Degree of lesson complexity was examined and related to the type of approach used by eighth grade teachers. Results indicated that teachers adapt to the perceived complexity of class activities and to students' behavior cues, using direct instruction more frequently in mathematics and science than in the humanities and language arts. (Author/PP)

Teaching styles were investigated in 28 middle-class sibling dyads (older sibling M age = 8.2 yrs; younger sibling M age = 5.11 yrs) using two sets of block design tasks (five easy; five hard). Older siblings employed a greater number of strategies (i.e. physical demonstrations, scaffolding, corrective feedback) in the hard than in the easy tasks,…

Twenty studies of the effects of teacher questions on student achievement were reviewed. Internal validity of experiments and integrity of treatments were less adequate than population and ecological validity. Whether teachers used predominantly higher cognitive or predominantly fact questions was found to make little difference in achievement.…

The focus was on the study methods of nurse students during their first 2 years in higher education. Qualitative data were obtained by interviewing a sample of the first year students, plus a sample of second year students in two nursing specialities. The essay was found to be the most difficult format, particularly for those coming straight from…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of an experimental online learning tool on student performance. By applying cognitive load theory to online learning, the experimental tool used was designed to minimize cognitive load during the instructional and learning process. This tool enabled students to work with programming code that…

This study investigated factors affecting second/foreign language (L2) reading comprehension in a hypermedia environment within the theoretical framework of dual coding and cognitive load theories, and interactive models of L2 reading. The independent variables were reading ability, topic interest, prior topical knowledge, and the number of times…

Questionnaires were completed by 62 college professors in a study to determine the specific reading and listening comprehension difficulties students were having in various introductory courses (including humanities, natural and social sciences, and the technical professions), and to determine the instructional techniques used by professors to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between achievement and the quantity of online course materials that students printed and the frequency with which they reported using them. One hundred thirty-two graduate students from one of 11 hybrid or online classes voluntarily completed a self-report survey asking how much they…

In an effort to identify the cognitive characteristics of teachers which predispose them to attempt to increase levels of information processing in their classrooms, a theoretical construct--cognitive complexity--was synthesized from the processes of conceptual level, creativity, and categorization. Measures of constructs listed above were…

Describes study that investigated the effects of medium of instructional practice, task difficulty, and gender on continuing motivation. Microcomputers and paper and pencil format were compared on tasks at a hard or easy difficulty level with fifth and sixth grade students, and questionnaires were used to determine student attitudes. (Author/LRW)

A four-step approach to teaching complex concepts at the college level involves a sequence of lecture, an individual assignment, small group discussion, and larger group discussion instruction. The last three steps focus on case study applications. The method is adaptable to different teaching situations and promotes expansion of student…

Seventeen students (ages 10-15) with moderate mental retardation were assessed on their ability to analyze orally presented sentences into words and words into syllables and phonemes. Subjects receiving code-emphasis reading instruction performed significantly better on more difficult phoneme manipulation tasks than did subjects receiving…

This review of 20 years of literature on sight word instruction for individuals with handicaps examines effectiveness data for procedures teaching word recognition and comprehension. Covered are "errorless procedures," prompt elimination, stimulus fading, time delay, easy to hard discrimination, and trial and error with feedback. Two tables…

A study of the effects of the complexity of scenarios used in the Strategic Interaction Method of second language instruction had four scenarios of varying complexity performed by four university classes of students of English as a second language at varying levels. Indicators of complexity included the degree of verbalness, contextual constraint,…

A study of University of Alberta freshmen's attitudes about their university experiences and their transition from high school focused on influences in their attendance, personal goals, self-perceived preparation for college, curriculum difficulty, adjustment needs, and fulfillment of expectations. (MSE)