Exemplar-based learning requires: (1) a segmentation procedure for identifying the units of past experiences that a present experience can be compared to, and (2) a similarity function for comparing these past experiences to the present experience. This article argues that for a learner to learn a language these two mechanisms will require…

This article reviews two aspects of human learning: (1) people draw inferences that appear to rely on hierarchical conceptual representations; (2) some categories are much easier to learn than others given the same number of exemplars, and some categories remain difficult despite extensive training. Both of these results are difficult to reconcile…

Experiential learning has been a foundational tenant of agricultural education since its inception. However, the theory of experiential education has received limited attention in the permanent agricultural education literature base. As such, this philosophical manuscript examined Kolb's experiential learning process further, and considered the…

Virtual world technology is now being incorporated into various higher education programs, often with enthusiastic claims about the improvement of students' abilities to experience learning problems and tasks in computer-mediated virtual reality through the use of computer-generated personal agents or avatars. The interactivity of the avatars with…

Institutional research (IR) has a variety of definitions. International societies, such as the US-based Association for Institutional Research (AIR), stress not so much the topics of research, but the outcomes: "improved understanding, planning, management, and operation of postsecondary educational institutions and agencies";…

The current article replies to comments made by Lent, Sheu, and Brown (2010) and Lubinski (2010) regarding the study "Interpreting the Interest-Efficacy Association From a RIASEC Perspective" (Armstrong & Vogel, 2009). The comments made by Lent et al. and Lubinski highlight a number of important theoretical and methodological issues, including the…

The author suggests that we apply recent research knowledge to improve our conceptualization, measures, and methodology for studying the effects of teachers' professional development on teachers and students. She makes the case that there is a research consensus to support the use of a set of core features and a common conceptual framework in…

Inspired by the work of John Falk and Lynn Dierking, this article examines the characteristics of museum visitors and their museum experiences in order to provide recommendations for more meaningful learning experiences for future visitors. A recent shifting agenda in museum missions is discussed in respect to its visitors according to the…

The article argues that we make best use of learning technologies if we begin with an understanding of educational problems, and use this analysis to target the solutions we should be demanding from technology. The focus is to address the issue from the perspective of teachers and lecturers (the "teaching community"), and to consider how…

This discussion focuses on several principles and models of early childhood education which have been used to improve children's ability to live and work with others. Modern problems of socialization in early childhood are discussed in terms of the generation gap in industrial societies, the development of the "private" family with…

This book focuses on understanding knowledge and learning in the contexts of economic development and social cohesion. A preliminary overview is presented of the knowledge processes at work in different sectors, and the book identifies a number of ways in which microlevel or sectoral understanding of the knowledge-based economy is important in…

The importance of personal experiences of a researcher that are "outside" of the research domain in dealing with the researcher's object of study is explored. It is equally true that research questions can also affect how one understands or experiences topical issues in a later personal experience. The researcher's personal experience…

An analysis is proposed which reduces the concept of imagination to certain logically distinct forms and modes of imagining. This analysis is related to contemporary definitions of the educated person. Implications for moral education are presented together with an examination of philosophies which oppose development of children's imagination.…

Based on the thesis that individual learning and growth are based on actual life experiences, proposes a model in preparation programs for school administrators. Discusses how the inclusion of personal experience helps to bridge a critical gap between professors of school administration and practicing administrators. (13 references) (MLF)

Uses different learning models to provide the conceptual framework for three interventions that illustrate methods for designing effective learning environments at the macroinstitutional and microinstitutional levels. (Author)