Understanding why students are not naturally and easily able to generalize or apply what they have learned in other situations involves understanding what teachers want their students to learn; what learning is; what teaching is; and what is involved in generalizing or applying what has been learned. Research in educational psychology identifies…

This paper proposes a framework for the application of psychology to schooling that engages collaboration among users and has the potential to improve education outcomes. The assumption underlying this approach is that effective application to social and schooling contexts are self-directed, active, and experiential. The Learner-Centered…

Via computational media, humans are entering a fifth stage of cognitive development leading to a virtual culture. This culture is seen as replacing the writing-based theoretic culture. Background information about the first four stages of mental evolution or cognitive development is provided. It is suggested that the evolutionary perspective needs…

This paper contains the comments of a discussant reviewing the paper, "The Role of Visual Representations in the Learning of Mathematics" (Abraham Arcavi). A research-based evaluation is made that focuses on the ideas of stochastics and the epistemological triangle. (Contains 28 references.) (DDR)

Since the World Wide Web became in 1994 the first new mass medium since television, online learning design has evolved at Internet speed, taking in less than a decade what it took exhibit design over a century to develop in sophistication. Although virtual exhibits consisting of pictures and text are still common, educational Web designers…

This paper examines the process of change, which includes internal affective and cognitive elements, leading to new perspectives, cognitions, and behaviors in regard to attitudes towards and relationships with others who are ethnically and culturally different from themselves. It emphasizes the necessity of lifelong development of counselor…

In the 1970s W. Doise, G. Mugny and A.-N. Perret-Clermont underlined for the first time the essential role played by social interactions in cognitive development. Since then, many authors have been studying social interactions and their mediating role in knowledge apprehension and in skills acquisition. Inspired by L. Vygotsky's theory, many…

This document presents information on open learning environments in Adult Basic Education in The Netherlands. It focuses on the role of teacher, tutorial, progress, and evaluation methods. Several task groups address the four dimensions in a learning environment: accommodation, time, infrastructural, and social psychological. Through independent…

Studied the effectiveness of using a Piaget-based structured program to enhance correlative thinking of fifth, seventh, and ninth grade children. Concluded that ninth grade students profited from learning of logical operations although some had difficulty with the equivalence and reciprocal exclusion operations. (CC)

Criticizes the Ring and Novak article in terms of factor identification, conclusion validity, and random nature of fact retention. Indicates that their reported evidence is insufficient to support the conclusions. (CC)

By assembling a personality inventory, constructing an adjective check list, witnessing a Rogerian style interview, and participating in similar exercises, students learn psychology from the inside. (Editor)

This article is a "conceptual experiment' in curriculum theory. The aim is to sketch five idealized theories of knowledge and to estimate how each might plausibly be expected to influence curriculum design. (Author)

Reports a study testing a hierarchical theory postulating that the literal reading comprehension process can be divided into separate skills that are distinguishably different from each other and which are hierarchically related. (TO)

Examines aspects of the learning theories of Piaget, Bruner, Gagne, and Ausubel as they relate to laboratory experiences for upper elementary and secondary school science students. (JR)

A presentation of learning experiences involving materials is recommended which reflects the sequence of the developmental stages. This sequence is concrete, concrete-abstract, pictorial-abstract, and abstract. Instructional examples at each level are presented. (JP)