Describes, justifies, and illustrates a process for analyzing and comparing instructional development (ID) models at the task and subtask levels. ID tasks and subtasks are identified, weights are assigned to the subtasks, and various instructional design and instructional development models are compared, as to both comprehensiveness and…

Discussion of the role of small group performance focuses on solving problems to improve performance. Types of tasks and their effects on groups are described; group resources are discussed; factors affecting group process are explained; and a flowchart for solving group performance problems is presented. (LRW)

Considers the processes associated with holistic needs assessment and other front end activities such as needs analysis, front-end analysis, and task analysis. The Organizational Elements Model (OEM) is described to clarify how processes relate to levels of organizational planning, and the optimal contexts for use of each process are suggested.…

Analyzed the growth of a theoretical-research program in information needs and seeking studies by reconstructing the logical structure of the theories and by comparing conceptual and factual similarities. Found the program to be progressive in terms of empirical support and precision of theories, and elaborative in its growth pattern. Presents…

Discusses studies of dyslexia in German- and English-speaking children. Argues that deficits in phoneme awareness are only evident in the early stages of reading acquisition, whereas rapid naming and phonological memory deficits are more persistent in dyslexic children. (Author/VWL)

Describes two exploratory studies of undergraduate and postgraduate students concerning the difficulties of learning to perform HTA (hierarchical task analysis) and how those difficulties might be overcome through proper training. Errors occurred with respect to all HTA criteria, suggesting that carrying out HTR itself is a complex cognitive task.…

Examines the predictive power of expectancy success and task value for self-regulated strategy use (SRSU) using Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire scores from 216 undergraduates. Canonical Correlation analysis revealed expectancy to be a moderate predictor, while value shared 49% of its variation with SRSU. (Contains 28 references…

Defines organizational capacity as the level of an organization's capability to deliver services and products that satisfy customer expectations and anticipate future marketplace opportunities. Considers the organization's past performance record; product and process capabilities; issues in capacity analysis; and tasks that are recommended for…

This brief article analyzes verbal protocols--oral records of thought provided by subjects when thinking aloud during or immediately after completing a task. (Author/VWL)

Describes electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) that can enhance performance and reduce training times and costs. Provides examples of EPSSs; explains why instructional designers and trainers should be interested in EPSSs; and discusses design considerations, including part task/whole task support, embedded versus linked, and user…

Four experiments were carried out to examine phonological priming effects on bisyllabic target words. In the first two, monosyllabic word and pseudoword primes facilitated lexical decisions to auditorily presented bisyllabic words. The second replicated the initial-overlap effect for monosyllabic word primes using a crossmodal method. In the…

The relation between reading ability and performance on an auditory temporal pattern discrimination task was investigated in children who were either good or delayed readers. The stimuli in the primary task consisted of sequences of tones, alternating between high and low frequencies. The threshold interstimulus interval (ISI) for discrimination…

Researchers on the job of principal have discussed the increasing complex nature of educational leadership. Some have even suggested why the principal's position is one that fewer and fewer teachers seek to fill (Fenwick, 2000). A recent report (Rayfield, 2002) suggests that the job of a principal is complex and difficult, and many duties of the…

Children more frequently specified possibilities correctly when uncertainty resided in the physical world (physical uncertainty) than in their own perspective of ignorance (epistemic uncertainty). In Experiment 1 (N=61), 4- to 6-year-olds marked both doors from which a block might emerge when the outcome was undetermined, but a single door when…

Pigeons were trained in a matching task with either color (group color-first) or line (group line-first) samples. After asymmetrical training in which each group was initially trained with the same sample on all trials, marked retention asymmetries were obtained. In both groups, accuracy dropped precipitously on trials involving the initially…