The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of navigation tools and computer confidence within a hypermedia environment. Twelve course sections containing 354 undergraduate college students were blocked by ability and randomly assigned to an embedded hyperlink group, a content list group, or a concept map group. Results indicated that…

Adult education and ICT (information and communication technology) are intrinsically linked and ICT infiltrates every part of our lives. As those who have grown up and been educated in the ICT age become more prominent in society those who were not find themselves with the distinct possibility of becoming second-class citizens if not so already.…

Historically, preservice teacher education programs have not adequately prepared teachers in parent involvement or family-centered practices. Because teachers do not routinely encourage family involvement, and parents do not always participate when they are encouraged to do so, the importance of preservice training to involve family members in…

Five eighth grade science classes of students in at a middle school were assigned to three treatment groups: those who individually concept mapped, those who collaboratively concept mapped, and those who independently used their study time. The findings revealed that individually generating concept maps on computers during study time positively…

One key to effective conceptual change teaching is to discover each student's conceptions about the conditions before instruction. The teacher then provides experiences that create dissatisfaction with existing ideas and models a new conception that is intelligible, plausible, and fruitful. The purpose of the Acorn Project of the Chicago office of…

This information sheet examines three areas: (1) what research tells about problem-solving in chemistry; (2) why students have such difficulty in solving chemistry problems; and (3) if there are some ways of teaching students to solve problems that are more effective than others. From several research studies on problem-solving in chemistry, it is…

Shows how "concept of definition" (CD) instruction (instruction which organizes conceptual information into categories, properties, and illustrations) can be applied to content area reading. Presents several lessons and activities which develop strategies for combining new text information with prior knowledge and for self-monitoring…

A general model for conceptualization methods is presented along with considerations for implementation. The model is illustrated in two planning and evaluation studies which involved a broad range of constituent groups within the organizations in the development of "concept maps." General implications of conceptualization methods are…

Discusses seven key concepts in Ausubel's learning theory which function to guide research and teaching. Also discusses concept mapping and Gowins Vee, providing examples of how they are used in chemistry instruction. (JN)

This paper presents preliminary hypotheses about a common core of faculty beliefs about how their students learn to solve problems in their introductory courses. Using a process of structured interviews and a concept map based analysis, we find that faculty appear to believe that students learn problem solving primarily through a process of…

This issue of "ENC Focus" focuses on teaching in the standards-based classroom. Contents include: (1) "Creating Ideals and Making Them Real" (Annette Thorson); (2) "ENC Partners: Eisenhower National Clearinghouse Sites" (Juyong Pae); (3) "Innovators' Forum"; (4) "Using the Internet: Connecting Students…

Transfer of training in the construction and use of knowledge maps to text comprehension was investigated. Knowledge maps (k-maps) are spatial/verbal arrays that represent information in the form of node-link diagrams. K-maps make the macrostructure of a body of information more easily available to the learner. Because k-maps emphasize…

Compares revisions of the same chapter from a computer manual, one revision by a group using conventional revision techniques and another revision by a group using concept mapping. Finds that revision time was not significantly different between groups, nor were an editor's ratings, but that readers' comprehension was significantly higher with the…

Proposes a Web-based collaborative inquiry learning system and describes a study of undergraduates at the National Taiwan Normal University based on a model system that investigated students' learning processes. Discusses the use of concept maps to anchor and represent knowledge during the inquiry process. (Author/LRW)

Discusses how semantic mapping can be used in educating students who are deaf or hard of hearing by making important concepts visual and by helping students find connections among ideas and subject areas. Examples are given of how semantic mapping can be used to teach science and mathematics. (CR)