This study presents an application of a measure of learner involvement developed by Paas, Tuovinen, van Merrienboer, and Darabi (2005). These authors combined learners' performance scores with their perceived mental effort invested in instruction and used it to assess learner involvement in instructional conditions. The present study examines the…

The values that school principals use when solving organisational problems were studied. Data were collected by a think aloud procedure, in which the participants verbalised their thoughts while working on a set of five administrative problems. The results show that the principals referred to seven values that had subtle but important sub-texts:…

Instead of being completely arbitrary, the meaning of many idioms is "motivated" by their original, literal usage. In an FLT context, this offers the possibility of presenting idioms in ways that promote insightful learning rather than "blind" memorization. Associating an idiom with its etymology has been shown to enhance retention. This effect…

The study investigated age and gender effects on coping with common stressors among 494 Austrian children and adolescents (age 8-14 years). Participants were subdivided into subgroups of late children comprising third and fourth graders, early adolescents consisting of fifth and sixth graders, and middle adolescents including seventh graders.…

In this article, we discuss key requirements for collecting behavioural data concerning technology-supported collaborative learning activities. It is argued that the common practice of analysis of computer generated log files of user interactions with software tools is not enough for building a thorough view of the activity. Instead, more…

We report the results of a controlled evaluation of an interactive on-line tutoring system for high school math achievement test problem solving. High school students (N = 202) completed a math pre-test and were then assigned by teachers to receive interactive on-line multimedia tutoring or their regular classroom instruction. The on-line tutored…

This dissertation investigates two specific research questions related to the effects of culture on "appropriation of affordances" and on "technological intersubjectivity." "Sociotechnical affordances" are conceptualized as action-taking possibilities and meaning making opportunities in a socio-technical system…

A previous study of new item types for the analytical measure of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test found that the new items had many factors labeled verbal reasoning, informal reasoning, formal-deductive reasoning, and quantitative reasoning. The present study examined how processing differed for these item types in the context…

A study explored the relationship between creative problem solving and group decision making techniques as measured by the outcome variables identified in earlier studies. Subjects, 46 undergraduate students enrolled in communication courses at 2 midwestern universities, were divided into 3 groups, a Nominal Group Technique (NGT), Unstructured…

In an effort to counteract the violent and negative conflict resolution messages children receive from the mass media, schools throughout the United States are now teaching healthy problem-solving skills on a personal level. This book presents an outlined approach to the implementation of a conflict resolution experiential group, designed to be…

This study was designed to determine whether children's knowledge and ability to solve problems about parenting and caregiving could be promoted by means of a school-based curriculum. The study took place over 2 years and involved 138 fifth graders the first year and 217 fifth and sixth graders the second. Subjects were divided into treatment and…

The Missouri Rural Innovation Institute (MRII) of the University of Missouri Extension and the Missouri Department of Health began an effort in 1989 to help communities foster a greater awareness about health care and its cost, availability, and access. The institute sought to initiate action at the local and state levels. This initiative has…

This set of four short videocassettes promotes the use of promising practices advocating fully inclusive education for students with diverse learning abilities in their neighborhood schools. The first video, titled "Seven Steps to Problem Solving," presents a problem-solving process that empowers teams to work together to meet diverse…

This paper describes a study that involved 25 school administrators who participated in one of five administrator-preparation programs at four New England universities. The study examined participants' perceptions of job preparedness and the ways in which components of formal training programs (internships, mentoring relationships, reflective…

First steps toward engaging in collaborative action research in the mathematics classroom are vital in establishing quality research projects designed and implemented jointly by classroom teachers and university faculty. This brief paper describes the initial phases of a collaborative research project centered around the incorporation of problem…