This article presents the Let's Talk project as a different approach to oral language development. This approach was based on observations of classrooms in the Netherlands where children talked at large tables while playing with miniature figures representing people and objects they were familiar with in their daily lives. It was also influenced…

This exploratory study examines how teachers perceive their work within the current context of educational reform. A cognitive social-psychological approach to emotions offers the theoretical framework for understanding what teachers have at stake within the context of the reforms. Six Dutch secondary school teachers with strongly differing…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the effectiveness of the guidance program used by change agents in the Dutch School Improvement Project (NSIP) on program implementation. Sixteen schools composed the experimental group and 13 made up the control group. The experimental variable was the guidance strategy of the NSIP. The two…

An instrument constructed for scoring behavioral directions in curriculum materials was utilized in an evaluation of 25 randomly selected curricula. Selected curricula were not more than 10 years old and were used through 1986 in Dutch primary schools. Directions included in texts were scored on completeness, clarity, potential, and commitment:…

Investigated how Dutch teachers and adult, female, immigrant students in basic education dealt with active learning, noting impediments to active learning experienced by teachers in basic education. Interviews with teachers and students indicated that students' passive attitudes, which teachers interpreted as culturally determined and problematic,…

The government of the Netherlands is currently rethinking national educational policy on a broad basis, according to this report. In addition to preparing the way for a substantial restructuring of the educational system, from the pre-primary to adult education levels, this national policy overhaul has raised major issues regarding the purposes of…

Found that (1) children perceived that school failure attributed to lack of competence, task difficulty, and a bad explanation by the teacher is controllable; and (2) children with problems in learning and concentration perceived failure attributed to lack of effort as noncontrollable more often than did children without such problems. (BB)

Examined the impact on Dutch mentors and institute teachers of the new requirement that student teachers nearing completion of coursework must teach without immediate supervision for several months. Surveys investigated how this change affected the content and process of mentoring. Mentors and institute teachers acted as supportive counselors and…

When considering the use of computers in their lessons, two questions are important for teachers: how to select courseware and how the role and practice of the teacher may change by using computers. To answer the first question, a courseware-selection checklist was developed and its use by teachers was investigated. The checklist serves the…

Describes four areas of educational change: (1) the curriculum, (2) the role of the teachers, (3) the school structure, and (4) student learning. The impact of intensive computer use on each of these areas is examined using observations from a "technology-enriched" school project that is currently underway (1989-92) in the Netherlands.…

The research question addressed in this paper concerns the degree to which teachers use authentic pedagogy, i.e., teaching strategies that foster authentic learning. Three questionnaires were developed, covering four characteristics of authentic pedagogy: (1) the construction of knowledge in complete task environments; (2) the connection to the…

Two studies have explored how teachers in the Netherlands think about value stimulation and how teachers combine stimulating the development of specific values with teaching skills that enable students to adopt critical thinking or to analyze various opinions. The results of an investigation into the importance attached by teachers to stimulating…

The concerns, problems, mood, and directions of foreign language education in Holland are described. One-year "bridge classes" were established by a bill in 1958 to span the gap between the six years of elementary school and the beginning of higher-level education. The basic conflicts within the system and the society that have prevented…

The present study was designed to investigate the relationships between role strains following the transition to secondary school and academic achievement. Academic engagement was hypothesized to mediate between role strain and achievement. The sample consisted of 749 students in their first year of secondary school. Four types of role strain were…

This monograph describes the attunement strategy devised by educational researchers in the Netherlands as a means of engaging students' interest and building their understanding during classroom activities. The strategy, based on a cognitive-motivational model for development and learning, was developed to address the problem of students who are…