As in other countries, older adults in Australia could benefit from acquiring information technology (IT) skills in many ways, including improved access to information on health issues and development of the skills needed for employment in high-demand IT-related occupations. The research on adult learning and the problems faced by many older…

This study explored the usability of learning stage data using the M. B. Baxter Magolda (1992) model for identifying and understanding differences among students and their perceptions of their academic experience at a midsize public community college. The study sought to: identify a dominant learning stage (either absolute, transitional, or…

This paper describes three studies that evaluated the Marvelous Me-Preschool Edition curriculum, a 12-session program designed to enhance the self-concept of preschool children. The program is organized around 6 central themes: feelings, self-image, getting to know oneself, family friends, and community. Children participate in activities such as…

Student perceptions of changes in the mode of instruction used by teachers who use alternative assessment techniques and changes in student attitudes and beliefs about mathematics after experiencing alternative assessment were studied. Eighteen teachers surveyed their elementary school and secondary school students three times during the school…

Metacognitions about study activities and strategy use were assessed in 166 fifth and sixth graders (54 percent female and 39 percent African American), 108 seventh and eighth graders (55 percent female and 32 percent African American), and 168 college students (60 percent female, 10 percent African American, and 10 percent from other ethnic…

This report summarizes the results of studies of four computer-assisted integrated learning systems (ILS) designed to teach students arithmetic: two in Israel (TOAM--distributed in the United States as DEGEM and SEMEL) and two in the United States (CCC and WICAT). The qualitative and quantitative studies identified cognitive, sociological, and…

"Going home again," a financially secure return to the homeland in old age, is easily accomplished by, and constitutes an economically efficient strategy for, urban American Indian elders if they have maintained their ethnic identity. Emphasis on ethnicity varies with life stage: full immersion in early life, eclipsed ethnicity in middle…

School effectiveness indices (SEIs), based on regressing test performance onto earlier test performance and a socioeconomic status measure, were obtained for eight subject-grade combinations from 485 South Carolina elementary schools. The analysis involved school means based on longitudinally matched student data. Reading and mathematics…

Research on clients' perceptions of the acceptability of psychological treatments has grown out of concern for social validity and has resulted in the development of a hypothetical model to explain how individuals might select treatments. This model involves four components: (1) acceptability of treatment; (2) use of treatment; (3) integrity of…

Values are important in understanding what a person wants from life, from work, and from the various roles that one plays in life. This study examined the most and least popular values chosen by diverse groups of people: 9,650 U.S. students in grades 7 through 12; 2,925 U.S. college freshmen; 571 Spanish-speaking Americans from Massachusetts and…

A multivariate model to explain student success and failure at the Open University of the United Kingdom is outlined. The model is based on the results of an evaluation study that explored the suitability of this teaching system for young people under 21 years old. Twenty-three characteristics were designated as social and psychological problems,…

This study examines whether students' age and/or gender impact their preferences for instructional practices thought to improve learning, and their preparation for college and performance in college. Students were asked which of 38 instructional practices they preferred, how often they experienced each practice, and how well prepared they felt in…

A study examined how older employees themselves assess the effects of age on their learning at work and job competence and how older workers rate the importance of different aspects of competence. Then the study compared the results of the first two questions by looking at the subjective age-effect ratings on competence aspects of various…

This research explored the thesis that mental model construction can be an effective instructional strategy for mental models learning by constructing a prototype that embodies this approach. The mental model to be learned was the Internet, including the components of the Internet, their functions, and their relationships to one another. To do…

Characteristics related to help-seeking (perceived competence, motivational orientation, attitudes and beliefs, and age) were examined for 177 children in grades 3, 5, and 7. By grade seven, positive and negative attitudes were influential. Developmental and individual difference factors are discussed in connection with help-seeking and academic…