This study examines how task characteristics (the number of visual chunks and the amount of planning time) and test-taker characteristics (graph familiarity) influence the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in graph comprehension, the strategies used in describing graphs, and the scores obtained on the graph description task in a…

This article examines alternating verbs (such as "quemar"(se) "to burn") in second language (L2) Spanish by considering the learnability problem from a sequence learning perspective (N. Ellis, 1996, 2002). In Spanish, verbs of the alternating class are obligatorily marked with the clitic "se" in their intransitive form. Errors of omission among…

Despite increasing interest in interlanguage pragmatics research, research on assessment of this crucial area of second language competence still lags behind assessment of other aspects of learners' developing second language (L2) competence. This study describes the development and validation of a 36-item web-based test of ESL pragmalinguistics,…

This paper examines parents' experiences of knowing and being known by others in the rural schools attended by their children. Within a larger phenomenological research project on parents' experiences of standing up for their children at school, the condition of knowing and being known stood out clearly as a function of parental involvement in…

The leaders of two local and regional organizations, Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and Workforce Development Board (WDB), were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the leadership skills of each other as an indicator of the social capital within the community. Results showed the majority of both groups did not know if their counterparts…

This paper describes the effects of science teacher subject-matter knowledge on classroom discourse at the level of individual utterances. It details one of three parallel analyses conducted in a year-long study of language in the classrooms of four new biology teachers. The conceptual framework of the study predicted that when teaching unfamiliar…

Examined cortisol and behavioral reactions of 36-month olds in an unfamiliar playgroup. Found that, when compared to at-home levels, cortisol levels were lower when children were receiving adult support and higher for one-third of children when interacting with peers alone, and that children showing adrenocortical arousal before the challenging…

This New Zealand study examined attitudes toward persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) via a survey of 35 people with SCI, 27 SCI rehabilitation workers, 16 outpatient hospital rehabilitation workers, and 37 people from the general population. Results were analyzed in terms of age, ethnic identity, gender, professional training, and amount of…

Perceptions about speakers of Spanish, English, and Chinese were studied among 303 Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanic students in grades 3 and 8 in the southwestern United States. Students' prior experience with a language increased favorable attitudes toward the language, solidarity with its speakers, and perceptions of status associated with…

Four studies examined developmental differences in the representation of basic-subordinate inclusion relationships in three-, five-, and seven-year olds and undergraduates. Found that even three-year olds showed rudimentary knowledge of the asymmetry of inclusion. There was a marked developmental gap between producing subordinate category names…

The naturalist's journal is a collection of writings and sketches that captures selected thoughts or observations of nature and represents both immediate learning and raw material that is available for more polished work. This article talks about a naturalist's journal as an effective teaching and learning tool. Creating a naturalist's journals…

This paper addresses the accumulating knowledge of prospective teachers of secondary school mathematics and their acquired proficiency during the course "Psychological aspects of mathematics education," in which we discussed theoretical models including the intuitive rules theory. Participants' performances are examined by means of an extensive…

The homogeneity that once represented Irish society will soon be represented only in the annals of history. The influx of people of diverse nationalities, together with the increasing presence of children with physical and intellectual disabilities, and children coming from a range of non-traditional backgrounds will make our classrooms…

As states and provinces develop large-scale assessment programs linked to their curricula, teachers are increasingly expected to interpret the assessment results and to explain them to parents. The challenge for teachers is especially great in Ontario, which began developing an assessment program in 1996 after almost three decades without…

This study examined techniques which facilitate children's separation from their mothers and their move into a novel situation. Subjects were 32 male and 32 female 40- to 48-month-old children. Some children were visited in their homes the night before the experiment. Subjects remained with their mothers in a waiting room for 10 minutes. A…