Twenty-nine reports yielding 112 studies were analyzed with Glass's meta-analysis technique, and results were compared with predictions from Ausubel's model of assimilative learning. Overall, advance organizers were shown to be associated with increased learning and retention of material to be learned. (Author)

A meta-analysis compared quality of writing samples of 836 students (kindergarten through college) using word processors versus traditional writing methods. Study found small but significant improvement of quality of those using word processors; no significant difference between experienced and nonexperienced writers; small, significant positive…

Findings based on a meta-analysis of 16 individual studies conducted in Israel are reported. The study investigated how enhancing instruction may affect motor learning in students on various grade levels (K-11). (IAH)

Summarizes a 10-year Chinese secondary school chemistry teaching experiment, programmed elicitation, which was found to be more effective than traditional Chinese elicitation. Includes sample programmed elicitation textbook section and lesson. (Author/MKR)

A meta-analysis of 53 studies on social skills training of children with learning disabilities found a mean effect size of only 0.211, with few differences among teachers, peers, or children themselves who judged the effectiveness of the training. Discussion focuses on possible links between learning disabilities and social skills that might…

This article reviews recent empirical investigations of imagination or mental practice in highly cognitive, realistic educational domains such as mathematics or learning computer applications. While mental practice has been a standard tool in training schedules devised by sports psychologists for several decades, with its efficacy studied…

There is considerable concern that the majority of adolescents do not develop the competence in writing they need to be successful in school, the workplace, or their personal lives. A common explanation for why youngsters do not write well is that schools do not do a good job of teaching this complex skill. In an effort to identify effective…

The familiar adage states that teachers "teach like they were taught." The lack of technology integration in classroom teaching practices would then indicate that teachers are experiencing little technology integration in their teacher preparation programs. This article identifies many barriers to technology use in teacher education and reports…

This meta-analysis summarizes teaching effectiveness studies of the past decade and investigates the role of theory and research design in disentangling results. Compared to past analyses based on the process-product model, a framework based on cognitive models of teaching and learning proved useful in analyzing studies and accounting for…

This study is a synthesis of practice and research related to use of behavior analysis to train teachers. An idealized model for training science teachers is presented with research related to the model categories reviewed and analyzed. Results (based on meta-analysis) which support the idealized model are presented and discussed. (Author/JN)

The article reviews the research on effects of cooperative learning on the academic achievement of students with handicaps. Findings of the 12 studies meeting the selection criteria were inconsistent. (Author/DB)

Most research in music education has so far dealt with music training in institutional settings, such as schools, and is accordingly based, either implicitly or explicitly, on the assumption that musical learning results from a sequenced, methodical exposure to music teaching within a formal setting. However, in order to realise and understand the…

Given the extensive adoption of research orientations that employ qualitative data collection techniques in education, Margaret Haughey found it exciting to read about a meta-analytical method that combined findings from studies within these research orientations with those from the well-established traditional forms that most often employed…

Students are often required to write literature reviews in advanced business communication courses, especially as part of a research project. Likewise, in the workplace, business communicators may need to review the literature in analyzing a problem or proposing a solution. However, instructors often find that even students who otherwise write…

Four dimensions of pedagogical quality focusing on children's opportunities for learning and development in preschool are suggested. This article explores how they are constituted and how they can be used for evaluation to discern pedagogical quality as a whole and part of a whole and to understand how quality is experienced and valued from…