Four approaches to examining learning styles of college students are reviewed, and the use of information about learning style in the classroom, student affairs, and in the overall college work setting is addressed. Areas where additional research is needed are identified, along with steps that colleges can take to enhance the learning process.…

An argument is put forth for restructuring the community college curriculum around recurring constructs common to all disciplines. First, introductory comments review various perceptions of essential learning, offering support for the position of constructivists and proponents of writing across the curriculum that learning is an activity and a…

To determine if integrating course content with reading study skills would (1) increase student learning of course content and (2) improve students' general reading achievement, one section of a reading education course for preservice teachers was taught reading study skills along with course content; two sections were given no classroom…

The development of economic reasoning in young children is examined from the theoretical perspective of Piaget's work on cognitive development. To determine a possible correlation between grade level and the type of reasoning children use to approach economic problems, 70 urban children, preschool through grade 3, answered questions which measured…

More than 1,000 studies of reading research published between July 1, 1982, and June 30, 1983 are summarized in this report. The studies are arranged into six categories: (1) Summaries of Reading Research, (2) Teacher Preparation and Practice, (3) The Sociolgy of Reading, (4) Physiology and Psychology of Reading, (5) The Teaching of Reading, and…

Although writing today generally is perceived as process, college English departments are still deeply rooted in the concept of writing as product. Hiring depends upon product in terms of letters of inquiry, vitae, and credentials; retention, promotion, and merit raises rest on product in the form of publications, grants, awards, and teacher…

A theory of the components of verbal intelligence is developed and tested in this series of experiments. After reviewing alternative theoretical frameworks for understanding verbal intelligence, a componential theory of verbal comprehension is proposed. This theory specifies the information-processing components, context cues, and mediating…

Focusing on the social nature of reading instruction provides another direction to research and study that both differs from and adds to cognitive research. H. Mehan's theory of social constructivism emphasizes that the development of cognitive processes occurs within the individual through the internalization of interactions between learners and…

This report summarizes and evaluates existing studies of time use in schools. The first section describes theoretical views of time and learning. Two issues are discussed: the sources of variation in learning time (actual days per school year, length of school day, absenteeism), and the effects of learning time on achievement. In the second…

The effectiveness of three instructional approaches was investigated in a study of how best to facilitate vocabulary acquisition. The three approaches were (1) the cognitive approach, a method employing dictionary worksheets and patterned after the most commonly used method of teaching vocabulary; (2) the affective approach, which urged students…

In every school there are bright, motivated students who experience success in every field of academic endeavor except mathematics. These students are defined as dyscalculics, or learning disabled in mathematics. Piaget's model for cognitive development was used in a study of students evidencing this condition. The purpose of the study was to…

As part of a larger study of instructional issues for English as a second language (ESL), current literature is reviewed and summarized in four major areas affecting the teaching and learning of ESL in grades K-12: ESL instructional approaches, patterns of curriculum organization, instructional materials, and language learning theories. In the…

In this survey, an attempt is made to summarize the perspective on so-called 'misconceptions' research of those whose work in this field has not been guided by learning theory. Following the terminology of Driver and Erickson (1983), this research is called 'problem-oriented' in this paper. Its epistemological assumptions and assumptions about…

A primary goal in experiential education is to facilitate the learning from the activities in a meaningful, empowering and compelling manner. The activities, which are used to guide a reflective session, debrief a particular incident or process a learning activity vary greatly across the profession. In a study of 76 experiential educators in…

In spite of the almost universal call for curriculum reform in science education that began over a decade ago, research indicates that very little change is actually happening in a large majority of schools. Perhaps the reason is that teachers need to see a relatively fast, easy way to get started. This article considers some desirable elements of…