Examined the nature of perceptual classification in children and young adults. Found that most children attend selectively to one stimulus dimension when making perceptual classification judgments. Suggests that this developmental trend does not appear to be a holistic-to-analytic shift but rather a trend toward greater consistency in following a…

This discussion article addresses the nature of models used in hydrology. It proposes a minimalist classification of models into two categories: models built on data from observations of the processes involved, and those for which there are no observation data on any of these processes, at the scale of interest. (LZ)

Investigates the processes involved in the learning of Arabic subject-verb agreement by Australians. It is hypothesized that the amount and direction of information encoding motivated by certain semantic categories as well as the availability of discourse cues would influence the learners' performance in subject-verb agreement tasks. (27…

A study of 54 first-year engineering students at an Australian university investigated their critical thinking skills as related to 3 kinds of study strategy: surface strategy; deep strategy; and achieving strategy. Results indicated a negative correlation between critical thinking ability and the achieving study strategy. Implications for…

Reviews recent developments in the use of computers as educational multimedia resources, and analyzes computer image types that have the potential to make significant contributions to teaching and learning. Discusses the impact of information technology in education and evaluates the advantages of four different forms of multimedia video…

Examines the needs of culturally-diverse students in grades 3 to 12, defines different learning styles, and identifies cultural values that impact on the learning process among Hispanic Americans. Also reviews research on learning styles of this population, and discusses implications of research findings on counseling and teaching Hispanic youth.…

Suggests that young pupils find collaborative learning hard to sustain, and discusses interpretations of this observation. Suggests that theory and research have neglected situational continuities between formal and (more successful) informal collaborations. Argues for attending more carefully to the environments of joint problem solving and how…

Examines classic fairy tales, noting the lack of attention given the role of imagination in children's learning. Discusses features of fairy stories such as structure, oppositional concepts, and emotional component, then infers four principles about young children's learning. Gives two examples of how these principles can influence teaching to be…

Describes and analyzes a young deaf girl's written products from the home setting from age three to seven. Examines her working hypothesis towards the forms of print and compares to those of young hearing children, revealing the diversity of paths all children take in becoming writers and readers. (SR)

This article argues that if higher education pursues the new norms of scholarship proposed by Ernest Boyer in "Scholarship Reconsidered," a new kind of action research is required that would conflict with the epistemology of the existing research university. An illustration of this kind of research is offered, and the epistemological,…

Discusses results of a study of language arts and literacy instruction of language-minority students in 18 urban classrooms. Delineates a framework, based on the study, for identifying critical instructional practices that appeared to facilitate both learning and language development for language-minority students. Includes several examples of…

A longitudinal study examined the acquisition of English articles by three six-year-old children whose native tongue is Chinese, a language without articles. Findings suggest that referential place-holding and referential substitution may not be a Chinese-specific second-language learning phenomenon, rather part of a universal referential strategy…

Compares the effects on college students in a study skills course of five hours of instruction in outlining; networking, a form graphically organizing materials; and memory techniques and library research. Though all groups showed improvement in comprehension and retention of texts, the outlining group doubled the gains realized by the others.…

Education is on the wrong track largely because of "solutions" that have isolated teachers and students from one another and from sensible ways of spending time. Assessment is a full-fledged disaster that discriminates, stigmatizes, and disempowers individuals for life. Education is not an orderly, rational system. Educators should…

Describes a study that examined decisions made by secondary school students as they completed an assignment that required them to seek and use information. Results indicated that a learning experience is composed of a variety of intertwined "learning strands." Educators should recognize that learning on one strand can support learning on…