Describes the assessment of elementary-education majors' understanding of the learning cycle. Students displayed a high frequency of alternative conceptions even though the assessment was administered after they had received instruction and extensive modeling of the learning cycle. The data provided by the test can be used to improve instruction…

A study of the "silent period" in second-language learning focused on behavior of a 6-year-old Polish child shortly after immigration, in interaction with American children, bilingual Polish-American children, and another recent English-learner. Comparing play environments allowed identification of characteristics of interaction with…

Examines the role of educational technology from a constructivist perspective. Discusses the subset of computer-based technologies, especially the Internet, that are changing the way interactivity is defined, and examines how these technologies interface with constructivist approaches to pedagogy. Explores the place of constructivism as a…

Describes eliciting teachers' views on the nature of science, interpreting and understanding these views, and developing these views in the context of initial or in-service teacher education. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

Addresses some criticisms of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) project. Offers a different description of the CASE teaching method and presents evidence from the program. Contains 20 references. (Author/WRM)

Discusses Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI) and its integration in teaching English-as-a-Foreign-Language (TEFL) teacher-education programs. Four steps for introducing EFL teachers to MI theory are provided: introduce the basic theory; use an MI inventory; categorize familiar EFL activities; conduct a personal audit of…

Illustrates how the five cognitive levels--somatic, mythic, romantic, philosophic, and ironic--can be used to guide teaching and learning activities appropriate for engineering students. Uses the example of the concept of energy to demonstrate how educators might appeal to each mode of thinking for understanding a particular concept. (Contains 11…

Research on mature graduate students' approaches to learning indicates that quantitative conceptions of learning predominate, but also suggests an additional model. Examines empirical data concerning the stability of these conceptions over time in the context of graduate education, and argues for further research into a conception which holds that…

Reviews three learning models (objectivist, collaborative, and constructivist) and information technologies that can be used to support the effective application of these learning models in construction engineering education. The effectiveness of an information technology is analyzed through the appropriateness of the technology in supporting a…

Investigates variations in students' responses to lever problems across multiple assessment contexts and formats. Data sources include students' semantic maps, written responses to questions, and modeled solutions to practical problems. Contains 40 references. (DDR)

Presents a set of methodological procedures to analyze student arguments. Uses discourse analysis based on perspectives from the philosophy of science and sociolinguistics. Explores conditions leading to warranted arguments. Contains 60 references. (DDR)

Reports on a qualitative study of the learning environment of a biology class. Suggests that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation--which could lead to deep involvement in science learning--are constrained by teacher-centered methods. Contains 31 references. (DDR)

Argues that a position should be taken on which future research initiatives on learning and instruction will be most worthy if grounded in general systems theory and multiple research methods are employed. Presents an application of general systems theory to research on learning and instruction, including a system of research methods and…

Presents the results of a study that elucidates children's developing powers of explanation as they relate to global warming and ozone depletion. Discusses the results using charts and provides questions from the questionnaire used in the study. (DDR)

Offers a trenchant critique of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, both of whom claimed to identify stages in moral development that are "universal, culturally invariant, and nonregressive." Explains some inadequacies in these theories, which have become so influential in education, and offers suggestions for further investigation. (MJP)