A study investigated the effectiveness of self-instructional strategies in enhancing the word recognition skills of learning disabled elementary school children. Subjects were 30 students in learning disabilities resource rooms whose word recognition skills were at least one year below expectancy, as measured by a standardized reading test, and…

The literature relating to instructional improvement since 1978 is examined. After a review of implications of recent learning theories, it is concluded that theorists agree generally that: learning is enhanced when the student is active rather than passive; learning is improved by practice and feedback; learning is improved when directed toward…

Concerns about the current educational technology movement are discussed in these four papers which were presented during a seminar of 20 representatives from 10 Council for Educational Development and Research (CEDaR) member institutions. The first by Marcella Pitts and E. Joseph Schneider provides an overview of the educational technology…

A conceptual model is presented for the development of thinking skills by using an instructional model employing high level cognitive demands. "Distancing" is proposed as the concept to denote behaviors or events that separate the child cognitively from the immediate behavioral environment. Forms and functions of distancing behavior are…

A review of the literature on instruction in English as a second language (ESL) looks at four areas of ESL instruction individually and then derives conclusions and recommendations from those areas. The first area, ESL instructional approaches, includes discussion of the educational benefits of current ESL instructional approaches (audiolingual…

This collection of five articles presents the viewpoints of experts on various aspects of the field of instructional technology (IT). Wesley C. Meierhenry traces the history of IT from its original emphasis on audiovisual media to its current concern with instructional design and the use of systems and systematic approaches. Henry T. Ingle…

This paper examines 10 principles of learning and suggests ways in which vocational education teachers may apply them in their classrooms. The following principles are discussed: reductionism, the law of effect, imitation and observational learning, classroom management without punishment, shaping, the law of primacy, token rewards, the law of…

After a survey of current methods of studying lexical acquisition, none of which are really suitable for studying how specific words are acquired and used by adult learners and how such usage differs from that of native speakers, a method is proposed for the study of such qualitative aspects of second language lexical acquisition. Learners are…

The amount of time that should be spent on explicit teaching of language patterns and structure is an issue among second language teachers. Those who believe that language learning is a developmental process feel that there is no sense in teaching grammar and syntax explicitly since the learner can be expected to acquire these skills as he…

A study investigated whether syntactic differences between oral and written discourse interfere with the comprehension of beginning readers. Subjects were 28 second grade and 28 fifth grade students who read, orally, versions of stories identical in nature except for the structure of their syntactic patterns. One version contained structures more…

Six teachers judged as expert representatives of either Kenneth Goodman's or Caleb Gattegno's theoretical positions were videotaped while working with remedial readers eight to nine years old. Interactions were analyzed using the Analytical System of Student-Teacher Interactions in Reading (ASSTIR). Results indicated that students in both groups…

This document on inservice training and staff development is one in a series of four developed to provide a comprehensive overview of the scope of training practices relating to adult learning. Directed toward educators designing and conducting training programs and toward trainers of trainers, these contributions by adult educators and…

A resource for adult educators, this guide was developed as a teacher aid to be used with "Learning Activities for Adults," a curriculum supplement developed by adult education teachers in Florida that is based on Florida's Minimum Student Performance Standards. This assessment and resource is divided into five general knowledge areas:…

This document opens with an editorial comment on two analogical models for mathematics education research. Analyses and abstracts of twelve research reports related to mathematics education follow. Four of the reports deal with aspects of learning theory, two with sex differences, and one each with achievement grouping, drill and practice,…

Using Jean Piaget's theory of thinking as a structuring mechanism, this paper presents a theoretical framework for the development of remedial, corrective, and developmental reading programs geared toward teaching reading comprehension. The four stages of intellectual development that Piaget has proposed (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete…