This paper attempts to trace a line of theory development in technical communication from Dwight Stevenson's 1977 call for "instrumental effectiveness" in theoretical inquiries, based upon careful inductive research methods, to later examples of more speculative and inadequately documented theories about what constitutes the field's…

Peace is one of the greatest needs in the world today. Until the causes of war are addressed, there can be no peace. Education, justice, and unity are the building blocks to peace and the necessary conditions for its existence. Achieving a peaceful world depends upon our willingness and efforts to remove those things that lead to war and to…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the interactive ability of Web-based instruction. The first part of the paper analyzes interaction and instructional theories. Discussion includes Bruner's three-form theory; Gagne conditions of learning; Merrill instructional transaction theory; and Spiro cognitive flexibility theory. The second part of the…

Explores two dichotomies that depict moral education and examines the strengths and weaknesses of the four principal orientations to moral education. Provides an integrated theory of moral education that incorporates both sides of each dichotomy providing necessary dimensions to research, theory, and practice of moral education. (Author/DB)

Aspects of the social theory of J. Habermas with implications for education are reviewed. Habermas had influenced thinking about pedagogical and administrative theory and about the societal role of education and educational practices. According to Habermas, critical social science requires mastery of the analytic and interpretive sciences, not…

Social constructivist theory has advanced the notion that distance education is inferior, because effective learning is thought to require immersion in a cognitive apprenticeship under the guidance of a mentor. Effective learning is said to be situated in activity, context, and culture as a collaboration in a community of practice. Administrators…

Beginning with a brief critique of the behavioral science approach to educational administration, this paper traces the roots of an alternative perspective through examination of the new sociology of education and critical social theory. Arguing then for the location of a critical practice of educational administration in a cultural analysis of…

Discusses Marxist educational theory from the 1960s through the 1990s, analyzes its decline and degeneration, and looks at possible future directions. Explores five developments that have undercut the "old" educational Marxism: hyper-academicism; dislocations between theory and practice; the postmodern challenge; the liberal left challenge; and…

While most economists agree that educational attainment contributes to national economic performance, studies have not generally confirmed a similar conclusion with respect to rural areas. This paper examines the relationships between rural education and economics. The new aim of American education, restoration of national economic…

The importance of theory in qualitative work is discussed through an examination of the search for theory that arose in relation to a case study of educational change in an American school district. Theory is defined as an analytical, interpretive framework to help the researcher make sense of what is going on in the social setting. Certain…

This essay discusses how Foucault's study of power relates to more general reexamination of the foundations of critical traditions, especially decentering of the subject as part of a broader consideration of social epistemology. The paper explores two concepts of power (sovereignty/repression and deployment/production of power) and examines the…

Examined is the assertion by Douglas Mitchell that the dissatisfaction theory be abandoned because it has not been able to predict the political upheavals it described. Reported is the first incumbent defeat as well as suggestions on why prediction should not be the only goal for a social/political theory. (24 references) (SI)

This book describes and analyzes authority relationships in classrooms through explorations of theory, prior research, and contemporary qualitative studies. The emphasis is on the social construction of authority and the crucial role authority plays in K-16 teachers' pedagogy and students' academic engagement and achievement. The introductory…

Current theories of reading are concerned with the nature of the "means" for achieving goals--processing components, paths, practices, and strategies. If reading is understood as text-oriented cultural activities, a continuum of text use can be formulated with enabling texts (those that enable the reader to do something) at one end and…

Compares and contrasts overt and subtle forms of prejudice in the classroom. Maintains that subtle prejudice is still pervasive and discusses this phenomenon in terms of aversive racism theory, attributional ambiguity, and stereotype threat. Describes the intervention programs, jigsaw classroom and wise schooling. (MJP)