The debate over whether primates can be taught visual language is examined, and evidence of use of nonverbal language in primate studies is compared with the language criteria of a number of linguistic researchers. Background information on language, visual language (including sign language), and the parameters of the studies is offered, including…

This paper reviews the book "Problem-Based Methodology," by Viviane Robinson. Consisting of 12 chapters divided into 4 parts, the book's general argument is that educational research must be grounded in problem-based methodology (PBM) if it is to contribute to the improvement of teaching and administrative practice. The reviewer first…

Cooperative assessment was investigated in a classroom setting, examining achievement outcomes, effects on motivation, and student perceptions of the cooperative assessment process. Eighty-four undergraduate psychology students participated in this nonequivalent control group study design. It was hypothesized that students taking tests using a…

Research studies that have investigated the effects of interventions aimed at reducing prejudice are reviewed, and a synthesis of their findings is presented. Some generalizations are offered that have the potential to lead towards a less prejudiced society. Research is summarized according to the intervention approaches used in the following…

The main objective of the study reported in this paper was to construct a Lakatosian teaching strategy that can facilitate conceptual change in students' understanding of chemical equilibrium. The strategy is based on the premise that cognitive conflicts must have been engendered by the students themselves in trying to cope with different problem…

This paper presents an information processing model of test anxiety in an attempt to explain the mechanism of test anxiety's effect on working memory within the framework of the American College Testing Program Assessment (ACT). The model suggests that the construct of test anxiety, both worry and emotionality, is represented in the declarative…

Using a pictorial computer simulation of a natural phenomenon, children's exploration processes and their construction of conceptual models were examined. The selected natural phenomenon was the variations of sunlight and heat of the sun experienced on the earth in relation to the positions of the earth and sun in space, and the subjects were…

This paper describes the Foresee Approach, a recently developed model for integrating content, language, and learning strategies instruction in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) or part ESL classroom. The Foresee model is an extension of Chamot and O'Malley's Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA), resembling the latter in…

A study examined the effect of a kinesthetic component in instruction on the performances of 16 5- and 6-year-old public school students on a cognitive development test. Eight boys and eight girls were randomly selected and assigned in equal numbers to a treatment group and a control group. The kinesthetic elements consisted of drawing, coloring,…

The paper argues that a relationship between visualization and mathematical problem solving ability exists. Research suggests that visual imagery leads to increased understanding of mathematical concepts at both the primary and secondary levels. Mathematical potential is not necessarily "born." Potential can be created in the least likely students…

Three studies of language brokering among linguistic minority (LM) children are reviewed and discussed. In child language brokering, children act as linguistic mediators, not translators or interpreters, for their limited-English-proficient parents and relatives. The purpose of the studies was to describe brokering in LM communities and to examine…

Inspired by the work of Donald Schon and John Dewey, educators today consider reflective practice a viable alternative to the technical-rational paradigm that has historically dominated educational thought in the United States. This paper argues that wholetheme constructivism can lead to a deeper understanding of reflective practice. Dewey…

Since risk suffuses human life and trust helps breaks the paralysis of dealing with risk, a philosophy of education must account for the relationship between risk and trust. Keith Lehrer (in progress) has developed a philosophy that seeks to prepare students for knowing as human beings actually know things, suggesting that knowledge is a matter of…

Critical variables that underlie the performance of a national sample of young adults on a diverse set of document literacy tasks were identified. The final sample was 3,618 adults. The identification of these variables provides an important first step toward building a theoretical model that would systematically account for the constructs of…

This literature review, from 1990 to the present, discusses the characteristics of autism and the comorbidity of mental retardation and autism. Specific medical syndromes that complement the heterogeneity concept are described, including epilepsy, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and Asperger syndrome. The paper presents some…