Interviews with 154 elementary school students in Northern Ireland and the United States found that students in both countries were very interested in history and learned about history from family and the media, as well as school. However, the two groups of students had different views on the importance of history and reasons for studying it.…

Describes a program in which teenage students serve as the explainers of the displays in a museum. Reports on a study designed to determine whether such programs can significantly affect students' social development, their attitudes toward science, and their interest in science, teaching, and museums. (TW)

This paper focuses on the status of science teaching and learning in 20 secondary schools in an urban community which caters to an extremely diverse multicultural student population and the research needed to improve science teaching and learning in such a setting. This research was conducted to provide pre-service teachers with an insight into…

A study examined student learning in the workplace. Surveys of 1,451 students from 13 Australian secondary schools and 9 case studies found that communication skills and finding out what workplaces are really like constituted the bulk of workplace learning. Students reported learning experientially, and learning more in paid work and vocational…

Informal learning is still a core part of lifelong learning provision in higher education (HE). However, the focus is now moving to accredited courses that aim to provide progression pathways towards HE-level qualifications. This study surveyed community learners at local education venues in the South Wales Valleys and surrounding areas. A…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 11th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2014), October 25-27, 2014, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in…

The environment encompasses all of the external and internal stimuli that affect people in their daily lives. How they are interpreted and how people react are as varied as the stimuli themselves. One of the major objectives of environmental education is to form positive reactions and attitudes toward the environment. The concepts and basic…

This article focuses on the interface between the formal learning associated with the curricula of school and college, and the personal knowledge and broader learning lives and identities of two young people as they move into and through their post-16 careers. The interviews reveal the complex interaction between the formal curriculum, contingent…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "In the Field with Spiders," along with the profile of a teacher who took the course. Course takers report on the annual follow-up surveys…

The informal vocational learning experiences of 13 young Australians preparing for the transition from school to work were examined. At the time of their interview, all 13 youths were students at a hybrid educational site in the Sydney metropolitan area that allows students to combine general education with vocational qualifications and experience…

This article takes a detailed look at how a group of 10-year-old boys mutually construct an evolving multilinear scenario whilst playing a storytelling game in class, borrowing from a number of genres and forms of engagement in ICT-mediated popular culture to perform for each other in patterns which defy linear description or analysis. Their…

Researchers examined the factors driving and impeding effective implementation of recognition of prior learning (RPL) in Australia's vocational education and training sector. The study relied on the following data collection activities: a literature review; an environmental scan of current policies and procedures; statistical analysis of national…

Unlike many recent immigrants who entered Canada as highly trained professionals in their countries of origin, most of Canada's immigrant garment workers are working-class women with little education. The Apparel Textile Action Committee (ATAC) and Homeworker's Association (HWA) are among the bodies that were established to assist immigrant…

This book contains 16 papers on learner support in distance education in an international context. The following papers are included: "Constructivism or Confucianism? We Have the Technology, Now What Shall We Do With It?" (Louise Aylward); "Exploring Informal Study Groups in a South African Teacher Education Programme" (Carol…

These proceedings on the theme, Adult Education Research: Shaping the Future, contain 52 papers. The papers are: "Virtual Adult Education" (W. Archer and D. Conrad); "Reversal Theory Approach to Adult Learning and Education" (M. Atleo); "Objectiver L'Action" (A. Balleux et al.); "Cultural Constructions of…