Describes a study of college students that examined the instructional effect of visual and verbal metaphors in facilitating student achievement of different educational objectives. The effect of students' verbal ability and the amount of time they spent interacting with their respective instructional modules were also measured. (Author/LRW)

A study examined the impact of functional assessment interventions on appropriate and challenging behaviors of 75 typical children (ages 3-6), 60 children at-risk, and 75 children with special needs. Functional assessment procedures resulted in a decrease in challenging behavior and nonengagement and an increase in active engagement and peer…

Examines the effects of program mode (i.e., a lean program version containing a basic amount of learner practice versus a full mode containing expanded practice) and learner preference (matched or unmatched) for amount of practice on the achievement, time-in-program, and attitudes of university undergraduate students. Students preferred the lean…

One of a series of articles on principles of good practice in legal education, this article focuses on the importance of spending time and energy for efficient learning. Discusses ways to optimize student time on task, faculty time on task, institutional time on task, and the overall time and attention devoted to teaching and learning within legal…

Explores time, distance, focus, and excellence within the context of art and arts education policy and the relationships among them. Raises several questions for policy makers related to attracting/keeping arts teachers, helping students learn the unique lessons of art, and maintaining necessary policy positions in a dynamic environment. (CMK)

Examined the efficacy of an automated reinforcement device, the Attention Training System (ATS), in decreasing off-task behavior in an 11-year-old, fifth-grade student who had been diagnosed as being affected with ADHD and had been placed in Special Education Resources Room programming. Results indicated success in three subject areas. (JBJ)

Describes research that investigated the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) in support of mastery learning based on a study of 333 undergraduate students who used a CBI system called Management Information Systems Tutor (MIST). Student performance and time on task are examined. (Author/LRW)

This study examined two kindergarten literacy frameworks (environment and events) and their effect on kindergartners' literacy development. Observations, interviews, and pre- and postmeasures of literacy achievement indicated that students in the emergent literacy kindergarten made significantly more literacy gains than those in the reading…

Two studies evaluated the effects of within-task and competing visual stimulation on the mathematics performance and behavior of 17 children (ages 8-14) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results indicate the same high within-task simulation that enhanced student performance and reduced off-task behavior was effective only when…

Compared use of problems and the conventional case method as methods of instruction at the Utrecht University Law School (Netherlands). The problem method required students to find, frame, and analyze issues and provided training seminars in legal problem-solving skills. Students using problems spent more time on learning activities and performed…

Describes a study at the University of Southern Queensland (Australia) that measured self-efficacy for computer use of teacher education students at the beginning of their course and again following a semester in which some students had completed computer courses. The amount of time spent using computers contributed most to the variance in…

This preliminary study employed mixed methodologies to explore students' use of mobile computing devices and its effects on their motivation to learn, engagement in learning activities, and support for learning processes. Data collected from students in four elementary and two seventh grade science classes in Northeast Ohio included usage logs,…

Employees with access to e-learning courses targeting computer skills were tracked during a year-long study. Employees' perceptions of peer and supervisor support, job characteristics (such as workload and autonomy), and motivation to learn were used to predict total time spent using e-learning. Results suggest the importance of motivation to…

What happens to English academic achievement when valued class time is devoted to a foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES) program? Is there a reduction in achievement as suggested by a time-on-task hypothesis, or is there some form of compensation, as suggested by additive bilingualism? The school district in this study started a FLES…

Children exposed to psychosocial stressors often develop behavior disorders that include off-task responding in the classroom. We used errorless embedding, a rapport-based, nonpunitive intervention, to improve on-task behavior in such children. In a multiple-baseline across subjects design, we observed 5 children with severe behavioral…