Learning strategies, a complex system of interrelated activities, are significantly related to the academic performance of disadvantaged students entering health-science education. The Revised Learning Strategies Inventory (RLSI) was used in conjunction with the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA) to investigate relationships between these…

The study examined modality effects in the learning of Braille through providing a variety of either study or test trials in either the visual or haptic modalities. Subjects were 144 right handed college students. Results supported previous experiments demonstrating the visual modality superior to the combined visual-haptic or the haptic modality…

The hypothesis that mentoring activities are intrinsically rather than extrinsically motivated is examined. The focus is on mentoring in an educational context (career development, creative arts, and other challenging pursuits and close interpersonal relationships where mentors encourage individuals beyond their horizons). A qualitative approach…

This report discusses the current state of research into the visual effects of screen layout design, i.e., the arrangement of design elements on a screen. First, two types of design elements are described: technical (those things that engineers work with and that users have little or no control over), and comprehensibility (those elements that a…

This paper discusses the implications of Lucy Suchman's conclusion that a theory of situated action--i.e., the actual sense that specific users make out of specific Xeroxing events--is truer to the lived experience of Xerox users than a cognitive account of the user's plans--e.g., the hierarchy of subprocedures for how Xerox machines should be…

This paper describes the value of movement education for all children and provides examples of various worksheets that can be used in the physical education setting to enhance various lesson themes and objectives for movement education. The use of worksheets can assist the physical educator in determining if concepts can be demonstrated in a…

This review examines 12 programs designed for use in classrooms to develop "general thinking skills" used in learning and problem-solving situations inside and outside classrooms. Analysis of program features focuses on the extent to which each program shows promise in helping students transfer the skills they develop through completing…

To determine if performing mental exercises (thinking skills which activate cognitive mental alertness) before taking a test affected test results, a study examined spelling test results of three ninth-grade English classes instructed by the same teacher. Subjects were of similar educational background and had similar characteristics…

In the context of the currently developing theory of procedural knowledge and cognitive skill, the task of learning procedures from written instructions must involve the formation of production rules from the information available in the text. Since this process has not been explored in great depth, a study examined the relation of the production…

Recent findings have shown that bizarre imagery can be an effective mnemonic aid when lengthy retention intervals are employed, and when the surrounding context contains more normal elements. Testing the hypothesis that an interaction exists between context and time of testing with bizarre images, a study paired 40 male and female undergraduates,…

A good spelling teacher teaches by "taste" rather than by "recipe": instead of strictly adhering to procedural outlines, good teachers alter their lessons according to students' needs. In addition, good teachers: (1) recognize the importance of visualization for spelling; (2) understand the two kinds of visualization--for…

This book provides a broad perspective on the basic curriculum questions educators face in the schools regarding the purposes, content, design, and structure of educational programs. In discussing basic issues of curriculum theory, some questions are raised: (1) How have people structured educational programs and instruction in an attempt to serve…

This paper seeks to explore the concept of the module as an instructional unit appropriate for use in college teaching. Although modules do not appear to be widely in use at the present time, the modular approach does offer promise for implementation at the college level. Thus, the paper calls attention to the concept of the module and its…

In developing teaching strategies for students who are poor writers but good readers, it is useful to explore the characteristics of good readers and of poor writers, and to consider implications for improving classroom practices. Good readers tend to put into practice four major cognitive strategies when they read: they plan, translate or…

Concept mapping, a technique based on David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning, involves the organization of concepts into an hierarchical arrangement. Suggestions for incorporating this learning strategy into the biology classroom are presented and discussed. Steps in concept mapping include: (1) identifying important concepts in the study…