This study compared a traditional lecture-based life span development course to the same course redesigned using Fink's (2003) taxonomy of significant learning. The goals, activities, and feedback within the course corresponded to Fink's 6 taxa (knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, learning how to learn). Undergraduates in…

Academic anxiety interferes with achievement and performance, as well as social and psychological development among children and adults. Although the writings of Michel Foucault do not address anxiety directly, his themes of knowledge and power have been applied to education and describe relationships that are likely to create anxiety among some…

Drill procedures have been used to increase the retention of various types of information, but little is known about the causal mechanisms of these techniques. The current study compared the effect of two key features of drill procedures, a large number of opportunities to respond (OTR) and a drill ratio that maintains a high percentage of known…

The social cognitive perspective of self-regulated learning suggests that effective learning is determined by the interactions among personal, behavioral, and environmental influences; particularly, high self-regulated learners hold higher motivation (personal), apply better learning strategies (behavioral) and respond to environmental demand more…

While recent studies have found that viewing glosses with multimedia annotations can help students learn and retain vocabulary words (Chun & Plass, 1996; Al-Seghayer, 2001), O'Bryan (2005) found that when providing pictorial glosses for select words within an online reading unit, few students took advantage of the clickable gloss function allowed…

The purpose of this study was to explore the similarities and differences between high school students and their teachers' perspectives on the usefulness of content literacy strategies for learning. Based on 88 teacher surveys, 500 student surveys, 10 teacher interviews, 12 student interviews, and 30 classroom observations, we note the perceived…

Impacting the academic performance of high school students in core academic content areas is important because of the high-stakes nature of secondary school course grades relative to their vocational and post-secondary pursuits. Getting students to become more active, strategic participants in their learning by teaching them empirically supported…

Much research has been conducted on metacognition, self-regulation, and self-regulated learning, but the articles in this special issue make it clear that we still have many unanswered questions. Recommendations for research include providing clear definitions of processes, identifying relevant theories, ensuring that assessments clearly reflect…

This paper reports on a research project that sought to gain a deeper understanding of the contribution that universities make to the professional learning of teachers. The particular case studied was a group of learners who were engaged in an in-service teacher education course for further education (FE) whilst also working as lecturers in FE…

Computer and video gaming are often considered to be potential routes to the development of aptitude and interest in using other forms of information technology (IT). The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the extent to which young people who play games engage in related IT practices, such as creating and sharing content or…

In their commitment to raising standards successive Conservative and Labour governments have moved progressively to tighter prescription of school policy and more far reaching proscription of practices deemed unacceptable. This article examines how 12 headteachers construct the policy environment and how they respond to it in the schools they…

This article discusses the relationship between the newly identified learning guide and personal learning. It draws on recent research that has critically examined the role of the personal tutor in secondary schools and colleges. The similarity in the two roles is discussed, and findings that may assist learning guides to have the impact…

The deliberate rewriting of lecture notes into forms suitable for study and review is the key to successful learning. Using the outline technique helps students to think in terms of what the main points are and what are examples or secondary points. The divided page technique allows students to quiz themselves daily on the material they must…

Reader, writers, and teachers of expository prose should pay closer attention to the question and answer (Q&A) format's theoretical and practical implications. The Q&A format contributes to the seemingly endless succession of questions and answers and is part of that flight from one signifier to another characteristic of postmodern…

A principal and two teachers of a local elementary school were interviewed to establish a shared definition of humor in the classroom. A multidimensional definition emerged with intellectual, spiritual, and physical aspects. The teachers were observed to determine if specific uses of humor would be evident in their classrooms. Four types of…