The purpose of the study was to explore a learning behavioral model of project-based learning (PBL) for senior high school students in the context of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Using "audio speakers" as the project theme, a series of tasks were designed to be solved using STEM knowledge via an online…

This study examined the content of email messages to the listserv "CESNET-L" in order to identify trends, common themes, and "hot topics;" to clarify its purpose; and to offer suggestions for the future of CESNET-L and similar email lists in higher education. CESNET-L is an unmoderated listserv mostly used by counselor educators and doctoral…

This paper discusses the use of focus groups to investigate criteria used by college students to determine their satisfaction with higher education, and presents the results of a pilot study. It reviews research on the use of focus groups, discusses the development of a focus group guide for the current study, and examines problems associated with…

This paper describes a method of reflective practice called "critical incident" which was used to examine teacher trainees' educational assumptions. A qualitative case study of one fifth-year teaching intern (Amy) at the University of Tennessee represents the experience of seven other master's level students already practicing within the…

A study explored how small groups of student readers interacted in a classroom over time to interpret short stories assigned by a teacher who functioned as participant/observer. The study focused on multiple readers in actual classroom situations to consider the relationship between the social and academic elements observable during day-to-day…

The Listening Partners project examined rural mothers' development of a sense of the power of their own minds and voices and the relationship between this sense of power and mothers' parenting strategies and their children's development. Two cohorts of 60 women from a rural, impoverished region of Vermont participated in the program. Half the…

A study was conducted at Bunker Hill Community College to assess the impact of the use of learning groups on student absenteeism and academic performance. The study involved four sections of a Biology 1 class. Two sections were designated as the control group and were taught using the traditional course format, which involved a 2-hour session in…

The use and effectiveness of study centers and study center networks as a support system in distance education were investigated, based on interviews with students, tutors, and coordinators of four Australian distance education systems. The investigation of study centers at the University of Queensland, the Riverina College of Advanced Education,…

Online collaborative learning has typically been studied within the context of learning communities. Little is known about the potential influence of students' personalities on online communication, group interaction, and task engagement among members of a learning community. This study used a mixed-method, triangulation design, involving the…

This study investigates biracial learning teams and cross-racial friendship and interaction in desegregated junior high schools. Subjects were 424 seventh and eighth grade students in twelve English classes (164 of them black, 256 white, and 4 Asian). Each of five teachers taught 1-2 experimental classes and 1-2 control classes for ten weeks.…

This study investigated what teachers understood from reading, writing, and discussing a case versus just reading and writing. Analyses of writing and oral discourse from student, beginning, and experienced teachers indicated that the addition of discussion affected their thinking about the case, benefiting teachers at different experience levels…

Examines the use of the Internet, particularly an online discussion forum, to help elementary mathematics teachers develop their teaching in ways consistent with reform. Though some results were disappointing, findings indicated that this method of discussion helped teachers reflect on their own teaching and see how other teachers do some of the…

A professional development initiative in writing provided a context in which teachers could be researchers their own knowledge about writing, writing assessment and writing instruction. Through close attention to student writing samples, and debate in ascertaining writing levels using the English Exemplars, teachers articulated growing confidence…

This study analyzed the implementation of a pre-writing activity that was designed to address L2 student writers' tendency to focus on grammatical accuracy to the exclusion of content and structure. The participants, students in a university-level Spanish composition course, were given a rubric with which to evaluate three previously written…

Lifelong learning programs continue to grow in span and scope. Few studies, however, have investigated how older adults themselves participate in group learning. The central question explored in our study was as follows: Does gender play a role in group dynamics for older adults? Two groups of volunteers (age 62 to 96 years) enrolled in a 16-week…