This study traces the evolution of grounded theory from a nuclear to an extended family of methods and considers the implications that decision-making based on informed choices throughout all phases of the research process has for realizing the potential of grounded theory for advancing adult education theory and practice. [This paper was…

Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical framework that derives from critical humanism through social psychology and is presented as an alternative to sociological and psychological views of social reality. This paper analyzes the general arguments of symbolic interactionism, its portrayal of people as responsible agents, and its interpretive…

Objectivity is frequently described as a model of "objectivism" or transparent observation of an unproblematically given external world conducted by a completely neutral observer. However desirable objectivism is in theory, the presuppositions it makes in favor of a disembodied and decontextualized cogito, and against the inclusion of the…

This paper outlines a constructivist theory of learning with a more concrete and specific approach to the types of problems addressed in Piaget's equilibration theory. Knowledge, in this constructivist view, results from the subject's transformational activity on the world and his/her real efforts to organize that activity. The first section…

What differentiates nonviolent individuals from violent individuals? This paper addresses the question by linking current psychological literature on human values with literature on nonviolence. Recent contributions to values theory have begun to establish a universal structure of human values. The theoretical case is made that nonviolent…

This paper attempts to articulate some of the basic theoretical assumptions underlying functionalism, by viewing some of the major historical chapters in the development of modern functionalist theory, and by placing the theory in a longer historical perspective. Historical continuities are argued between Durkheim and Parsons, and between Durkheim…

This report addresses how the influence of cognitive science is developing and what future directions it may take as a theory of instruction. The discussion of the recurrent findings and the prevalent themes emerging in cognitive science includes: limited-capacity learners; the role of prior knowledge in learning--schema theories of reading and…

This paper identifies two broad types of "critical" ethnographic research. One type attempts to empower social actors by providing emic-oriented accounts which tend to emphasize the integrity of their constructs, thus laying the groundwork for a redistribution of social power. The other type attempts to combine analysis of phenomenal, micro-level…

Both the attenuation paradox of traditional test theory and the assumption of local independence in person-item response theory have caused problems in interpretation. This paper demonstrates that the two are related concepts, and, through this demonstration, both are clarified. It is demonstrated that the breakdown of local independence leads to…

Selected behavioral change theories, multiple theory models, and teaching models that may be useful to research studies in health education are examined in this article. A brief outline of applications of theory for the field of school health education is offered. (Author/DF)

This conceptual expression of "task interdependence," or role coupling, derived from research of elementary teachers in self-contained schools and team teaching schools, recommends that organizational theory provide clear concepts and measures to capture significant variations among schools. Research, measuring the…

Comments are made on the review papers presented by six Dutch psychometricians: Ivo Molenaar, Wim van der Linden, Ed Roskam, Arnold Van den Wollenberg, Gideon Mellenbergh, and Dato de Gruijter. Molenaar has embraced a pragmatic viewpoint on Bayesian methods, using both empirical and pure approaches to solve educational research problems. Molenaar…

This paper supports the position that Piaget's theory (including both structural and functional components), methods, and empirical data have a central role to play in the development of an effective, comprehensive pedagogy. A structural-developmental theory coordinates the teacher's knowledge of curriculum with knowledge of cognitive demands…

Ten individuals in the Educational Technology Program at the University of Northern Colorado served as subjects for this study, which was designed to: (1) identify cognitive networks of concepts within components of a system design model for expert and novice instructional developers, and (2) determine cognitive networks of concepts between…

This paper discusses the interaction of cognition and physiological factors in emotion from the viewpoint of a developmental-interactionist theory of motivation and emotion. Emphasis is given to the role of cognition in the theory of emotion. The nature of cognition is discussed in terms of (1) the "primacy" of emotion versus cognition;…