This paper reviews the corpus of research on feedback, with a particular focus on formative feedback--defined as information communicated to the learner that is intended to modify the learner's thinking or behavior for the purpose of improving learning. According to researchers in the area, formative feedback should be multidimensional,…

Three approaches to validating competencies of vocational education programs in technical and professional schools are examined. Competencies are defined as behavior-oriented and relatively simple, observable behaviors which can be identified and measured by the frequency of occurrence. The three models, which have elements in common, are expert…

This article first disconfirms the use of traditional evaluation procedures, and then focuses on direct assessment of academic performance. The interactive nature of learning and the use of a task analytical approach to treatment-oriented assessment are emphasized. (LMO)

This paper describes the creation and evaluation of a World Wide Web-based courseware module, using conceptual models based on constructivism, that teaches novices how to use the Internet for searching. Questionnaires and interviews were used to understand the difficulties of a group of novices. The conceptual model of the experts for the task was…

Older and younger adults' abilities to use context information rapidly during ambiguity resolution were investigated. In Experiments 1 and 2, younger and older adults heard ambiguous words (e.g., fires) in sentences where the preceding context supported either the less frequent or more frequent meaning of the word. Both age groups showed good…

This article explores the styles of word reading and word spelling used by beginning readers in the French language. The aim of the study was to find out whether "sub-lexical" and "lexical" styles of reliance, which has been observed in children learning to read and spell in English, exists in French, a language with a more transparent…

Anderson & Green (2001) have recently shown that using an adaptation of the go-no go task, participants can voluntarily inhibit the retrieval of specific memories. We present three experiments in which we try to determine the degree of automaticity involved, and the role of the previous prime-target relation on the development of this inhibitory…

The current study developed a new paradigm to determine the age at which children begin to show the self-reference advantage in memory. Four-, 5-, and 10-year-olds studied lists of colourful object pictures presented together with self or other face image, and participants were asked to report aloud "who is pointing at the (object)."…

This paper presents a decision making model that uses a systematic approach to design; has as a driving force the needs and goals of a particular learning situation; is derived from traditional instructional system design models such as Kemp, Dick & Carey, and Romiszowski; and in addition addresses the potential impact of multimedia as a…

A study examined a contingency model involving the factors of task characteristics, structural characteristics, organizational relationships, and communication processes and their respective components in regard to their relationships to job performance and their ability to predict job performance. Data were gathered from approximately 190 members…

The second in a series of four reports on the Electronic Equipment Maintenance Training (EEMT) project, this document summarizes the system definition phase of the EEMT program. The purpose of this phase of the project was to define a comprehensive set of functions and training requirements that the EEMT must satisfy within the training mission of…

This Programming Design Guide (PDG) was developed to permit the offline Job Aid for Selecting Instructional Setting, which is one of 13 job aids presently available for use with the Instructional Systems Development (ISD) model, to be available in an inquiry-type, online version. It is intended to provide computer programmers with all of the…

The report addresses the need for retraining direct service personnel in community based programs as a result of deinstitutionalization. The state of the art regarding state practices in job descriptions and classifications for paraprofessionals indicated the existence of few systematic attempts to retrain current instituional staff. Few examples…

Summarized are activities of the Wausau District Public Schools (Wisconsin) toward developing a model for cost efficiency analysis in special education. The model links input-output analysis and task analysis features. Introductory information includes varying impressions of cost efficiency concerns and the current status of project development.…