitional processes is an emergening focus in educational psychology. A dynamical, component systems theory of emotions is presented as a promising framework to further unravel these complex interrelations. This framework considers emotions to be a process…

This article represents our current reflections on our approach to inquiry on emotions in education. Our views reflect an eclectic blend of, educational, psychological, and social historical approaches to inquiry on emotion and emotional regulation. In an effort to explicate our approach, we address our working definitions of emotion and emotional…

This chapter examines how HIV-positive adults made sense of their diagnosis. Individuals experienced a perspective transformation or change in worldview, which was found to hold over time. Changes in meaning schemes or individual beliefs and assumptions occurred over time.

This study assessed the depth of online learning, with a focus on the nature of online interaction in four distance education course designs. The Study Process Questionnaire was used to measure the shift in students' approach to learning from the beginning to the end of the courses. Design had a significant impact on the nature of the interaction…