Describes the effects of an undergraduate learner-centered community of learners approach to instruction on student motivation and cognitive learning strategies. Discusses objectives, including integrated courses, active and collaborative learning, and opportunities for learning through information technology and library resources; and describes…

Examines the applicability of Kuhlthau's Information Search Process Model in the context of a virtual learning environment at the University of North Texas that used virtual collaborative software. Highlights include cognitive and affective aspects of information seeking; computer experience and confidence; and implications for future research.…

A study examined how self-efficacy beliefs influenced motivation, affect, and adjustment in five students aged 9-13 with cancer, receiving educational services in a hospital setting. Education was an effective vehicle through which children with cancer could experience control and autonomy and also achieve many necessary developmental outcomes for…

Reports on a pilot study that investigated the creative impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in a grade 6 class in England. Presents a model of creativity that includes problem solving, creative cognition, and social interaction; and discusses the creation of personal Web pages. (Author/LRW)

The performance of 24 language-disordered children (ages 3-8) on an ambiguity detection task was compared to that of children matched for comprehension level and children matched for cognitive level. It is concluded that communicative factors, both active primary comprehension and social communicative knowledge, had a stronger influence than the…

Differences in critical thinking between undergraduate and graduate students in the social and mathematical sciences was investigated using multiple measures of critical thinking that reflect different types of problem structure. Educational level and academic area differences were found across measures. (Author/MLW)

Presents guidelines for developing computer-assisted instructional materials that are based on theoretical instructional theories, including behaviorism; neobehaviorism (imitation and modeling); information processing; cognitive psychology; and learning styles. Guidelines highlight feedback and reinforcement, practice opportunities, sequencing,…

Compares BASIC and LOGO systems in developing artificial intelligence systems. Provides listings of programs used for translating and sentence making. Describes methodology and compares the BASIC and LOGO programs. (MVL)

Describes study designed to examine the effects of textual and/or computer animated orienting strategies and practice on rule-using and problem-solving skills of elementary school students using computer-assisted instruction. Four different versions of a lesson based on Isaac Newton's Law of Motion are described, and results are analyzed. (28…

An interview discusses future plans for the Centre of English as an International Language (University of Cambridge, England), the relationship of cognitive science to second language acquisition and to the role of research in applied linguistics in Great Britain, and the relevance of applied linguistics for teachers of English as a Foreign or…

This review of 20 studies examines 3 predictions concerning the effects of conceptual models on students' understanding of scientific prose: (1) that models improve recall of conceptual information; (2) that they decrease verbatim retention; and (3) that they increase creative solutions on transfer problems. (SLD)

Teachers' actions are thought to produce certain types of student thinking. To devise effective inservice programs, educators must understand four learning principles and five thinking dimensions enabling students to develop positive learning attitudes and acquire, integrate, and extend their knowledge. A new "curriculum" of preservice…

Presents an analysis of non-native English verbs of saying constructions, such as "discuss about" and "explain about," as they are realized in Nepali English. It is suggested that the analysis of Nepali English constructions offer important insights into second language acquisition and language change. (30 references)…

Reports on the assessment of student thinking in the area of commitment to the laws of conservation of matter and energy during a study of conceptual change among introductory chemistry students. States four conditions upon which strategies for conceptual change are based. (RT)

The reliability of derived measures from 4 cognitive paradigms was studied using 19 Navy enlisted men (aged between 18 and 24 years). The paradigms were: graphemic and phonemic analysis; semantic memory retrieval; lexical decision making; and letter classification. Results indicate that derived scores may have low reliability. (SLD)