Examines the extent to which Western consciousness of the content and process of knowing provide an adequate epistemic foundation for religious education. Places this question in a historical perspective and includes a discussion of contemporary theorists. Outlines various characteristics of religious epistemology and discusses these from a…

Addresses the issue of quality within inquiry which uses narrative forms of representing human experience. Focuses on environmental education research. (Contains 101 references.) (DDR)

Discusses work on age in interaction in terms of constructivist epistemologies, relating research on ageism to work on adult-child interaction in a cultural comparative perspective. By focusing on identity in interaction, applied linguistics combines constructivist developments with close textual analyses and maintains that it is possible to avoid…

Reviews evidence on gender inequities in science education and gender differences in "ways of knowing" and argues that making science instruction more effective can promote greater equity. Describes a conceptual change approach to science instruction that explicitly activates students' preexisting conceptions and misconceptions and helps students…

Any use of language involves the following interlocking systems: (1) referential; (2) contextualization; and (3) ideology. These together constitute culturally viable "discourse systems." Examination of these systems as they operate in daily contexts reveals a paradox in the concept of literacy. (Author/BJV)

Presents a philosophical analysis of E. D. Hirsch's book, "Cultural Literacy." Concludes that Hirsch fails to acknowledge the problem of cultural transmission in a society where people have been conditioned to a mode of reception characterized by continual excitement and distraction. (CFR)

Research results suggest that neural networks are able to generalize the past tense form from the base form and that phonological form plays a significant role in generalizing. This conclusion questions the scope and validity of learning models currently promoted in both first- and second-language learning theories. (Contains 29 references.)…

Reviews three books that encourage practioners to be researchers of their own practice. Discusses absolutist and relativist approaches to research by examining assumptions related to questions the research generates. Recommends unification of practitioner and researcher roles through a dialectic, critical, reflective orientation that strives for…

Argues that the choice of method for constructing concepts such as family and household does matter but that there is no a priori link between method and construction or between method and epistemological position. The extent of overlap between constructs produced by different methods must be investigated rather than assumed. (LKS)

Reviews the literature on the educational experiences and needs of nontraditional female students in typically diverse community college settings. Considers the epistemological positions in women's intellectual maturation; the value of methodologies that build upon personal and experiential knowledge and encourage women to think as women; and the…

The use of cellular automata to analyze several pre-Socratic hypotheses about the evolution of the physical world is discussed. These hypotheses combine characteristics of both rigorous and metaphoric language. Since the computer demands explicit instructions for each step in the evolution of the automaton, such models can reveal conceptual…

Examines simulation in entrepreneurial research, reviews cognitive structures and theories, and presents a computerized simulation of strategic decision-making in situational stereotype conditions for entrepreneurial companies. The study suggests repeated exposure to a pattern recognition issue in entrepreneurship may lead to a broader…

Contrasts recent views of learning and cognition with cognitive learning theories of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Maintains that Jerome Bruner's spiral curriculum approach, still valuable, is not sufficient to explain cognitive development. Proposes a lattice-like cognitive development structure, inviting differing paths of exploration. (CFR)

Reviews and describes different versions of feminism and postmodernism. Reviews the current debate about the challenges that the two sets of theories offer to traditional epistomologies. Concludes with suggestions about the influence of feminism and postmodernism on educational research. (CFR)

To teach critical thinking, teachers should (1) define critical thinking liberally enough to encompass affective responses, creativity, and flexibility; (2) respect their students; (3) discuss values and accept shifting values; (4) be receptive to change; and (5) be able to explain the epistemology of a subject. (GFW)