This paper presents a cognitive theory of multimedia learning from which predictions on individual differences in learning are derived and tested. Elementary students learned how to add and subtract integers with an interactive multimedia game that included visual and symbolic representations of the arithmetic procedure. They learned either with…

This book presents the history of Project Spectrum, a 10-year research project dedicated to developing an alternative approach to curriculum and assessment that respects the diverse interests and abilities that children bring to the preschool and early elementary classroom. The first chapter presents Spectrum's theoretical roots--David Henry…

Educators and learners have diverse thinking style preferences. Recognition of this difference in preferences is very important in the design of a curriculum and the way it is taught. Educators are often unaware of the way learners think and learn. Cataloging and classification can only be taught effectively if the diversity in thinking style is…

The social studies, as defined by the Committee on Social Studies of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education, "are understood to be those whose subject matter relates directly to the organization and development of human society and to man as a member of social groups." More specifically, the social studies in the secondary…

The literature on individual differences in cognitive processes that operate at the text level is reviewed. Poor readers display comprehension deficits independent of word-decoding skill, due to deficient syntactic abilities and to more general metacognitive strategies. The general conclusions from this review and from Part One (ED 150 706) are…

Undergraduates rated their affective reactions to hypothetical test performances under four success conditions. Then, in the role of teachers, they administered rewards to hypothetical students under identical conditions. Both positive self-evaluation and teacher praise were greatest when success followed effort. Perceptions of ability also…

The relationship between anxiety and learning was examined within the context of drive theory and trait-state anxiety theory. Results indicated that trait anxiety had a causal influence on state anxiety and on test performance. The possibility of a reciprocal relationship between state anxiety and performance was suggested. (Author/BH)

Presents results of a selective survey of schools using individualized instruction (II) in Great Britain and a detailed description of a particular II self-study zoology course at University College, Cardiff. (CS)

The following hypothesis is tested and validated: that individual differences in interviewers' tendencies to rate generously or harshly, applicant characteristics, and the dissimilarity between applicant and interviewer characteristics contribute simultaneously to the prediction of interviewers' ratings of medical school applicants. (JMD)

Presents a background to the main issues concerning Asian language learning at a distance at tertiary level and in industry in Australia. Also reports on the development of the course, "Communicate in Japanese: A Self-Study Course," at the Institute of Languages. Describes the benefits of distance education learning as a means of…

The Classroom Practices Survey, a national survey of nearly 4,000 third- and fourth-grade teachers, found little differentiation in teachers' instructional and curricular practices to meet the needs of gifted students. An individualized approach to staff development and encouragement of reflective teaching practices are urged. (DB)

Samples of freshmen from an open, distance-learning university (n=34) and a traditional university (n=20) were interviewed about their cognitive strategies, regulation of learning, mental models of learning, affective processes concerning learning, learning orientations, and perceptions of effectiveness of instructional approaches. Four…

Reports the design and evaluation of a prototype for learning modules compliant to the SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) standard for use with hypermedia systems in Web-based instruction. Discusses a study of undergraduates that considered relations between individual differences in learner characteristics, including intrinsic…

Examined the nature and stability of teacher ratings of early learning-related social skills in 72 preschoolers (3 to 4 years old) and again 1 year later. Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling revealed that a construct labeled "learning-related social skills," tapping self-control, cooperation, assertion, and…

This study used data from the Australian Temperament Project to examine how child temperament characteristics and the "fit" between parent and child from early in life might influence social competence when children were 11 and 12 years old. Findings indicated that problematic child functioning, poor fit, or both, had negative…