Within our lives there are spaces of influence or opportunities in which the impact of an "influential other" enables learning in ways that might not otherwise occur. This paper focusses on learning in terms of the learning of others, and in particular the professional impact of John Bowden. Building on the work of Vygotsky (1978), and Wood,…

Creative intelligence is relevant to all aspects of the school curriculum, yet it is through art and design that pupils may come to experience the significance of creativity as a means of exploring innovative and original ideas which offer credence to the individual and affect approaches to learning. This article analyses creativity and the…

Research findings indicate that many students fail to benefit from academic support services and courses. The paper discusses reasons why some students resist changing their academic behaviors and links the reasons to learning and motivation variables. The explanations for failure to change include: (1) students believe they can't change; (2)…

The objective of this study was to investigate how different components of achievement goal theory were related to each other and to students' motivation, cognitive engagement, and achievement in mathematics. Junior high school students (N=525) completed a self-report survey that assessed their perceived classroom goal structures; personal goal…

In this special issue, readers were introduced to three powerful, evidence-based instructional practices that hold great promise for ameliorating many of the reading difficulties encountered by pupils in 21st century classrooms. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), and START tutoring have emerged from over…

Instructional condition has been an important area of study to improve learner satisfaction and learning outcomes within public and private organizations. Among various types of learning methods satisfying the online learner's learning styles, this study examined the effect of flexible learning delivery format on learning and application of…

Research shows that learners of all ages have difficulties deploying key cognitive and metacognitive self-regulatory skills during learning about complex and challenging topics when using open-ended learning environments such as hypermedia. This article provides an overview of the research my students and I have conducted on how the use of…

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of a tutoring intervention provided by community tutors to kindergarten students at risk for reading difficulties. The 73 students were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: (a) tutoring 4 days a week, (b) tutoring 2 days a week, or (c) a control condition that provided…

The purpose of the study was to bridge the gap between situational and more general measures in investigating university students' studying. More precisely, the aim was to establish a connection between students' situational reaction tendencies and their general study orientations. Furthermore, situational reaction tendencies were related to the…

This study investigates the understanding of 18 first-year undergraduate students when simultaneously presented with two contrasting dynamical situations: the idealized (without air resistance) and real-world cases of balls being dropped or thrown. Previous work has shown that getting students to recognize flaws in their mental models helps them…

This study investigated the association between motivational factors and course grades for freshman and upper level college students (measured by the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionaire, MSLQ). Self-efficacy and effort regulation were strong predictors for both groups. Instrinsic motivation was associated with course grades, but not…

This paper attempts to identify and address the assumptions that have been made about the engagement of learners in online learning environments. Research studies have shown that learner engagement is paramount to learning success (Herrington, Oliver, & Reeves, 2003). Defined here as the "the mobilization of cognitive, affective and motivational…

In resource-based learning scenarios, students are often overwhelmed by the complexity of task-relevant knowledge and information. Techniques for the external interactive representation of individual knowledge in graphical format may help them to cope with complex problem situations. Advanced computer-based concept-mapping tools have the potential…

Success in high school algebra is gaining increased importance for all students, including those identified as having learning disabilities (LD). Despite its importance, we know little about what students with and without LD say about their algebra classes. This study examined findings from a survey of 410 general education students and 46 peers…

A professor of Biology shares his experience at the BioQUEST workshop, which he attended. He talks about the BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium, which is a large-scale college biology project, focusing on active learning strategies, and the use of technology in teaching. The approaches presented at the workshop are described.