Although research efforts into improving reading fluency and general reading performance through fluency training have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, basal reading approaches still dominate reading instruction, and fluency is rarely viewed as an important component of the instructional package. Several models of reading fluency instruction…

Discussed are three issues in early childhood education that have been addressed extensively by the research literature, namely: (1) the risks of early academic pressures on young children; (2) the importance of play in early childhood education; and (3) interaction as the context for early learning. Several reasons that child development and…

Teacher attitudes toward research-based effective teaching behaviors were inventoried to explore differences. Scores from the Teaching Behaviors Questionnaire (TBQ) for 300 teachers were analyzed for variables related to educational settings and teacher characteristics. Analysis of variance and selected post hoc procedures were used to identify…

The main theories of motivation are reviewed in an effort to help teachers discern various tactics and techniques that they can use with gifted, talented, and creative students. Among the theories examined are Ivan Pavlov's respondent conditioning; Albert Ellis's rational-emotive approach; Abraham Maslow's triangular approach to growth and…

Social work, ideologically speaking, is a profession grounded in principles of integration and interaction. The principles are embedded in curriculum policies for acceditation. They span interdisciplinary information, person and environment, research and practice, practice and policy, and theory and practice. The values, knowledge, and skills…

A proposed three-dimensional model for identifying the gifted conceives of giftedness as a combination of characteristics. It emphasizes the different qualities of the characteristics as well as the fact that such characteristics exist in degrees or levels, thus helping to avoid thinking of giftedness or its components as being either wholly…

With the increased interest in public relations education, it is important for educators to be aware of options available for enhancing the effectiveness of teaching in this area. A number of nonprint learning resources are available, including internships, in-class campaigns, and national competitions. Public relations internships are essentially…

A relationship exists between the three-year WARRANT project, created to design and implement a computer system to deliver a college freshman curriculum in the skills of reading, writing, and thinking, and the theory and practice of curriculum-building. The goal of the project is to create an interdisciplinary sequence of courses in critical…

Although theory is the backbone of foundations of education curriculum in teacher education, many students and teacher educators do not recognize its importance, particularly in the light of the increasing trend toward more practical experiences at the expense of such courses. The imitative and experiential approach to teaching, as well as the…

Encompassing his work in the psycholinguistics of reading, this book presents Kenneth Goodman's major papers focusing on miscue analysis, the theoretical model of the reading processes derived from it, and relevant research perspectives. Following an introduction to Goodman's works, the articles discuss the following topics: (1) the reading…

Outdoor adventure activities, typically originating from other countries, form the basis of most Australian outdoor education programs. Research on adventure-based outdoor education in Australia and elsewhere has tended to focus on determining the benefits of participating in such programs. Less attention has been paid to a critical examination of…

This article presents an analysis of validity issues in curriculum theory and practice concerning the research into the Purpose Process Curriculum Framework purpose dimension. (CB)

Notes that lesson plans in English classes are unlike those in many disciplines, because the human factors involved often cause unpredictable elements. Points out that fantasy and spiritual inspiration often come into play when teachers put together language arts lesson plans. (SKC)

Examines theories of early adolescence in relation to teaching eighth-grade English students. Concludes differences in students' responses related to gender differences and self-identity. (JK)

Describes recent theoretical developments in cognitive psychology that can be applied to second language acquisition, including consideration of linguistic theories in addressing the role of mental processes in second language acquisition, current cognitive learning theory, and possible applications of a theoretical model to memory representation,…