The new Ursuline College (Ohio) core curriculum is based on controversial theories about unique ways in which women learn. In freshman seminars, students are encouraged to discover personal truths by drawing connections between the liberal arts and their own lives. (MSE)

The trend toward a "politically correct" college curriculum and instructional materials is criticized as contradicting the principle of academic freedom, an essential principle of higher education. It is argued that appropriate exposure to controversial ideas is a crucial element in the student's intellectual development and the creation…

Examines the work of Jurgen Habermas and Arthur Danto and develops a conceptual structure that views art education as an interpretive and reflective network that bridges school and life experiences. Contends that visual arts contribute to the development of reflective capacities. (CFR)

This paper considers nonempirical trends in Western thought and applies them to special education. Critical theory, postmodernism (a world view), and narrative as a form of interpretive research are introduced. A discussion and accompanying table identify characteristics of good qualitative research. (DB)

Presents a conceptual model of how young children learn about the physical environment, reviewing theories concerning environmental cognition and moral development. Notes that children in developed nations receive much of their information about the environment from the media and are often exposed to conflicting viewpoints about the natural world.…

Describes how a mathematics teacher's knowledge level can be supported or justified by a criterion different from test scores of teacher's students, namely the ability of the teacher to justify teaching practices by appealing to concurrent learning method. Two examples are provided that formalize theoretical justifications as practical arguments…

Defines the theory of the Afrocentric conception, and comments on Afrocentric research methodology. The Afrocentric conception is likely to succeed if it constructs a particularist theory in contrast to cross-cultural relativism and because it relies on the methodology of the absolute rather than the comparative. (SLD)

The U.S. research on cognition that has set a framework for educational practice is discussed; attention is given to trends in the design of instructional innovation. Research considered includes analyses of textbook structure, content, and problem exercises, teacher explanations, and structured classroom interactions. (SLD)

Both pragmatic and experimental approaches to studying adolescent suicide are applied in this study of a suicide prevention curriculum for eleventh graders. Pragmatic and experimental paradigms were both of value in addressing needs of these students and in making general knowledge available. (SLD)

Discusses the maintenance and future of African-American studies within the context of contemporary intellectual ideas. The institutionalization of African-American studies and the creation of the first doctoral program in African-American studies at Temple University in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) marked the flowering of the discipline. (SLD)

Asserts that qualitative research methodology represents a fundamental reconceptualization about knowledge, validity, and education. Reviews the history and trends of educational research and argues that it is increasingly legitimate to use qualitative methods. (CFR)

Suggests an alternative to the traditional epistemological construction that defines the individual as the center of knowledge formation. Criticizes this approach for helping to perpetuate an individualistic culture often at odds with religious teachings. Outlines recent epistemologies, mostly offered by feminists, that challenge these theories.…

Reports on a study of college computer-science students that investigated possible benefits and shortcomings in the learning outcomes of novices who use a case-based hypermedia instructional environment. Highlights include cognitive-flexibility theory, influence of epistemic beliefs on student learning, experimental hypotheses, and results of…

Information processing models do not account for much of human competence in everyday scientific and lay contexts. Situated cognition models account better for competence in widely differing situations. In situated cognition models, the purpose of science education must be reconceived as preparing citizens to participate in public enactments of…

During a symposium in 1997, speakers raised three issues about gender equity and research: (1) distinguishing between the meanings of the terms gender and sex, (2) assuring that science methods classes are gender inclusive, and (3) determining the reasons for changing practice. (DDR)