The learning sciences of today recognize the tri-dimensional nature of learning as involving cognitive, social and emotional phenomena. However, many computer-supported argumentation systems still fail in addressing the socio-emotional aspects of group reasoning, perhaps due to a lack of an integrated theoretical vision of how these three…

The pressures inherent in trying to be perfect can undermine learning and exacerbate anxiety in certain students. In the current article, we review existing research and theory on the role of perfectionism in language learning anxiety and performance deficits. Our analysis highlights the complexities inherent in the perfectionism construct,…

This article is a review of articles, chapters and current research examining Mode Deactivation Therapy. Current applications of MDT suggest that mindfulness is a core component of MDT, as well as acceptance, defusion and validation, clarification and redirection of the functional alternative beliefs. These components are the core of MDT and a…

Application of physiological methods, in particular electroencephalography (EEG), offers new and promising approaches to educational psychology research. EEG is identified as a physiological index that can serve as an online, continuous measure of cognitive load detecting subtle fluctuations in instantaneous load, which can help explain effects of…

Models and modeling are a major issue in science studies and in science education. In addressing such an issue, we first propose an epistemological discussion based on the works of Cartwright (1983, 1999), Fleck (1935/1979), and Hacking (1983). This leads us to emphasize the transitions between the abstract and the concrete in the modeling…

In the last three decades there have been a variety of studies of what is often referred to as "everyday" or "street" mathematics. These studies have documented a rich variety of arithmetic practices involved in activities such as tailoring, carpet laying, dieting, or grocery shopping. More importantly, these studies have helped to rectify…

The literature on humor generally focuses on the nature of incongruities as the root of humor. In this article, the author takes the examination of humor one step further by meditating on the mental frame involved with humor. He is interested in what cultural experiences would predispose the individuals within a given culture to have a sense of…

The literature on organizational learning is dominated by behavioral learning and cognitive learning approaches. The former emphasizes qualitative methods and macro aspects, the latter quantitative methods and micro practices. A case study approach that embodies both qualitative and quantitative is useful for dealing with behavioral and cognitive…

This paper presents a synthesis of recently published case-studies in mathematics education research on students' mathematical thinking, and provides analyses, with respect to that literature, of video vignettes of high school students' mathematical activities as they participate in a two-week precalculus institute. We questioned whether emergent…

Documents the progressive spelling strategies and improvement of one third-grade student over the course of eight drafts. (HTH)

Discusses the influence of feelings, motivations, and personal meanings on mathematical thinking and learning. Presents case studies of four adults who suffer from learning difficulties. (RJC)

Literature concerning "idiots savants" is reviewed, and various theories and possible explanations are discussed, as are common areas of expertise and cognitive traits. Several case studies are used to illustrate the possible relationship between autism and idiots savants. Educational implications of these findings are considered.…

Experimental, clinical, and personal observations give some support to the notions that: (1) intensive live training with anxious subjects is required in order to demonstrate that perspective relaxation has physiological effects; (2) physiological, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms of anxiety are separable and may respond differentially to…

Material from the literature and from current research on teacher thinking is used to explore models of teachers' interactive thinking and relationships among teachers' practical theories of teaching, interactive thinking, and classroom action. (IAH)

Numerous cognitive psychologists have validated the hypothesis, originally advanced by the Russian physician, A. Luria, that different individuals process information in two distinctly different manners: simultaneously and sequentially. The importance of recognizing the existence of these two distinct styles of processing information and selecting…