In order to demonstrate Walton J. Ong's continuing relevance to the field of rhetorical theory, a review of his intellectual contributions and development is conducted in three stages, covering not only Ong's books and major articles but also his Jesuit educational history and his reviews of other theorists. In the first period (1939-1950), Ong's…

Argues that ascription of meaning should be based on the satisfaction of contextual criteria, following Wittgenstein's concept of meaning as use. Shows how the notion can serve a bridging function between general rules and situated contexts. (MS)

Presents a background on theory in knowledge organization, which has moved from an epistemic stance of pragmatism and rationalism (based on observation of the construction of retrieval tools), to empiricism (based on the results of empirical research). Discusses historicism, external validity, classification, user-interface design, and…

Advocates the application of Popper's ideas (1963, 1972) about the nature of science and objectivist epistemology to generativist linguistics, discussing the subsequent effects on five key metatheoretical positions: fallibilism; realism; objectivism; autonomism; and interactionism. (12 references) (CB)

Organizational learning or epistemology has emerged in order to manage the creation of knowledge and innovation within contemporary capitalism. Its insights are being applied also to the public sector. Much of the research in organizational learning has drawn upon the discipline of psychology, particularly constructivist theory. Two approaches in…

In support of online discussions research, this review classifies and describes instructional interventions and learner characteristics that affect the quality of discussions. The review will help educators better understand factors such as group structure, mentoring, argumentation, and learner characteristics that play a role in shaping online…

This article presents the authors' response to the commentaries on their article. They focus on two important issues raised by most of the reviewers: (a) the curricular dependence of the proposed learning progression and the daunting (twin) challenges of bringing about changes in curriculum and assessment and consolidating and validating the…

Interest in the sophists has recently intensified among rhetorical theorists, culminating in the notion that rhetoric is epistemic. Epistemic rhetoric has its first and deepest roots in sophistic epistemological and rhetorical traditions, so that the view of rhetoric as epistemic is now being dubbed "neo-sophistic." In epistemic…

Defines the field of developmental psychopathology, and briefly describes the articles contained in this volume. (PCB)

States that renewed research on the processes of learning and teaching is necessary if all children are expected to meet high standards of educational performance. Discusses cognitive science, a federation of psychology, linguistics, and computer science which offers a reconceptualization of the nature of the learning process and new approaches to…

Presents the feminist critique of systems-based family therapy. Discusses the functions of "punctuation,""boundary," and "closure" in systemic epistemology. Explores implications of a new context for family therapy with respect to women's issues, clinical epistemology, and the challenge to raise novel questions in family therapy. (BH)

Much of the ongoing discussion about the scientific value of narrative research and the criteria for narrative research comes down to conceptions of the aims of educational research and what this means for an interest in the "truth." The growing number of publications about narrative research has resulted in warnings and criticism. One…

Cognitive model of processing symbolic information abstracted from verbal expressions should consider running text, not scattered sentences. A valid abstraction of information structures should be based on explicit encoding of intentionality and valuation. A model must cope with empirical context and novelty instead of truth-values in…

In "What's Within? Nativism Reconsidered" (1999) Fiona Cowie addresses three questions: (1) What is nativism? (2) What is meant by calling some trait "innate"? and (3) What types of evidence should be offered when claiming innateness? This review concentrates on these questions as they pertain to Chomsky's faculties-based account of language…

The author reviews research on dyslexia, citing the public image and current thought on its nature, causes, and treatment. He then proposes viewing the condition from the perspective of cognitive psychology and outlines coherent curricula for reading and teaching based on the perspective. (CL)