Discusses constructivist teaching, students' prior knowledge, teachers' construction of models of students' mathematics, and the need to make the role of the mathematics teacher problematic. (three references) (MKR)

Addresses the immediate needs of language teachers who want to develop their students' reading skills but have not been provided with the instructional information necessary to do so. It suggests a methodological sequence for using the students' background knowledge and strategy training for foreign language reading using authentic texts. (33…

This study investigated the effects of culture-specific background knowledge and inferences upon second-language readers' comprehension of text. Ten Korean adult second-language readers were asked to think aloud as they read a short story from another culture and then answer a detailed set of postreading questions. (20 references) (VWL)

Examines proficient and less proficient high school comprehenders' use of strategies as they read three passages with different top-level structures: collection, causation, and comparison. Finds that both groups of readers use similar strategies. Finds that proficient comprehenders use more previous knowledge on the collection passage and more…

Examines previous studies of the effects of prediction activities, prior knowledge, and text type upon reading comprehension. Finds the three elements unimportant to ordinary reading. Observes that many schema theory concepts arose from analysis of difficult reading. Suggests that the schema theory variables may arise only in atypical reading…

A total of 108 eleventh and twelfth graders were given a strategy questionnaire and sample Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) math items in an attempt to explain gender differences on this test. Results showed that, although male students performed better on the SAT math items, prior knowledge and strategies explained nearly 50% of the variance. (MDM)

Examined 1,573 kindergarten children to determine effects of socioeconomic status (SES), kindergarten class size, and prekindergarten experience on early school adjustments. Found that some potentially negative effects associated with SES were ameliorated if the children had prekindergarten experience or were in smaller class sizes in…

Description of the issues surrounding introduction of assessment of prior experiential learning for nurse practitioners illustrates concerns in contemporary British higher education: multiplicity of purposes, fear that academics are losing control over knowledge creation and assessment, and shift from norm- to criterion-referenced assessment.…

To test whether cognitive interest in a topic is affected by how much the reader knows about the topic, 36 undergraduate students read a text, gave a rating for cognitive interest, and answered 2 recall measures. Associations among knowledge, cognitive interest, and text recall are discussed for their implications for learning. (SLD)

Relationships between anxiety toward computers and variables trait anxiety, anxiety toward mathematics, perceived impact of computers on society, and experience in using computers were studied in a sample of 81 male and 81 female university students. All of these variables were found to influence anxiety toward computers, and a significant…

Studies the growth of knowledge of English and teaching in 25 prospective English teachers. Investigates the interaction of prior experiences; their identities as readers, writers, and speakers; their memberships in various discourse communities; their academic preparation; and their early experiences as teachers. (HB)

Provides practical examples of assignments that increase the effectiveness of foreign language reading instruction. It is suggested that, by restructuring reading instruction, the role of the teacher will also be restructured. (12 references) (JL)

Discusses the use of literature in the whole-language approach. Examples show the integration of a second grader's experiences with the curriculum; integrating the language arts in the middle school via study of the author as well as the book; and the integration of literature into the study of history. Titles to use in each area are suggested.…

Asserts that the assessment of students' ability to use computers should be central to educational computing research, but most studies have relied on vague definitions of what constitutes computer-use ability. Argues that definitions need to be clarified before further research is conducted. Raises methodological issues for further research. (DSK)

Examines variables including handwriting, English mechanics, number of words written, average T-unit length, type of correct answers, and unrelated responses on which male and female adolescents in grades 7 and 10 were hypothesized to differ when producing constructed responses. Results suggest that further studies need to define and separate the…