The authors constructed an 11 x 17 in. tactile map to teach routes in an outdoor play environment to a 5-year-old blind child. After learning the routes on the tactile map, the child independently navigated them in the outdoor play environment. With practice, the child reduced the time necessary to learn and navigate the routes. The authors…

The present research examined the nature of stability and change in achievement goal endorsement over time, using 4 complementary data-analytic approaches (differential continuity, mean-level change, individual-level change, and ipsative continuity). Three longitudinal studies were conducted in college classrooms; in each study, achievement goals…

This article presents the results of two single-subject experiments that were designed to determine consumers' ability to use a BrailleNote GPS. The participants decreased their mean orientation time from 6 minutes to 45 seconds and increased their target-location efficiency fourfold with BGPS than without BGPS. Additional results and implications…

The purpose of this article is to present an integrated theoretical model between epistemic beliefs and self-regulated learning. Based on a review of various theoretical frameworks, models, and empirical studies that have examined relations between the two constructs, this article discusses the role of epistemic beliefs in self-regulated learning.…

Educational computer games provide an environment in which interactions among students, teachers, and texts differ non-trivially from those of the traditional classroom. In order to build and research computer games effectively, it is important to provide a theoretical background that adequately describes and explains learning and interactions in…

Catholic schools struggle with issues of teacher recruitment and retention. The experience of new teachers--both those recently graduated from college as well as those new to the Catholic sector--often impacts retention rates. This article presents a study of induction programs for such new teachers in the US and Canada, summarizes current trends,…

Studies of the development of mental rotation have yielded conflicting results, apparently because different mental rotation tasks draw on different cognitive abilities. Children may compare two stimuli at different orientations without mental rotation if the stimuli contain orientation-free features. Two groups of children (78 6-year-olds and 92…

Rising middle level students face many new situations when they enter middle school. Stress is not uncommon for new students in any grade, but it is most acute during middle level years when students are dealing with the rapidly changing physical characteristics and emotions associated with early adolescence. The community of adults at a middle…

On the basis of recent evidence suggesting that gay men are particularly likely to fear interpersonal rejection, the authors set out to extend the "rejection sensitivity" construct to the mental health concerns of gay men. After establishing a reliable and valid measure of the gay-related rejection sensitivity construct, the authors use this to…

This study examined four goal orientations and their relationships to achievement among 1041 Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. These students endorsed learning and social goals over performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. The endorsement of learning goals emerged consistently as the significant predictor predicting achievement in…

This study explores the psychometric properties of three instruments: a semi-structured interview, a questionnaire and a sorting task. The central question is which instrument is most suitable to investigate the goal orientations of students in competence-based pre-vocational secondary education. The questionnaire proved most accurate. The…

In this chapter, the author addresses one important issue of contemporary campus life: parental involvement in the lives of today's college students. There seems to be broad consensus that the institution-parent relationship is changing, and at its most extreme manifestations presents the helicopter parent phenomenon. However, it is important not…

Dominion High School opened its doors in fall 2003 in the highly diverse, fast-growing region of Loudoun County, Virginia, with a student body of nearly 700 students in grades 9-11. A dedicated faculty and a supportive community welcomed students to the school and began working toward a collaborative vision that promoted the success of every…

This article reports the results of a mixed-method study that examined processes and outcomes of parent-worker engagement in child welfare. Knowledge gained from a qualitative exploration of engagement at one neighborhood-based child welfare agency informed the gathering of quantitative data from 74 different parent-worker dyads in this sequential…

Increased diversity within student populations has led to concerns for meeting the needs of all learners. Traditionally, education has defined diversity in terms of students' ethnicity, language, and academic abilities. In today's environment, however, multicultural efforts fall short if they do not also include sexual orientation and family…