The results of interviews of students of medicine, business administration, and engineering concerning their perceptions of their professional education's relevance to actual professional work, the nature of learning and knowledge, and worldwide economic and technological development are presented and discussed. (MSE)

This study investigated the effects of two sequences of instruction--theory-to-application and application-to-theory--on medical students' cognitive preferences in preclinical science teaching. Results indicate that presenting an example of the clinical application of biochemical theory before presenting the theory itself increased students'…

These narrative accounts follow a group of young adults searching for meaning during the ten years after their college graduation, and offer insights into how higher education might create conditions for this search to occur during college. This longitudinal study is based on interviews with 39 participants at various points during their…

Advocates adapting a postmodernist approach to history instruction. This would mandate recognizing the subjectivity of all knowledge including the historical record. Recommends embracing this subjectivity and focusing less on history as a subject and more on the development of critical-thinking skills. (MJP)

Suggests that in order to develop innovative and alternative approaches to educating Native Americans, it is important to understand and define pre-Columbian Native American culture and values. Emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the role and function of elders and ceremonial people, and the use of Native languages as a manifestation of…

Two alternative paradigms for undergraduate education are compared; one holds teaching as its purpose, the other learning. The natures of the two paradigms are examined on the following dimensions: mission and purposes, criteria for success, teaching and learning structures, underlying learning theory, concepts of productivity and methods of…

This article addresses issues of multicultural education and feminist pedagogy in the context of knowledge and its transmission, self-understanding, cultural and individual beliefs, and transformation of the teacher and the college curriculum. (DB)

Describes the development and modification of a teacher education program based on a constructivist epistemology. Among the conclusions are that systemic change is a slow process. If reforms are to be permanent, it is necessary to change the referents of the culture and empower teachers to take personal actions to overcome perceived constraints.…

Utilizes Aristotle's three-way distinctions between theory, practice, and production to describe a balanced model of teacher reasoning. Reviews differing models of teacher reasoning that emphasize the role of contemplation and subject-matter representations. Uses the Aristotelian model to point toward a normative vision of teacher reasoning. (MJP)

This document contains the final program and abstracts for the 1997 annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST). Strands of the meeting included "Learning: Students' Conceptions and Conceptual Change"; "Learning: Classroom Contexts and Learner Characteristics"; "Teaching";…

This paper examines the degree to which women faculty and administrators are able to engage in connected knowing and interdependent definitions of self and reality within an institutional environment that values and rewards individualism, separateness, competition, and objectivity. The paper notes that connected knowing is essentially the process…

In the literature since the 1970's, the notion that education should serve as a social leveler has given way to the image of the educational institution as a business-like enterprise. This change in the perceived role of higher education has been accompanied by increased pressure on institutions to provide measurements of educational outcomes. For…

In a framework of cognitive theory, an exploratory study examined eye movements of learners studying print materials combining text and illustrations. Eye movement patterns were used as indicators of the cognitive strategies employed. Both design and learner variables were emphasized. Twenty-four graduate education students were randomly assigned…

Many believe that whether teachers teach students to "do" science, teach about science, or teach about technology instead, science teachers should be as culturally literate about science as possible. Also, it is believed that a philosophy of science course which uses history of science, some normative epistemologies, practical examples, and…

Native American Studies has failed to develop into an academic discipline because of the continued influence of postcolonial theories, attempts to discredit Native American scholars, politically determined research agendas, and the ideology of the "New Historicism." Native American Studies must seek autonomy from other opportunistic…