Many faculty members generally assume that their students understand the purposes of college learning and that they are aware of the assumptions about liberal education embedded in the program configurations designed to advance it. In fact, it may very well be that, as Jerry Graff (2003) has suggested, our students are "clueless" about how to…

Adjunct questions are test-like items interspersed at regular intervals, preceding or following prose passages, with the intention of increasing subsequent learning. In this state-of-the-art review, studies which include three major variables--age, ability, and question complexity level--are examined to determine whether a particular combination…

Age differences in recognition and recall of common nouns were studied using three groups of fifty students, with mean ages of 6.7, 11.4, and 16.9. Subjects were randomly placed in either an incidental or intentional learning condition. All subjects were questioned about the physical, phonemic, and semantic aspects of the same words, in the same…

Data collected from young adult English-as-a-second-language students' (N=20) reports, think-aloud protocols, and analyses of achievement in composition writing indicated that most learners were able to use these learning strategies to make discernable achievements in their writing proficiency. (Author/CB)

Purpose: This study's broad objective was to examine the effectiveness of surface electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback for motor learning in the voice production domain. The specific objective was to examine whether concurrent or terminal biofeedback would facilitate learning for a relaxed laryngeal musculature task during spoken reading. Method:…

Nearly 15 percent of the high school diplomas issued in the United States in 1981 were based upon performance on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED). The purpose of this study is to describe: (1) the ways that adults prepare for the test; (2) the test performance of population sub-groups, and (3) the test candidates employment and…

Considers two aspects of knowing language, besides grammar and vocabulary, that are often understressed: 1) perspective taking (through rhythm and intonation) and 2) manipulation of language variation. This observation is discussed in relation to the contrast between incidental and intentional learning, and an argument is made for an intimate…

Investigates the efficiency of a novel addition to the routine of note taking, writing brief summaries of the lecture material during four-minute breaks within the lecture. A group of students wrote three sets of summaries during a 21-minute lecture and showed significant improvement in understanding over other groups. (MJP)

Describes a class activity that familiarizes students with the major steps of the research process and guides their further organization and comprehension of course material. Students are asked to list the major steps involved in working on a research problem. These lists are compared to those of expert researchers. (MJP)

Contrasts spontaneous and reflective knowledge integration instruction delivered using a computer learning environment to enhance understanding of displaced volume. Distinguishes the impact of instruction on students who believed scientific phenomena are governed by principles (cohesive beliefs) versus students who believed that science is a…

This issue brief, based on a meeting of a group of distinguished researchers, educators, and policymakers convened by the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) explores lessons from research and practice about the role of an intentional curriculum and professional development and supports for teachers in closing the achievement gap for…

Do children and adults who are novices in their use of microcomputers differ in their approaches when learning a computer language? Ten fourth- and fifth-grade students and 10 graduate students were observed learning the language BASIC on microcomputers. All sessions were tape recorded and verbalizations subsequently coded. Verbalizations, the…

The relationship between placement of adjunct questions in instructional material and incidental and intentional learning was investigated. A total of 150 undergraduate students assigned to five experimental groups studied ten paragraphs with questions interspersed at different locations in the text. Performance on incidental items was…

This paper on adult informal learning is divided into four sections. Section 1 examines different conceptions of informal learning and the issues and limitations associated with alternative definitions of informal learning. Section 2 is a review of empirical research on the estimated extent, role, and outcomes of informal learning and posited…

A growing body of research supports a purposeful and transparent approach to learning. Within the field of cognitive science, learning is defined as a purposeful, goal-directed activity. An ongoing goal-setting process is integral to effective learning. Purposeful and transparent learning builds on learners' prior knowledge and experiences to…