Summarizes the results of a study of 432 adult secondary students. The study examined the relationship between learning style, gender identity of the student, the subject taught, and the gender of the teacher. Multivariate techniques reveal gender identity to be the most significant factor in learning style differences. (MJP)

Provides a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of Interactive Working Groups (IWG). IWG is a process-oriented instruction developed at the Vrije University in Belgium. Analyzes such variables as prior knowledge test results, examination scores, and learning style characteristics. Results showed that IWG enhanced learning performance and…

Uses the "Learning Styles Questionnaire" (LSQ) with secondary school teachers to identify four preferred learning styles among: activist, reflector, theorist, and pragmatist. Discusses these preferences in light of teachers' values, positions, and subject specialization. Considers the role these preferences could play in secondary…

A study of 60 preschool, kindergarten, and first grade teachers found significant relationships among teachers' beliefs about how children learn; their views on the goals of early childhood education; their positions on policies related to school entry, testing, and retention; their satisfaction with current practices, and pressures for change;…

Learning differences or disabilities can be best understood and addressed within the holistic/constructivist theory of knowledge construction and the reciprocal evolution of cognitive structures. Learning differences manifest themselves in the spirals of mental structuring activity that guide relational thinking. Such a perspective focuses on…

Reviews current practices in foreign-language teaching in light of Bourdieu's theories of language and power to show how failing to assess discursive intent prevents students from understanding strategic use of language. Bordieu's model is then proposed as the basis for pedagogy that authorizes students to use their existing cognitive skills in…

Examines some limitations of online course delivery and management systems in terms of the range of pedagogies they support, and explores the effects of a distance learning pedagogy that emphasizes alternative forms of knowledge representation, authentic forms of assessment, and use of distributed tools on students outcomes and student perceptions…

Contends that science education researchers should devote more time to creating and studying models of intergenerational and community-based science education. Argues that such inquiries have the potential to provoke new thinking that could expand basic conceptions of what it means to learn and practice science. (WRM)

Discusses undergraduate needs for user education for effective library use. Describes models for understanding needs, including a subject-based hierarchical model; examines learning theories for undergraduates, including cognitive style mapping and cognitive development; and presents models of user education. (LRW)

Reviews current directions and developments in cognitive theory and instructional design, highlighting cognitive science, constructivism, component-based instruction, customization, and creativity. In a practical implementation, a computerized interactive learning environment which has been developed for university freshmen in theoretical computer…

Purpose: To investigate how modern or traditional are the current roles of South Australian HRD practitioners in the context of present-day work organisations. Also, how are their roles related to the organisational context in which they operate? Design/methodology/approach: The study is a replication of two prior qualitative empirical studies…

This article focuses on facilitating learners' collaborative knowledge construction in case-based learning scenarios. The article first describes how case-based learning can promote knowledge acquisition and then discusses the characteristics of videoconferencing in such scenarios. Then we focus our attention on the process and outcomes of the…

This concluding chapter, written by a national leader in higher education, reflects on public scholarship from a perspective beyond Penn State and argues that public scholarship promises to strengthen "that special form of public decision making that we call democracy."

There is no shortage of important research findings describing how educators may improve the academic and social achievement of adolescents (Ames and Archer 1988; Anderman 2002; Goodenow 1993; Committee on Increasing High School Student Engagement and Motivation to Learn 2003; Turner et al. 2003). Despite the soundness of this research and the…

Sociocultural theories of learning such as Wenger and Lave's situated learning have been suggested as alternatives to cognitive theories of learning like constructivism. This article examines situated learning within the context of computer science (CS) education. Situated learning accurately describes some CS communities like open-source software…