Both Vygotsky, a psychologist, and Halliday, a social linguist, argue for the central role of language in human development. Language is the principal mode of meaning making; it mediates both the communication through which thinking with others is made possible and also the inner speech through which individual thinking is brought under conscious…

This study investigated a qualitative career assessment and counselling procedure that was founded upon a constructivist, narrative approach to career counselling, "My Career Chapter: A Dialogical Autobiography" (McIlveen, 2006). Counsellors were trained in the use of the procedure and then applied it to themselves in an intensive…

A major problem in understanding a new theory is that rapid gains in popularity are accompanied by misconceptions and distortions (Valsiner, 1988). A developmental theorist, Lev Vygotsky, has rapidly become a much repeated name at all levels of educational psychology: theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical. And once again, inexplicable…

In early years' (primary grade) classrooms in Australia repeated patterns are commonly explored as an early introductory activity to mathematics. Most young students have an extensive knowledge of and exhibit success in copying, continuing, creating and transferring patterns into other media. By contrast, research indicates one of the most…

Web3D open standards allow the delivery of interactive 3D virtual learning environments through the Internet, reaching potentially large numbers of learners worldwide, at any time. This paper introduces the educational use of virtual reality based on Web3D technologies. After briefly presenting the main Web3D technologies, we summarize the…

Distance education programs have been encumbered with numerous issues concerning the quality of the delivery of distance education. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions, attitudes, and levels of job satisfaction for faculty teaching in a distance online education environment. This study explored theories and concepts relating…

Despite the trend toward inclusive education for all students, there is little research that focuses on the academic achievement of students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and other health impairments (OHI) in inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to analyze and compare the academic achievement…

High school distance learning is becoming more prevalent; however, little is known about students' perceptions of such courses making improvements difficult. Drawing from the theoretical framework of constructivism, the purpose of the concurrent, mixed method, descriptive study was to identify students' perceptions of Alabama's distance learning…

This study presents the results of a fifteen-month research project conducted with a group of Latina (Mexicana) immigrant mothers who took part in an after-school family literacy program that was grounded in a participatory approach to education. This family literacy program emphasized a "strengths" perspective by acknowledging the rich resources…

This empirical study uses auto-ethnography to describe a higher education pedagogical process that facilitated largely doctoral students in preparing their candidacy proposals through the use of specific adult learning principles. Students' experiences and points of view of such a learning environment were explored, including: (1) how they…

Educators are being encouraged to implement new instructional designs in an era where new standards, which promote student-centered learning, are being utilized and all students are expected to be successful on standardized tests. Consequently, there is a need for further research on the effectiveness of student-centered instruction. For that…

Despite the positive outcomes for inquiry-based science education and recommendations from national and state standards, many teachers continue to rely upon more traditional methods of instruction This causal-comparative study was designed to determine the effects of the Inquiry Institute, a professional development program that is intended to…

Although intellectual conflict may be an important instructional tool (because of its potential constructive outcomes), conflict is rarely structured in instructional situations (because of its potential destructive outcomes). Many educators may be apprehensive about instigating intellectual conflict among students because of the lack of…

This article explores student perceptions of social task development in an online group project and poses recommendations for implementation of group projects. Qualitative methods were used to analyze student perceptions of social task development in online group project. Respect, "being nice," follow the rules/follow the leader, communication,…

Instructors of elementary science methods classes have long lamented the significant difficulties their students exhibit when trying to understand the many complexities of teaching science. As noted by some researchers and practicing teachers, preservice teachers often fail to developmentally function at desired levels with respect to…