Uses the "Learning Styles Questionnaire" (LSQ) with secondary school teachers to identify four preferred learning styles among: activist, reflector, theorist, and pragmatist. Discusses these preferences in light of teachers' values, positions, and subject specialization. Considers the role these preferences could play in secondary…

Responses from about 40 teachers receiving training in adult basic education and English for speakers of other languages found that (1) they sought practical/procedural knowledge; (2) few seemed aware of issues of literacy, culture, and power; and (3) they wanted to understand the difference between first- and second-language development. (SK)

Describes a simple exercise that demonstrates how content knowledge facilitates the rate of retrieval of domain-specific information. Music experts and novice students quickly name any seven words that relate to music. Reliably, the experts complete the task more quickly. Students rated this demonstration as both educational and interesting. (MJP)

Examines the ways in which teachers expected their students to use, or to know how to use, certain reading skills. Reveals a significant interaction between ability and reading component in an analysis of variance (grade x ability x component). Suggests that teachers' expectations about students' reading skills are related strongly to the ability…

Questions current practices and points to new directions in research on student beliefs about second-language acquisition. Definitions and various studies made within the current approach are reviewed, relevant developments in the social sciences are outlined, and alternatives are suggested for the present definitions and research methodologies.…

Examines two different types of human motivation, pragmatic and nonpragmatic. Experimental studies in preschool-age children in both the former Soviet Union and Western cultures are presented. Suggests that the two contrasting conceptions of human motivation lead to totally different practical strategies for transforming human motivation in…

Utilizes the Psychology As Science (PAS) questionnaire to examine student's perceptions. PAS consists of a series of statements about Psychology followed by a strongly agree/disagree option. Reveals an overwhelming acceptance of psychology as a science among students. Includes a statistical breakdown of PAS statements and suggestions for future…

A study analyzed the second-language essays of seven anglophone and one French-speaking Quebec university students enrolled in a literature course by using a cognitive-metacognitive framework developed for mathematical problem-solving and a think-aloud protocol. Results indicate the framework, with some adjustments, is a reliable tool for…

Attempts to clarify relationship between metacognition and English-as-a-Second-Language writing performance by posing the following questions: (1) Does each component of the metacognitive model--personal, task, and strategy--have an equivalent effect upon writing performance of ESL students?; (2) Do these three components impact performance…

Applies aspects of James's (1950/1890) theory of the "stream of thought," to journal writing. Takes a case study approach to delineate individual differences by focusing on 15 students' writing processes. (Author/VWL)

Scientists and students often believe that if they just think harder about a problem, a solution will follow. However, thinking about one's thinking, or using metacognition, can be a more productive expenditure of mental energy. Introducing students to metacognition allows them to discover the value of reflection. This article presents a lesson on…

In this case study, I attempted to understand the nature of a teacher's curriculum planning as she learned about the essence of her teaching context and developed learning opportunities for students based on her perceptions of the students' needs. The teacher demonstrated what I am calling "responsive planning"--the development of lessons based on…

In this study, the authors improved the understanding of the cognitive processes underlying the reflective-impulsive cognitive style (RI), which was initially measured by J. Kagan, B. L. Rosman, D. Day, J. Albert, and W. Phillips (1964) on the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT). The authors determined the relationships between the RI style and…

The first objective of this study was to establish to what extent metacognitive skill development is associated with intelligence. As a second objective, the generality vs. domain-specificity of maturing metacognitive skills was investigated. Both issues have major implications for the training and transferability of metacognitive skills.…

Sweden's present school curricula emphasise personal flexibility, creativity, responsibility for learning and suggest new understandings of quality in learning, where individual freedom of choice is meant to help produce creative, motivated, alert, inquiring, self-governing and flexible users and developers of knowledge. These curriculum changes…