Four-year-old (N=45) children were trained for eight weeks in one of three conditions: (1) logical foundations (classification and seriation); (2) number skills (counting); and (3) control. The experimental treatments were based on the logical foundations model of Piagetian theorists and a skill integration model. (Author/BS)

Presents stories describing one teacher's knowledge in practice, arguing for the epistemological role of caring in teaching. The teacher's narratives describe what she knows from having caring relationships with her students and how that alters her pedagogy. The paper suggests that complex relationships between caring and knowing involve constant…

Described is a course designed to teach the intellectual methods of science while also fostering the development of mature, critical, and skeptical thinking students. Discussed are the course syllabus, teaching philosophy and techniques, and observed results. (CW)

Study examined how secondary student teachers in history read and interpreted historical texts, constructed truthful accounts, and approached an epistemology of history. Subjects read and thought about the same eight documents. Results indicated that the nature of student teaching may not lend itself well to reflection on epistemological matters.…

Describes the use of concept mapping and Vee diagramming in helping students learn how to learn. (PR)

Briefly describes the terms "sex,""gender,""feminism,""pedagogy," and "feminist pedagogy," and outlines a set of themes common to feminist pedagogies. Discusses practical suggestions for incorporating feminist pedagogy into chemistry teaching. Contains 20 references. (WRM)

Research on students' causal reasoning was used to design a sequence for teaching electricity. Students' responses suggest that several students, when they construct microscopic mechanisms to explain electrical phenomena, may envision transient states and employ a specific type of causal chain--the iterative one--in addition to simple and linear…

Reflects on the idea of a person being constructed through his actions, and the role of the teacher in enabling such actions. Argues that the way a teacher shapes the classroom is, in effect, a lens through which children can be viewed and visions of the educational process both shape and are shaped by the teacher. (Author/WRM)

Explores an approach to autobiographical research based on a notion of "outlaw genre" autobiography, referred to as "biomythography". Describes the use of photo essays to learn about prospective elementary teachers' stories of science and science education. Calls for an examination of hegemonies extending from students' personal histories as…

In this article I put forth the core argument that Second Language Acquisition (SLA) needs to account for the psychological and emotional dimensions of second language (L2) learning, but that a number of epistemological and methodological difficulties must be surmounted before this new research program can be a reality. To illustrate my arguments,…

When evaluating instructional practices, adolescents (n = 128, ages 14-19) coordinated knowledge of epistemology, fairness, and motivation in their conceptions of procedural justice. Adolescents ranked the fairness and effectiveness of instructional practices differently for controversial and noncontroversial topics. They raised epistemological,…

This paper examines the concept of constructive alignment in respect of science education. The concept is placed in the context of its two contributory components--constructivism and instructional alignment. The former has a well-established body of critical literature that highlights the challenges of constructivism for both science and science…

The purpose of this study was to explore my appreciation for the "constructivist theory" for which an epistemological stance is expressed as an educational ideology, or referred to as constructivism; essentially to construct one's own knowledge. Six energetic five-year-old boys from an urban public school, located within a mid-western…

Over the past several years, an increasing number of educators have come to believe that teaching should acknowledge the transactional nature of knowledge and suggest that a shift be made to focus on social practice, meaning, and patterns. This style of teaching proposes that it is important to permit students to construct knowledge meaningfully…

This paper summarizes research in modern cognitive theory that relates to the role of computer drill and practice programs in learning and describes a prototype program that exemplifies recommended characteristics. Focus is on four major issues that are relevant to the design and optimization of computer drills: interference, spaced practice,…