Argues for innovation in teaching physics. Contends that the major premise of work in physics education is that educational innovations should be based on research into student learning, and that the effectiveness of an innovation should be evaluated by openly assessing what students have actually learned--a notion that is starling to those in…

Explicates aspects of dialogue theory that may enhance understanding of educational processes in general and interactive learning processes in particular. Bakhtin's extended theory of dialogue, the concept of multivoicedness and Lotman's dual functions of texts are explained and used to analyze a Web-mediated discussion among university students.…

Asks whether what is taught in science class only makes sense to someone who already understands science. Discusses school science in terms of four questions: (1) What is to be taught?; (2) What conditions promote learning?; (3) What do students learn?; and (4) What are the cognitive processes in learners' minds? (Contains 17 references.)…

Identifies gaps between what research reveals about how college students learn and current academic, pedagogical, and administrative practices and policies. Offers five explanations of why these gaps exist and suggests that change must be systemic, and will also require that people relearn their roles, systematic measurement of progress, and a…

Observed gesture and speech to investigate patterns of change in third and fourth graders' strategies for solving mathematical equivalence problems before and after an intervention. Children who received instruction were more likely to generate new strategies. Gradual change was more common. Abrupt strategy change was more common in children who…

Two models (exam and oral argument performance) to predict academic performance using ability, affective, and cognitive variables were evaluated using students in their first year of law school. Different processes appear to operate in each of the two academic tasks. The implications of the results for law school education and future research are…

Discusses the importance of modeling, hints, and other information contexts for providing a link to establishing new problem-solving strategies for toddlers and older children. Discusses the use of the microgenetic approach for yielding valuable information about strategic development despite the lack of availability of verbal reports. Suggests…

Discusses changes that occurred in preservice teachers' thinking about and use of technology infusion and its role in student learning. Reports findings from a two-year evaluation study of a preservice teacher technology infusion project in which teams of teacher educators and K-12 teachers collaborated to infuse technology into their respective…

Introduces the computer software program Learning and Understanding through Computer-based Interactive Discovery (LUCID) which is designed to increase student engagement in the learning process. Evaluates the effectiveness of LUCID on student attitudes and grades. (YDS)

Many instructors get a little anxious about working with teenagers; thinking that they will be immature, unmotivated, and argumentative. Add the words "at-risk" or "adjudicated" and most adults get very nervous. At-risk and adjudicated youth know when individuals are nervous and will do their best to intimidate and control them. Instructors need a…

The present study investigated the role of students' homework practices in their self-efficacy beliefs regarding their use of specific learning processes (e.g., organizing, memorizing, concentrating, monitoring, etc.), perceptions of academic responsibility, and academic achievement. One hundred and seventy-nine girls from multi-ethnic, mixed…

Background: Self-managed learning groups are increasingly used in higher education. There is a need for more systematic investigation of university students' perceptions of the processes and outcomes of this learning method. Aims: This study aimed to identify the domains of process issues that students perceive as relevant to their participation…

The first part of this paper describes the rationale for and process of engaging student teachers in action research during the fourth and final year of their teacher education, which is also their first year as teachers (induction year). During this year the novice teachers are engaged in an action research project as a compulsory assignment in…

This study investigated second-language (L2) learning to gain a better understanding of learning mechanisms that also operate in child first-language L1 learners. The research was inspired by research on the beneficial effects of child-directed speech CDS. We tried to examine whether such benefits can be observed in the domain of inflectional…

For many years universities around the world have sought to articulate the nature of the education they offer to their students through a description of the generic qualities and skills their graduates possess. Despite the lengthy history of the rhetoric of such policy claims, universities' endeavours to describe generic attributes of graduates…