Problem solving allows students to use what they know to achieve a goal when no solution is apparent. Traditional educational models evolved from an earlier system, based on rote memorization and designed to produce employees for industry. The workforce of tomorrow must move beyond rote learning by both applying current knowledge and using…

Margaret J. Wheatley, the organizational consultant who wrote the 1999 classic, "Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World," laments about the rigid structures and processes that often strangle organizations rendering them incapable of change. Wheatley asserts that organizations lack faith that their purpose…

Like other learning tools, simulations benefit from an instructional context. To use Gagne and Briggs' model as an example, the learner should first be reminded of the prerequisite learnings, informed of the objectives, and his/her attention gained before being presented with the learning material. Research regarding simulations in education…

This article focuses on the communication of compensatory self-presentations (CSP) (i.e., self-presentations that people engage in after publicly receiving unfavorable feedback), with prior work showing that people prudently constrain CSP to areas unrelated (vs. related) to the initial feedback. With the current project we examine the influence…

An action research investigation into the use of specific reading comprehension strategies with a group of six young adults with Down syndrome revealed a previously undocumented finding in the area of reading comprehension. This was a uniform deficit among the participants to understand the meanings of question words. This deficit was shown to…

This article reflects on some of the findings of a research project which investigated the practice of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) within a major national teacher upgrading project in South Africa--the National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE). The article analyses the ways in which a range of contextual factors have positioned RPL…

Research has shown that an increase in students' interest in science and engineering can have a positive effect on their achievement (Baird, 1986; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002; French, Immekus & Oakes, 2005; Schiefele, Krapp, & Winteler, 1992; Schwartz Bloom & Haplin, 2003; Weinburgh, 1995). Whereas many NSF-funded programs in materials…

Increasingly, online classes have been used to address the rising demand for statistics training and calls for improved curricula. However, little empirical research has examined the efficacy of online statistics courses. The present study sought to fill this niche by comparing the grades, attrition, pass rates, and satisfaction of 181 students…

The present study was developed to assess teachers' beliefs on (1) the role of prior language knowledge in language learning; (2) the perceived usefulness of language knowledge in modern society; and (3) the teaching practices to be used with multilingual students. Subjects were 176 secondary schoolteachers working in Italy (N = 103), Austria (N =…

This study examined the role of learners' perceptions in a learner-controlled computer-based learning environment. Computer-based learning environments that offer learner control (LC) to the learners are assumed to enhance motivation and learning outcomes. Recently, the focus of LC research has shifted from measuring the direct effect of LC on…

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of appropriately designed multimedia software for both conversational and formal styles with respect to various variables. The model of nonequivalent control group was used in the study. While the group studying with the multimedia material in formal style included 22 students, the other group…

Implementing process pedagogy in an L2 writing classroom has its own limits for students with low English proficiency. Although L1 writers commonly benefit from writing multiple drafts, most of the low English level Korean college students in my English composition class did not benefit from the revisions. This article introduces an innovative…

Experiential education is a well documented approach to engaging student learners. This manuscript presents findings from a qualitative inquiry, specifically focus group discussions, investigating the perceptions of 28 student participants in a learning opportunity provided to a kinesiology class involving structured group exercise (marathon…

This study investigated goal setting for learning English language of Bangkok University students. A set of questionnaires for the assessment of goal settings and problems of learning English was administered to 370 second-year students. The study revealed that the goal setting was at a moderate level. There were statistically significant…

This study addresses the link between urban teachers' beliefs about their students' ability to succeed in astronomy and their instructional decisions and practices in response to those beliefs. The findings suggest that teachers believe that the student characteristics that are necessary for high achievement in astronomy include specific cognitive…