The National Research Council report, "Scientific Research in Education," claims to present an inclusive view of sciences in responding to federal attempts to legislate educational research. This article asserts that it narrowly defines science as positivism and methodology as quantitative, rejecting postmodernism and omitting other theories. Uses…

The Indiana University School of Nursing uses a definition for critical thinking that is more operational than theoretical. It elaborates defining characteristics for six critical thinking competencies: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation. (SK)

Explains why definition of action research is problematic and presents working definitions developed internationally that indicate its nature, philosophy, and methodology. Suggests that pragmatic approaches to definition serve communication purposes without narrowly confining the concept. (SK)

Definitional journals (n=25) and concept maps (n=15) of adult education graduate students were analyzed. Identifying terms and linking them in concept maps helped students gain understanding of the field. Students tended to choose terms and design maps descriptive of others' conceptualizations, neglecting their own knowledge and experience.…

Definitions of vocational education may be classified as epistemological, teleological, hierarchical, or pragmatic. No single classification is adequate to identify it across location and time. A definition should be a composite of the four categories: the development and application of knowledge and skills for middle-level occupations needed by…

Argues that fine arts have never gained a major place in either public school curricula or educational research because artists, critics, and educators have been unable or unwilling to define art. Proposes a working definition of art as visual communication that would permit systematic curriculum development and instructional research. (FMW)

A model is presented that views gifted individuals as being process oriented, creative individuals as product oriented, and talented individuals as performance oriented. Approaches to acting that differ based on elements of giftedness, creativity, talent, and combinations thereof are explored. (JDD)

The paper argues that listeners are unable to judge unit-by-unit occurrences of stuttering acceptably. Reasons for this state of affairs and its implications for therapy, theory, and research are analyzed. An alternative speech production definition with its implications is proposed, and a diagnostic method of validating authentic stuttering is…

The commentary to EC 232 373 and EC 232 374 discusses whether stuttering is really what the listener perceives, the stutterer senses, or the dictionary states. It concludes that stuttering can probably be defined in appropriate contexts as any or all of these three things. (JDD)

Reflection is the practice of analyzing our actions, decisions, or products by focusing on the process for achieving them. This article describes three types of reflection (reflection-on-action, reflection-in-action, and reflection-for-action) and a workshop that helps teachers gain insight into beneficial teaching and learning practices. (MLH)

The protracted debate over "traditionalist" Western cultural values versus "leftist" multicultural values was mired in confusion concerning the different meanings of culture, refusal to acknowledge the extent of Western culture's entanglement with other cultures, and difficulty in understanding that multiculturalism is synonymous with our nation's…

Because the first educational reform waves were centered at state and school levels, superintendents have been left out of the picture. Excluding the superintendency from overall improvement designs or demeaning its contribution could unravel many change efforts. Superintendents must commit to a well-crafted educational agenda and redefine their…

Defines "portfolio" as an intersection of instruction and assessment and presents guidelines for using portfolios in self-directed learning. Portfolio assessment offers students a concrete way to value their own work. A portfolio is separate from a student's cumulative folder, conveys the student's activities, may have multiple purposes, and…

In response to a critique (EC 231 995) of the research bases of his three-ring conception of giftedness, the author notes selectivity and bias in the critic's methodology, raises larger issues (such as equity) underlying identification and programing for the gifted, and discusses the role of theory and the need for action. (DB)

Three studies focused on: (1) the definition of structure in a specific domain of knowledge; and (2) the relationship between the ways in which knowledge is structured and the ways in which it is used. Evidence suggested that the knowledge of expert children is structured hierarchically into well-defined families and family-groups. (RH)