The training of learning strategies with students having academic difficulties is discussed in the context of theory that distinguishes between declarative and procedural knowledge and between inert and useful learning. Explained are effective learning strategies for acquiring useful declarative knowledge, practice strategies for procedural…

A review of how second-language acquisition research accounts for individual differences focuses on research on aptitude, motivation, learning strategies, and learning styles and discusses such conceptual and methodological issues as data quantification, points of contact between variables, the multicausal nature of language learning, hypothesis…

Reviews two case studies on the use of a content-based approach (focusing on information resources) for foreign language instruction to show that, although frequently used in advanced classes, a content-based approach can be undertaken much earlier and still pay remarkable dividends by injecting a measure of reality into language courses.…

Discusses components of children's motivation to read and learn. Presents several factors that influence student goal orientation and foster interest. Suggests that teachers emphasize learning goals instead of performance goals, ensure that children have the competence to carry out chosen literacy activities, and provide support for social…

Discusses the preparation and empowerment of teachers to engage in transactional strategy instruction. Reviews current research and practice relevant to transactional strategy instruction. Considers students' motivations to learn and cognitive strategy instruction beyond reading and writing. (HB)

Discusses the decline in the number of female computer science graduates and presents a categorization by educational stages of the research into this decline as well as an evaluation of the generalizability of findings to broader contexts. Show that the most extensive research is done at the post-secondary stage. (Contains 53 references.)…

Increasing research findings are pointing out that using positive psychology and wellness strategies in counseling and therapy are helpful in fostering healthy human development (Snyder & Lopez, 2001). Positive psychology is addressing the importance of positive emotions, character traits, and features of enabling institutions such as the 'good…

Increasingly over the past several years, the reading of literature has been viewed as a social interpretive process. Conceptions of reading have changed from a largely cognitive process of print decoding to a socially situated one of understanding and appropriating a variety of discourse and text conventions. "Difficulty" is the result…

This review of the role of the metaphor in instruction begins with a brief description of historical thinking on the subject. Modern views of the metaphor as a psychological mechanism rather than just a figure of speech are then presented, with emphasis on reasons why metaphors should be helpful in education. It is noted that the hypothesis that…

Given the vulnerability of the language arts to "back to basics" pressures, it is wise to consider the purposes that literature serves for young readers. Children read for a variety of reasons, including to escape, to understand themselves and others, and to learn about other times, places, and peoples. Characteristics of excellence to look for…

Oral history provides unusually rewarding opportunities for teaching writing. It teaches students to listen to the language of others and to understand the value of the "ordinary life." One method of teaching oral history in writing classes involves students' writing the story of any person who interests them. A variety of sources,…

This paper presents an overview of interventions that schools can use to enhance the psychological and social development of children in a desegregated school environment. Five remedies, designed to meet children's psychological needs in desegregated schools, are first defined and then analyzed for specific interventions appropriate at the school…

Although the use of animated visuals is both common and popular among computer based instruction (CBI) designers, the theoretical and empirical foundation for their use have not been firmly established. Animated visuals represent a subset of instructional visuals, not a distinctive set. For this reason, general conclusions from research on static…

The main theories of motivation are reviewed in an effort to help teachers discern various tactics and techniques that they can use with gifted, talented, and creative students. Among the theories examined are Ivan Pavlov's respondent conditioning; Albert Ellis's rational-emotive approach; Abraham Maslow's triangular approach to growth and…

Reflecting the large role that writing assignments play in teaching and testing, a great quantity of research and published discussion exists which examines issues in designing writing topics for assessments. Because the immediate purpose of an assessment instrument is to measure students' writing proficiency, writing tasks that push students to…