This symposium on human resource development (HRD) theory consists of three presentations. "The Real Debate: Who Does HRD Serve?" (Wendy E.A. Ruona) finds three distinctive sets of beliefs about who/what HRD serves, namely that HRD serves individuals, organizations, and multiple stakeholders. "Theorizing HRD" (Jim McGoldrick,…

Used concept maps and surveys to assess the effects of a multicultural education course on preservice teachers' cognitions. Found that Group B students' conceptualizations of effective teaching increased after the course, but other indicators showed that they did not actively reorganize their reconceptualization. Group A students exhibited the…

Concept mapping, a student-driven assessment tool, is used to compare student attitudes toward conventional school and the Community Environmental Leadership Programme (CELP), an integrated outdoor semester for 11th graders that develops community skills, environmental awareness, leadership, and responsibility. Although pre-CELP concept maps…

Described is a computer-based tool, SemNet, which can be used by good and poor students to facilitate, extend, and polish their learning skills. Emphasized are skills associated with meaningful or deep-level learning. The components, use, and theoretical background of the software are discussed. (CW)

Concept mapping is a structured conceptualization that can be used by groups to develop a conceptual framework that guides evaluation or planning. Twelve papers discuss concept mapping in evaluation/planning in terms of theory development; measurement, construct validity, and pattern matching; outcome assessment and internal validity;…

Concept mapping with "Learning Tool," a computerized mapping program, was used to assess changes in the content and organization of 17 preservice teachers' concept maps for the topic of effective teaching. This study illustrates how concept mapping can be useful in describing students' evolving constructions of knowledge in a particular…

Describes the "SemNet" software and some of its uses as an educational and research tool, with emphasis on the similarities and differences between concept mapping and semantic networking. (PR)

A review of the literature in science education shows that most students have difficulties in hypothetico-deductive reasoning. The author's objective in this study was to investigate the abilities of high school teachers and university teachers to understand the difference between the terms "hypothesis" and "prediction" in the…

Purpose: This research aimed to obtain insights into how farmers on small and medium-sized farms perceived the benefits of the information they receive from their interpersonal networks and other sources. Design/methodology/approach: Farmers' information environments were explored using socio-spatial knowledge networks, diaries and in-depth…

This article describes the outcome of an exercise carried out with one hundred undergraduate student teachers (preservice teachers) enrolled in a Biology Teaching Methods course, a third year course in a four-year Teacher Education Programme. The students, working in groups of three to four, were assigned to construct a concept map showing their…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the important factors influencing residents' satisfaction in residential aged care and to provide a better understanding of their interrelationships. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the required information, including resident satisfaction, resident dependency…

This book offers broad, practical strategies for teaching science and engineering courses and describes how faculty can provide a learning environment that helps students comprehend the nature of science, understand science concepts, and solve problems in science courses. The student-centered approach focuses on two main themes: reflective writing…

This article discusses different approaches to reading instruction for EFL learners based on theoretical frameworks. The author starts with the bottom-up approach to reading instruction, and briefly explains phonics and behaviorist ideas that inform this instructional approach. The author then explains the top-down approach and the new cognitive…

This article explores applications of the Self-Organizing Maps method (SOM) to psycho-educational data. The study examines the psychological well-being, self-regulatory and motivational styles of pupils at elementary and middle school (N = 795). The presentation of the method appears in cases which are related to general education, special needs…

This study explores the combined use of concept maps and interpretive essays as a method of assessment in three mathematics courses. The primary objectives were to describe and document: (1) the use of concept maps and written essays to assess the connectedness of students' knowledge; (2) the correlation between students' scores on the concept…