The behaviorist, cognitivist, and humanist approaches to learning all have advantages and disadvantages. A teaching cycle that uses all three techniques related to individual learning styles (theoretical, pragmatic, reflective, activist) may be the best route to achieving peak performance. (SK)

The major themes of three books based on behaviorist psychology are examined critically, noting that behavior modification has significant limitations. Four of these limitations are identified and briefly discussed. Teachers must realize that discipline approaches must increase the transfer value of behavior learned in school and foster…

Argues that the world view of contemporary behavior analysis, especially behavior analysis of child development, is contextualistic, not mechanistic. The history of behavior analysis is presented in a revised account that focuses on philosophic movements. Contextualism of behavior analysis is contrasted with mechanism with respect to five core…

Argues that science must not describe behavior by reporting feelings. Gives examples of words that describe the feelings that accompany the following behavior: (1) doing; (2) sensing; (3) changing; (4) wanting; (5) waiting; (6) thinking; and (7) several other attributes of mind. (FMW)

It is argued that an epistemology that supports theories of situated cognition and social constructivism can be found in the tradition of John Dewey's pragmatism. Dewey's pragmatic social behaviorism is a powerful theory of learning that stresses the roles of labor, tools, and language as activities of enculturation. (SLD)

The Learning Objectives Questionnaire was completed by 287 of 600 distance education students. The majority perceived learning objectives to be useful and an integral part of learning strategy. A need to integrate student dispositions with the current shift toward constructivist learning was identified. (SK)

Evaluates John B. Watson's contributions to developmental psychology. Watson's insistence on objective methodology in psychology retains its influence, but his extreme environmentalism has been rejected. His concern with the principles of learning is reflected in the work of Hull and Skinner. (BC)

Responding to Paul Chance's November 1992 "Kappan" article on motivational value of rewards, this article argues that manipulating student behavior with either punishments or rewards is unnecessary and counterproductive. Extrinsic rewards can never buy more than short-term compliance because they are inherently controlling and…

It is inappropriate to apply chaos theory to teaching and teacher education, primarily because of the inherent difficulties of applying methods and criteria developed for the physical sciences to nonphysical phenomena such as human behaviors. Nor is it clear that chaos theorists intended that theory to encompass teaching, learning, and the process…

Compares the efficacy of two treatment approaches for functional skill acquisition in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation (N=22) living in a large developmental center. Treatment that included staff training, feedback, and edible reinforcement in addition to prompting, modeling, and physical guidance was more effective than…

Nursing education is shifting from focus on behaviorist to humanistic outcomes, a shift rooted in critical social theory. New curricular approaches emphasize autonomy, social responsibility, subjectivity, emancipation, and empowerment. These tenets have application to the current milieu of health care. (SK)

Explains the relationship between computers and multiple intelligences and explores its potential. Topics include behaviorism and cognitivism; constructivism; multiple representations in the human mind, including various forms of intelligence; individual differences; the challenge of altering early representations; and machine versus human tutors.…

Discusses personal teaching experiences to explore issues of the theory and practice of teaching. Explores the application of behaviorism, cognitive theory, and sociocultural theories such as those of Vygotsky to changing classroom environments, and stresses the need for teaching practice to be organized and illuminated by theories. (EV)

Draws on social anthropology, educational administration, and neoinstitutionalism studies to explore educational administration in a cross-cultural setting. Discusses effects of cultural differences on organizational behavior in an Australian-Malaysian collaboration in higher education in Malaysia. The Australian subculture failed to become…

Using a situated cognition framework, 24 vignettes of literacy practices were examined in 4 Canadian settings: community-based, workplace, family, and school-based literacy. Literacy researchers appear constrained by behaviorist, normative perspectives despite the shift toward humanist perspectives. (Contains 51 references.) (SK)