Presents arguments, based on Thomas Kuhn's work, that most research on rural and small schools proceeds from previous scientific achievements, and that researchers' (outsiders') preconceived and approximated reality forces the nature of rural and small schools into an inflexible box. Contains 40 references. (Author/SV)

Presents three types of simple events knowledge models: (1) a simple list of events; (2) a list of cause-effect sequences; and (3) a list of events that describe a problem and its solution. (SR)

Defines and describes the processes by which students acquire new knowledge: accretion, tuning, and restructuring. Relates these processes to knowledge models presented in earlier columns. Discusses extension activities. (RS)

Considers event phenomena and how such phenomena might be understood in terms of process knowledge models. Presents the step and stage process knowledge model, the classification process knowledge model, and the conditional process knowledge model. (SR)

Reports the results of a study of 45 Ph.D. history students who were asked questions about cognitive activity related to information events based on a grounded theory approach. Topics include knowledge acquisition; information process; a situation model theory of reading comprehension; elaborative inferencing; and domain experts versus domain…

Proposes an account of mechanisms by which students develop knowledge structures for modeling the physical world with algebra. (Author/CCM)

Comparisons of students' representations of financial accounting concepts with the knowledge structures of experts were depicted using Pathfinder networks. This structural approach identified the level of students' understanding of concepts and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. (SK)

An instructional application consists of a set of resources and activities to implement interacting, interrelated, and structured experiences oriented towards achieving specific educational objectives. The development of computer-based instructional applications has to follow a well defined process, so models for computer-based instructional…

Contemporary supply chains are vastly complex, and decisions made by actors have system-wide consequences that these might not be able to foresee. There are gaps between "best practice"-founded theory and actual practice in supply chains. To remedy this, we argue, the supply chain actors need to enhance systems knowledge. There is a need to…

This paper describes the characteristics of graphic techniques, such as networks, pattern notes, semantic maps, and graphic organizers, that can be used to acquire knowledge of relationships between concepts in a content area. The implications for research and instructional design are considered, and nine types of these techniques are described…

Curriculum knowledge cannot be legitimized until its method of construction is examined. Dominant curriculum theories, those that are well established by tradition, usually provide research results reflecting a deterministic or imposed reality. The basic premise of this paper is that curriculum theorizing has, for the most part, been a utilitarian…

The world presented to our senses is essentially continuous in space and time. The simplest observations of children have shown that we are not born with ways of "breaking up" the world. The structures of our knowledge must be developed, and the major issue this paper considers is how those structures develop. The discussion focuses on Jean…

A theory of norms and normality is applied to some phenomena of emotional responses, social judgment, and conversations about causes. Norm theory is applied in analyses of enhanced emotional response to events that have abnormal causes, of generation of prediction from observations of behavior, and of the role of norms. (Author/LMO)

The use of structural equation modeling is discussed in testing a range of theories of learning and cognition involving the concept of a hierarchy of variables of increasing complexity. To illustrate this approach, one method is applied to Bloom's taxonomy to test the theoretical assumption of hierarchical organization. (Author/MSE)

Experiential learning can be understood as a process in which learners recognize and develop their "action-theory." The aim of outdoor development programs--whether mainstream education, corporate training, or therapy--is to facilitate this process. A "reflection-in-action" approach to facilitation is presented and situated in…