The purpose of this article is to describe the results of an action-research, service-learning project aimed at increasing and enhancing urban students' knowledge and motivation to learn. The project was an extension of the students' classroom experience through a community-based, service-learning project. The study sought understanding of how…

This paper presents a study which involved researching student interaction and participation under the lens of Activity Theory and Social Computing. Activity Theory is a philosophical framework that integrates the objective, the sociocultural, and the ecological, while Social Computing describes any type of computing application in which software…

This study investigates the level of students' learning when using e-lectures to increase the flexibility of the learning experience. Two cohorts of students were presented with the same material in lecture format. The control group attended a traditional live lecture, while the treatment group was offered an e-lecture with the same content. Both…

This article takes a close look at a large, well-established traditional European university, the University of Barcelona, as an example of an institution that has a long history of developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and e-learning. The results of a systematic peer-review analysis illustrate the issues, problems, and…

Although research on computer-assisted and online instruction abounds, researchers have expressed concern about the lack of theoretical frameworks for these studies. While ample research documents learning outcomes in individual courses, few attempts have been made to link computer-assisted or fully computer-mediated instruction with philosophical…

This study investigated the differential effects of two modes of instructional program (conceptual change oriented and traditionally designed) and gender difference on students' understanding of heat and temperature concepts, and their attitudes toward science as a school subject. The subjects of this study consisted of 72 seventh grade students…

The first part of this article discusses the advantages of offering courses online or in a blended format from an instructor's and manager's perspective. These advantages include: (a) improved distance support of faculty in the delivery of courses; (b) effective delivery of tutoring for students; (c) increased facility in the sharing of digital…

A study examined two methods of reading instruction, the whole language literature-based approach and the traditional basal approach. Eighty teachers from four diverse school districts in two midwestern states were surveyed to find out which method was the most widely used. Results indicated that 84% of the 50 teachers who responded used a…

This study ascertained the relative effectiveness of writing assignments in mathematics compared to traditional assignments on the performance of students (N=83) in an elementary, college algebra course. Students were placed into experimental and control groups based on the nature of assignments given. Control subjects were given 15 assignments…

In a study comparing the acquisition of information and the understanding of significant concepts by 5th grade children who studied science from two different approaches, the results lent support to the belief that science programs which allow students to discover solutions for themselves are more effective than a content-oriented approach. (EH)

This investigation tested in a university setting a laboratory teaching approach found to be productive in high school settings. The extended discretion approach (ED) gives the student a task, from two to five brief procedural steps, and a list of resources from which to choose. The student must exercise discretion in the use of available…

The purposes of this study are (1) to identify the relationship between play and achievement in preschool and kindergarten students and (2) to compare academic skill mastery levels between two types of school groups: play curriculum and direct teacher instruction. A total of 48 preschool and kindergarten students, half enrolled in a curriculum…

Achievement and attitude measures of 237 seventh-graders from an open education program and from traditional curriculums were compared. The overall finding was that an open education experience had no effect on seventh grade achievements or attitudes. (SDH)

Current practice in universities foregrounds the traditional lecture, tutorial, examination approach to teaching. The nature of currently-accepted practice in course design and administration is considered through an examination of the influence on universities of historical views about knowledge. These findings are contrasted with current…

A modified chronological or narrative historical approach for teaching world history is suggested and evaluated for both positive and negative factors. Essentially a topical-chronological approach, this technique allows for the grouping of materials under broad units that may overlap in time. (Author/JR)