Discusses the significance of Thomas Merton's life and work for education. Describes Merton as a Trappist monk who originally sought spiritual self-containment through monastic life only to reemerge to participate in the world through his writings. Suggests that Merton's contribution to education is the idea of orienting education along spiritual…

Discusses the scant attention that education has paid to religion historically. Suggests perceiving Christianity in its historical development as ecclesiastical, social, and personal. Observes that religious education is independent of both theology and pedagogics. Demonstrates that the discourse between pedagogics and theology must be based on…

For more than two decades, the concept of student engagement has grown from simple attention in class to a construct comprised of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components that embody and further develop motivation for learning. Similarly, the goals of student engagement have evolved from dropout prevention to improved outcomes for lifelong…

This book describes and analyzes authority relationships in classrooms through explorations of theory, prior research, and contemporary qualitative studies. The emphasis is on the social construction of authority and the crucial role authority plays in K-16 teachers' pedagogy and students' academic engagement and achievement. The introductory…

This Digest of a larger report with the same title examines the application of learning theory to the quality of learning in undergraduate college classrooms. Relevant theories are identified, including theories which address college students' attributions for success or failure, self-efficacy, social constructivism, conscientization, multiple…

Taking the premise that curriculum design embraces the historical introduction of "order" into schooling, this paper considers theories of curriculum order since the 16th century. Calvinist social discipline brought a curriculum of schooling to be followed and to be completed as well. Peter Ramus, a 16th century professor, reshaped…

This book presents an approach to professional education and higher education institutional reform based on teaching and research in organizational behavior and professional effectiveness. The work presents a theory of action that aims to enhance human activity, responsibility, self-actualization, learning, and effectiveness. In the first of three…

Issues in second language teaching methodology are discussed in light of the concept of proficiency as defined in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. It is proposed that rather than think in terms of identifying one optimal methodology for all second language learners, the profession should be…

This monograph analyzes the philosophical foundations of research into the administration of educational organizations. The first part reviews past debates about the philosophical foundations of research in educational administration, focusing on three contending schools of thought: the empiricists, the phenomenologists, and the critical…

Although industrial and organizational psychologists have labored for two decades to understand processes governing behavior at work, the literature reveals little empirical work on organization value orientation and its effects on individuals within an organization. From research on personal values and interpersonal relationships, one might…

Recent advances in psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and information processing theory have produced several notions that have revolutionized previous conceptions of reading and what it means to understand. These notions support the idea that more emphasis should be placed on reading comprehension skills in the English as a second language…

Tracing the history of algebra within the U.S. secondary curriculum requires at the same time a review of the various reform movements relevant to secondary education, an acknowledgement of the sociological, political, and psychological perspectives driving these reforms, and most importantly, the perceived role of mathematics in the education of…

A teacher's theoretical viewpoint is pervasive. It determines not only the materials chosen and the way the materials are used, but also the perception the teacher holds of the reading process. It is important, therefore, for teachers to understand the theory on which their views are based so that they can understand why they have chosen a…

Reactions to H. Lee Swanson's paper "Toward a Metatheory of Learning Disabilities" are outlined, and his arguments are applied to reading disabilities, focusing on the importance of the scientific attitude, the misuse of ecological validity, interpretation of Thomas Kuhn's work, modularity and reading disability, and scientific progress…

Game theory is appropriate as a topic for an honors seminar for high school students. Matrices provide a model for analyzing certain situations involving conflict, and probability theory can be used to determine the best strategies for the players. Variations on the ancient game of morra are discussed. (MNS)