A discussion of the application of artificial intelligence to natural language processing looks at several problems in language comprehension, involving semantic ambiguity, anaphoric reference, and metonymy. Examples of these problems are cited, and the importance of the computational approach in analyzing them is explained. The approach applies…

Analyzes the status of the audience as a theoretical construct. Argues against the usefulness of a unified conception of audience effects. Develops an epistemological framework for reconstructive theorizations of the concrete structures and practices studied as audience issues. (MS)

A review of three curriculum and instructional models used with gifted students suggests that models of: content (emphasis on learning skills and concepts within a discipline); process-product (emphasis on investigatory skills to develop "products"); and epistemological (focus on understanding and appreciation of knowledge systems) should be…

Philosophical interest in reason is traced historically from its classical roots to its current context. While philosophic enquiry has had little discernable effect on what is happening in schools, educational philosophers should pose significant reflective questions to educators and help clarify the language of issues being discussed. (BS)

Argues that IQ tests work only for some people some of the time. Offers a theory that emphasizes the roles in intelligence of information-processing, the environmental context, and coping with novelty and automatization of task performance, as a possibility for improving levels of prediction. (CMG)

The "paradigm dialogue" is an attempt to examine the philosophical positions of competing social science "ways of knowing" in the hope of establishing a dialogue among these different schools of thought. Three paradigms--postpositivism, critical theory, and constructivism--were examined in regard to their stances on three…

Reviews theories and research findings on intrinsic motivation for young children and suggests ways for parents and educators to facilitate children's development in this area. (Author/BJD)

Provides an expanded analysis of rigor and relevance in the context of program evaluation. Epistemological rigor, epistemological relevance, methodological rigor, and methodological relevance are defined and illustrated in the literature on vocational education evaluation. (Author/SK)

This article, concerning the importance of and need for educational theory, elucidates the etymology of the word "theory," describes the importance of ethnomethodology to educational principles, and views the concerns of epistemology to curriculum theory. The question "What is the good of theory?" is debated in relation to the…

Provides an introduction to research on the basic components of cognitive skill. Perceptual processing and representation, the components of long- and short-term memory, and the nature of attention, mental performance, and consciousness are discussed. A 101-item reference list is provided. (JL)

Suggests that knowledge organization must encompass theories that focus on the more fundamental and less technical view and raises the questions of epistemology and general linguistic theory. Focuses on the meaning aspect of language and the terminological aspect of knowledge organization. Considers theories of terminology, language and meaning,…

Explores similarities between Kelly's Personal Construct Theory (PCT) and systemic therapies. Asserts that (1) PCT and systemic therapies share common epistemological stance, constructivism; (2) personal construct systems possess properties of open systems; and (3) PCT and systemic therapies hold similar positions on relevant theoretical and…

Notes that few investigations have addressed adolescents' conception of knowledge. Provides a rationale as to why it may be useful to more adequately explore how adolescents view knowledge. Reviews existing investigations and discusses three general approaches to the study of the subject. (Author/NB)

Employed meta-analysis to determine existence of the detrimental effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Results showed that within strictly defined parameters the phenomenon concerning the detrimental effects of reward described in Deci's Cognitive Evaluation Theory did exist. (Author/NB)

The growth in legitimacy of relativist perspectives in broad areas of scholarship in the social sciences and humanities is discussed in terms of its importance for the study of colleges and universities. Types of irony as conveyors of relativist sensibility are applied to classic sociological concepts significant for higher education. (Author/MLW)