This book examines the philosophical foundations of adult education (AE). The following topics are discussed: philosophy of AE (philosophy and action in theory and practice and philosophy for adult educators); liberal AE (historical development, liberal education and the educated person, broad scope, process, liberal education of adults, Great…

There is no a priori basis for assuming that theories of social psychology are universal. For theories to be universal, the meaning of the stimulus would have to be consistent across cultures, but this cannot be taken for granted. Cross-cultural variations in social behavior may be "surface" expressions of deep structure norms that are universal.…

Discussion of the field of educational technology focuses on the influence of instructional design on its development. Topics discussed include instructional applications of the systems approach; programed instruction; learning strategies, including large group and small group instruction and independent study; and behaviorist, cognitivist, and…

The relationships among teaching, testing, and learning are examined and reconceptualized based on different theories and computer adaptive testing. Approaches that integrate teaching, testing, and learning include: (1) behavioral psychology; (2) cognitive psychology; and (3) computer adaptive testing (CAT). Some behaviorists have assumed that all…

This paper discusses state control over curriculum relative to two general schools of curriculum theorists. The traditionalists employ a behavioristic social science orientation and attempt to develop curriculum theory with laws and principles tested through research. Reconceptualists reject the behavioral science model and attempt to…

This paper explains how oral competence in foreign languages is developed by applying constructivist pedagogic methodology to the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Foreign language constructivist methodology departs from the information processing model and behaviorist teaching that guide the transmission of…

This evaluative case study examines the learning experiences of graduate students studying effective multimedia authoring. Continuum-based instructional design, behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, collaboration, the role of a matrix, transfer of training, and qualitative and quantitative results are discussed. (LRW)

Profiles Thomas F. Gilbert, a pioneer and influential leader in educational media and instructional technology, who is often cited as the founder of the field of performance technology. Discusses Gilbert's educational background and early interests, contributions to scholarship, awards, work as instructional-design consultant and performance…

Elementary and secondary preservice teachers' philosophical perspectives were examined before and after their participation in field-based activities in a professional development school. A philosophical perspective survey was administered at the start and again at the end of the semester. The five categories were existentialism, behaviorism,…

This document proposes that preservice teachers assess various learning philosophies to find methods that may be useful in teaching at the higher education level. In the first section of the paper ten broad principles of teaching are cited: developing and maintaining student interest; motivating learners; providing useful learning opportunities;…

This paper reports the development and validation of an instrument to measure teachers' beliefs about teaching related to the behaviorist and constructivist learning theories. The development process included two phases. The first involved the collection of qualitative data from inservice teachers to ensure that the survey items were grounded in…

Behaviorism was the dominant epistemology in education approximately 20 years ago, while constructivism has most recently been the dominant epistemology in the field. In this paper, differences between the assumptions of behaviorism and constructivism are briefly identified, and the behaviorist pedagogy of Individually-Guided Education and 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…

This article reports on a study of a new performance-based test mandate in the state of Arizona. The measurement-driven reform provided an opportunity to examine the interplay of policy and practice, specifically the use of testing to effect educational change. Attempts to reform schools through mandating assessments are categorized as behaviorist…

Beliefs that psychometricians hold about learning were examined through telephone interviews with directors of testing from all 50 states and with a sample of test directors from 50 selected school districts. Interpretations of what these measurement specialists believed were based on reanalyses of the primary narrative interview data. A majority…