Four experiments with 4th, 5th, and 6th graders addressed conceptual change in response to anomalous data about empirical regularities in science. Impedance to conceptual change in response to anomalous data could potentially occur at any of four cognitive processes: observation, interpretation, generalization, or retention. In the four…

In a longitudinal study of 496 students in 27 self-contained German elementary school classrooms, performance in mathematical word problems and arithmetic tasks was measured at the end of Grades 2 and 3. Findings show that a cognitive constructivist orientation was associated with larger achievement gains in mathematical word problems. (Author)

This investigation explored teachers' use and effectiveness of a comparison routine to help students understand comparisons of important content information in secondary content classes containing students of diverse ability. Use of the routine led to significantly better retention and expression of information by students in the experimental…

Focuses on the motivating styles teachers adopt in home school and public school contexts. Results showed that religiously motivated home educators embraced a relatively more controlling style than did public school teachers. Results illuminate ideological roots underlying teachers' motivating styles and highlight the need for home school…

This research comprised three studies (two prospective and one short-term longitudinal) designed to investigate mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals as predictors of achievement-relevant processes prior to the undergraduate examination experience. Results from across the three studies were supportive of hypotheses and…

There is disagreement over whether girls or boys are at risk in the context of school. Girls outperform boys in school, particularly in stereotypically feminine subjects. However, girls are also more vulnerable to internal distress than boys are. The aim of this research was to understand this pattern of gender differences. (Author)

This study examined the effects of similarity in competence between model and observer on the effectiveness of observational learning in argumentative writing. Results are consistent with the similarity hypothesis: weak learners learn more from focusing their observations on weak models, whereas better learners learn more from focusing on good…

Aims to optimize computer-based learning environment designed to teach how to solve word problems by incorporating an animated pedagogical agent. The agent delivered instructional explanations either textually or aurally, while simultaneously using gaze and gesture to direct focus of attention. Results indicated an animated agent programmed to…

Two experiments explored the integration of animated agents into multimedia environments in the context of R. E. Mayer's (2001) cognitive theory of multimedia learning. The spoken-narration-only condition outperformed other conditions, with no differences between printed text and printed text with spoken narration. (Author)

Reports on results of a longitudinal study of relative reading achievement of 87 boys and 100 girls from 1st through 6th grades. There was a systematic relationship between gender and reading categorization in Grades 1-3, but not Grades 4-6. Implications include a case for early reading intervention and for reconsideration of the view that…

The relation between learning environment (perceptions of classroom goal structure and teachers' instructional discourse) and students' reported use of avoidance strategies (self-handicapping, avoidance of help seeking) and preference to avoid novelty in mathematics was examined. High incidence of motivational support was uniquely characteristic…

Third graders with low compositional fluency were randomly assigned to four time-equated treatments in an instructional experiment: spelling, composing, combined spelling plus composing, and treated control. All treatments increased compositional fluency. Results are related to the simple view of writing that integrates diverse theoretical…

Examines the contribution of supplemental spelling instruction to spelling, writing, and reading among second-grade children experiencing difficulties learning. Students in the spelling condition made greater improvements on norm-referenced spelling measures, a writing-fluency test, and a reading word-attack measure following instruction.…

Teachers implemented a 6-week classroom intervention designed to promote emergent math skills and math interest in preschool-aged children. After the program, experimental children scored significantly higher than control children on a standardized test of math ability and enjoyed math activities more than the control children, as measured by both…

Tracks 1,110 adolescents identified as mathematically precocious with plans for a math-science undergraduate major. Participants' high school educational experiences, abilities, and interests predicted whether their attained undergraduate degrees were within math-science or nonmath-nonscience areas. More women than men eventually completed…