The article proposes that individuals who acquire certain psychological support skills may experience accelerated learning and enhanced performance in many domains. In support of this proposal, we present evidence that these skills enhance learning and performance, that they are domain-general in that they can be applied in a variety of domains,…

Teachers are often unaware that bilingual students often switch between their languages when doing mathematics. Little research has been undertaken into this phenomenon. Results are reported here from a study of language switching by sixteen Year 4/5 Iranian bilingual students as they solved mathematical problems in an interview situation. Reasons…

Standard classroom tests tend to showcase what students know at that point in time and do not usually reflect real-life mathematics. They are not always accurate indicators of what students understand and how they understand it. Portfolios are tools that allow students a better opportunity to exhibit mathematical growth in understanding and…

Problem solving lies at the heart of mathematical learning. Children need opportunities to write, discuss, and solve problems on a regular basis. The problems must incorporate grade-appropriate content and be "accessible and engaging to the students, building on what they know and can do." Teachers also play a key role in establishing a classroom…

In this millennium, educators are faced with a number of issues that Dr. Maria Montessori could not have predicted. Today, students are different from the children Dr. Montessori observed in her "Casa dei Bambini." They are influenced by technology in all its forms. Some suffer from medical problems such as complex food allergies, which wreak…

This study explored the use of case-based pedagogy to promote preservice teachers' problem-solving proficiency. Students in a web-supported course called CaseNEX learned to use a problem-solving approach when analyzing multimedia case studies. Their performance was compared with students in two groups who had no exposure to case methods--other…

Various aspects of the cognitive model of physics problem solving are discussed in detail including relevant cues, encoding, memory, and input stimuli. The learning process involved in the recognition of familiar and non-familiar sensory stimuli is highlighted. Its four components include selection, acquisition, construction, and integration. The…

This book and the accompanying CD-ROM examine the process of designing multimedia learning environments and the results of and the impact on children of these environments. After an introduction, chapter 1 discusses the origins of educational multimedia environments, presenting initial thoughts on being a designer and focusing on the logo…

A central theme of Mandler's theory of emotion is that the interruption of a cognitive activity sets the stage for emotion. Mandler's theory is particularly applicable to mathematical problem-solving experiences. Mandler's linking of emotion to perception also makes emotion during problem solving an excellent candidate to be modeled with…

The majority of research on mathematics practice in everyday situations within cultures has investigated the use of arithmetic and geometry concepts and processes. To extend this research to a situation using measurement ideas, this paper investigates the mathematics practice of a group of carpet layers in an effort to detail how ordinary people…

Establishing customer requirements spans two steps in the planning for quality set forth by Juran (1988), those of discovering customer needs and expectations and translating them into the language of those responsible for meeting the needs. The need for training was documented in a large, decentralized service organization through qualitative…

The generalizability of Person-Relative-to-Event (PrE) theory, originally applied to disaster-related situations, is investigated in a non-disaster simulation. The PrE theory of coping with threat emphasizes the relationship between level of appraised threat relative to person resources and personal responsibility. This theory has previously been…

This discussion of different approaches to clarifying problems in the instructional development process defines what a problem is and the types of problems typically faced by instructional developers; presents a rationale for suggesting the use of evaluation models for finding development problems; and suggests ways in which the use of a…

This study examined the self-statements of dysphoric (n=13) and nondysphoric subjects (n=15) during an interpersonal problem solving task. After completing the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), a 32-item self-report questionnaire, the subjects were individually shown a brief videotape depicting an interpersonal problem and asked to solve the…

Qualitative evaluation can be used to facilitate change in the immediate higher education professional environment. This evaluation method enriches the collection and interpretation of data by involving all groups and persons who have a share in the problem. In contrast to qualitative research, qualitative evaluation assists in situation-specific…