Distinguishes social capital from societal cohesion. Argues that education acts in different ways for each. Develops a distributional model showing the relationship between equality of educational outcomes and various measures of social cohesion. Discusses theories explaining country trends and variations in educational inequality and social…

A study with nine physics students in a Quebec university found they saw themselves learning primarily outside the classroom as they solved assigned problems, saw few new concepts being introduced, and felt they had moved beyond memorization to application of concepts to problem solving. Students' perceptions were sometimes at odds with teachers'…

Criticizes the adoption of business-originated Total Quality Management principles into school administration. Contrasts this with the establishment of learning communities, an approach that emphasizes engendering commitments in individuals as opposed to manipulation or control. Further outlines this approach and describes several successful…

Describes Chicago magnet school's use of seminar discussion and classroom dialogue to nurture students' active engagement in the learning process. Draws on experience at a public magnet school in Chicago with a student population that is largely poor and minority. (Contains 10 references.) (PKP)

Two experiments assessed the effects of activation of prior knowledge through small-group discussion. College students (n=39) and Dutch secondary school students (n=88) were asked to elaborate on possible explanations of a natural phenomenon. Data suggested that such activation of prior knowledge can be a successful instructional strategy. (SLD)

Presents literature review of research studies that focused on students' learning processes and learner control of instruction. Highlights include computer-assisted instruction; information processing strategies; metacognitive skills; adaptive control; branching; sequence of instruction; feedback; learning strategies; locus of control; and…

Describes study that was conducted to examine the effects of animation and practice on factual and application learning in elementary science computer-based instruction (CBI). The extent to which animation and practice promoted near and far transfer of learning outcomes is explored, and effects on processing time are examined. (31 references) LRW)

Discusses the role of management games in management education. Topics discussed include role playing; computer simulation; computer games; elements of management game effectiveness; Bloom's taxonomy of learning objectives; models of the learning process; group interaction; experiential learning; and research studies on the effectiveness of…

Discussion of the functions of note-taking and reviewing notes in the learning process highlights two studies of undergraduates that were conducted with three treatment groups: (1) note-taking only; (2) note-taking and review; and (3) review only with borrowed notes. One study involved learning from a videotaped lecture, and one from a printed…

Points out a misconception that is reinforced in many elementary and advanced chemistry texts. Discusses the general limitations of the orbital concept. Notes misconceptions related to the transition elements and their first ionization energies. (MVL)

Discusses the role of computers with young children and suggests that effective use should be based on an understanding of how children learn. Topics discussed include curriculum goals; criteria to consider when buying computers; teacher training; software selection; environmental considerations; and criteria for integrating computers into early…

Discussion of the optimization of the instruction of concepts emphasizes theories of cognitive psychology. The development of instruments to record the mastery of concepts by fifth graders is described, variables of both instruction and learning are discussed, and a field experiment that compared the effectiveness of video directed instruction and…

This article considers the relationship between teachers' ideological beliefs about education and the decisions they make, focusing on beliefs regarding purpose of schooling and process of knowledge acquisition. The effects of teacher beliefs on adoption and implementation of instructional innovations, particularly cooperative learning, are…

Describes the contents of a book entitled The Care and Feeding of Ideas: A Guide to Encouraging Creativity which considers the thinking process, why skills need to be developed, and how students use or should use these thinking skills. (RT)

Describes a study designed to compare student success in a concept mapping exercise with the cognitive preference of the student, and to determine whether students achieve better using individualistic or cooperative learning modes in the concept mapping exercise. Discusses the background, methodology and results. (CW)