This paper describes a rationale for, and conceptual framework of, learning via open-ended learning environments (OELEs). It highlights development of theories-in-action with OELEs, including the roles of context, system response/feedback, and levels of processing. Discussion also includes examples of theory building via OELEs and implications for…

Examines issues related to theory and instructional systems design: the utility of theory; differences between descriptive (scientific) and design (goal-oriented) theories; the value of multiple theoretical perspectives; the inadequacy of current instructional design theories; and new directions needed in instructional theory, emphasizing the…

Reflects on the relationship between swimming and writing; between learning to swim and learning to write; and between the relevance of pedagogical theory and practice. Suggests that graduate students in writing should learn from historical and contemporary theorists but must have their own theories, the codification of their experiences as…

Today, researchers can learn about blood flow, electromagnetic fields, and chemical composition of the brain by using functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). As biologists, medical researchers, and cognitive scientists learn more about brain functions, educators must keep informed, study, and apply what they have learned in the classroom.…

Graduate programs at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing are designed to enlarge students' knowledge of research and its relevance to their particular types of practice and to enhance students' precision in using the scientific approach to identify phenomena of concern and to solve nursing and health care problems. (Author)

Builds on C. Christie's innovative work to chart a future course for research on evaluation. Describes a variety of forms that a more evidence-based approach to evaluation theory could take and offers suggestions to help increase the amount and impact of evidence in evaluation theory. (SLD)

Describes the necessity of including siblings in the treatment of victims of child sexual abuse. Theoretical and practical reasons to include siblings in treatment are discussed. Case examples using a particular intervention approach and results of client satisfaction surveys are described. (Contains 18 references.) (GCP)

Intends to show how the unique ideological perspectives of theory and practice in theatre/drama education can lead to a productive tension that furthers research questions and challenges artists to create better products. Concludes that the performance/workshop/discussion piece "Wearing the Secret Out" uses a dramatic form to challenge current and…

Illustrates the application of the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology coding criteria using a single-participant research design study. Concludes that this study possessed several important strengths, including a strong research design, identifiable intervention components, and strong intervention effects for several…

Applies the criteria in the "Procedural and Coding Manual for Review of Evidence-Based Interventions," to a group-based design intervention study. In general, the application of the criteria suggested promising evidence in support of the program. Considerations for interpreting the results of the coding process are discussed with…

Praises the "Procedural and Coding Manual for Review of Evidence-Based Interventions" for its initial conceptualization and is then questioned with respect to its specific operational features and ultimate purposes. An illustration of the study-coding process is examined in the company of critical concerns that must be addressed before…

Argues that Slavoj Zizek's writings show why the turn to theory could actually hurt the field of composition by increasing the discipline's level of ideological misrecognition concerning the economics and politics of higher education. Argues that educators should stop using theory as a virtual way of escaping their own real practices. (SG)

Assesses efforts to prevent mental health problems in children of divorce by highlighting the importance of using theory in the design and evaluation of prevention programs and by reviewing the empirical research on the efficacy of programs to improve outcomes for children of divorce. Also proposes two future directions for advancing theory-based…

Responds to communication scholars' increasing call for scholarship that yields meaningful responses to contemporary problems, thereby enriching public and private discourse and practice. Proposes the theory of the firm as one important frame for analysis, for it confronts key organizational questions at the heart of corporate scandal. (SG)

Presents five themes constructed through a cross-case analysis and synthesis of research and theory based on six articles collected for a two-part mini-themed issue of this journal on learning from students about overcoming motivation problems in literacy learning. Examines what can be learned by looking at different studies that address issues of…