Describes study of undergraduates that was conducted to compare the influence of the instructional environment on the frequency and types of interactions, performance, and student attitudes. Three treatment groups are described: (1) traditional classroom with instructor; (2) TV broadcast studio classroom with instructor; and (3) studio classroom…

Describes simulation software that was used with an LCD overhead display and laptop computers for large introductory psychology courses. The use of experiment simulators to increase student interest and activity is discussed, hardware is explained, and interaction between students, instructor, and the simulation is described. (14 references) (LRW)

Describes study that was carried out at the University of Calgary to determine how elementary school children conceive of computer-related tasks and how this information might be used to generate animated icons for educational software. Child-computer interaction is discussed, and differences in responses between three age groups are examined. (10…

Describes four major types of learning theories (behavioral, cognitive, cybernetic, and andragogical); examines pertinent literature for each; and traces links between the literature of learning theory and that of the design of online public access catalog instructional systems. (32 references) (Author/CLB)

Investigated were the interactions among instructional elements of 26 commercial courseware packages, 62 learning-disabled students (aged 9-18), and their seven teachers. Reported are teachers' strategies for introducing, augmenting, and integrating computer-based education into ongoing instructional arrangements. Teachers developed a variety of…

Describes interactive games that can be used to encourage students to complete reading assignments, and gives suggestions for improving the usefulness of readings. The games emphasize instructional objectives including verbal fluency, recall of facts, perceiving important points, summarizing, heuristics, debating, and tutorial support. (LRW)

Compared play, social, and attachment behaviors of 71 preschool children who had entered infant day care at varying ages and received varying amounts of day care. Concluded that continuous infant day care in quality centers appears to facilitate preschool social behavior and does not negatively affect attachment behavior. (NH)

Emphasizes that to understand the American West, one must realize the central importance of the environment to its inhabitants. Provides an overview of western environmental history. Discusses state and federal reclamation efforts, the role of public lands, and the growth of conservation and preservation movements. (KO)

An examination of the use of parent-child communicative acts found that 12 autistic children (aged 4-12) had more incidents of no responses and produced less turn-taking vocalization and gesture than 25 language-matched nonautistic comparison children. Parents of autistic children exhibited a greater amount of initiating and use of imperatives.…

Indepth observations in three American schools and three Japanese schools for the Interface Project revealed six major areas of interface between facilities and student learning. The interface profile is presented. (MLF)

Describes a project in England that used interactive drama with student nurses to promote healthy behavior with secondary school pupils concerning sexual relations. Highlights include pretests and posttests, secondary pupil attitudes and student nurse attitudes, and gender differences in responses by pupils. (Author/LRW)

Discusses a survey conducted to understand the gender imbalance and high level of female attrition in computer science. Suggests that factors influencing the rate of attrition are lack of previous experience with computers, gender-biased attitudes and behavior, interactions with other computer science students, and the nature of computer science…

Four students (ages 4-6) with developmental disabilities who exhibited challenging behaviors in teaching situations were exposed to high intensity and low intensity social interaction in a play situation and a task situation. Interaction intensity made no difference in students' behavior. Two students exhibited task avoidance and two exhibited…

This study used direct observation procedures to analyze communicative intent and subsequent frequency of turntaking between four adults with developmental disabilities and their residential staff. Results suggest that in group discourse, questioning-type speech may set the occasion for a greater number of subsequent conversational turns than does…

Reports the results of a study that examined the patterns of interactions of high school student partners engaged in problem-solving activities while working through computer simulation activities in an astronomy lab. Observations, interviews with teachers and students, and a software program evaluation are discussed. (LRW)