Mediated learning describes what parents and teachers do to teach and includes four components: (1) intent to teach; (2) competence; (3) transcendence to promote high level thinking; and (4) mediation of meaning, helping children to focus on the importance of what is being focused on. Mediated learning is assumed to be universal for all cultural…

The purpose of this study was to construct and study the impact of a research-based sequence for teaching the concept of modelling to seventh-grade science students. We identified students' notions of models and the aspects of school science to be addressed regarding the model concept, which were then taken into account when we planned the…

Typically, guidelines for design of interactive multimedia systems have been based on intuitive beliefs of designers rather than being founded on relevant research and theory. As advances in technology create new opportunities for education, it is important to use a range of theoretical perspectives to optimize use of new technology in teaching…

In 1980, the U.S. Congress charged the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a mission to lead development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for all of its citizens. Joseph Bordogna, deputy director of NSF, reaffirmed the agency's commitment to the mission when he stated that NSF needs to broaden participation in the…

A major challenge that decisions makers face in multi-national organizations is how to compare managers from different parts of the globe. This challenge is both psychometric and practical. We draw on the cross-cultural psychology literature to propose a three-step framework to compare personality data from different countries. The first step…

This document, which was developed through a decade of research and field testing involving more than 700 people, offers step-by-step strategies that educators, employment specialists, occupational therapists, and other professionals can use to help youths and adults with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities make their own employment choices.…

Focusing on the preconversational child who has yet to develop a stable or generalized habit of spontaneous conversation, this book presents ECO (Ecological Communication Model), a new intervention model for social and communicative development of developmentally delayed children. The model is based on two perspectives: the literature on the…

A problem that exists in business and industrial training in particular, and in adult education in general, is that program evaluation is treated as an add-on activity, usually performed only at the request of someone outside the training organization. The relevant knowledge in two separate fields, quality improvement and innovation diffusion, can…

Tech Prep programs have been designed and structured to forge strong and comprehensive links between secondary and postsecondary education institutions. Programs within these institutions lead to completion of an associate degree or two-year certificate, provide technical preparation in specified fields, build student competence, and lead to…

This book is designed to help people who want to know whether distance education is useful for them. It suggests what questions to ask in considering whether distance education makes sense in a particular context and examines the different ways in which it can be organized. Chapter 1 considers who it can teach, what it can be used for, and how…

A survey was conducted of the literature pertaining to higher education program review. Many institutions of higher education have come under intense scrutiny and criticism, and have been required to respond to public pressure for accountability. Program review is one component of the assessment of institutional effectiveness. The following seven…

Some issues involved in the measurement of student motivation and learning strategies are explored, focusing on a self-report instrument, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The MSLQ, designed to assess the motivational orientation and learning strategy use of college students and based on a social-cognitive view, has been…

Although the conditions under which adjunct faculty work do not encourage them to form deep connections to their institutions, the quality of their instructional and counseling services depends upon their level of integration into departments. However, models for integrating adjuncts are often based on a novice-professional paradigm, a top-down…

Part 1 of this paper inquires into how teachers can use portfolios in professional development; part 2 takes one component, a review of the contents of a portfolio, and puts it into action with practicing teachers and student teachers. Part 1 focuses on a teacher evaluation model that includes working with a peer, while part 2 focuses on the…

The feasibility of using performance indicators to improve the effectiveness of welfare-to-work programs was examined. First, previous and current experience with performance indicators for welfare-to-work and related programs (including the Job Training and Partnership Act and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills programs) was analyzed. Next, the…