Two experiments involving 139 college students investigated how text memory was influenced by organizational signaling devices. Signals frequently did not affect how much was recalled from the text, but they did systematically affect what was remembered, supporting a hypothesis that signals aid in construction of a topic structure representation.…

The understanding of instructions and the role of diagrams were explored in the context of cognitive load theory in 3 experiments involving 102 Australian fifth and sixth graders. Results suggest that understanding depends on interaction between elements of the information, and that diagrams can reduce cognitive load and enhance understanding.…

In 3 experiments, 163 college students who read a summary with a sequence of short captions with simple illustrations depicting steps in a process recalled the steps and solved transfer problems as well as or better than students who received the full text with a summary or alone. (SLD)

How certain ability-related academic self-perceptions are organized in the self-systems of fifth graders was studied with 190 children who completed questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis indicates that children differentiate their ability-related perceptions in ways that current models of academic self-perceptions cannot account for fully.…

Associations among children's beliefs about intelligence and effort, goal orientations, self-reported learning strategies, and academic achievement were studied with 319 children in grades 3 through 6. Results revealed a coherent set of beliefs about intelligence and academic performance, and that beliefs are powerful predictors of achievement…

Individual growth curves were used to test whether the development of children with reading disabilities is best characterized by models of developmental lag or developmental deficit. Results with 403 children suggest that the developmental course of reading disabilities is best characterized by deficit models. (SLD)

Low-achieving second graders experienced a year of transactional strategies instruction (n=30) or highly regarded, more conventional second-grade reading instruction (n=30). The group receiving transactional strategies instruction had greater strategy awareness and use, greater acquisition of material read, and superior performance on standardized…

The effects on the learning process of the strategies of contextualization, personalization, and provision of choices for enhancing students intrinsic motivation were studied with 72 fourth and fifth graders in one control and four experimental conditions. All three strategies produced increases in student motivation and in engagement in learning.…

Presents an overview of communication patterns between Swedish students during ordinary lessons. Reveals that they are filled with internal communication that is not random, even if it is out of the teacher's conscious control. Identifies contextual factors that contribute to the intensity of communication that teachers can turn to educational…

Examines the extent to which Scottish children, parents, and teachers exhibit within- and between-group consensus, both in their perceptions and relative judgments of different forms of child prosocial and antisocial behaviors, and their responses to such behaviors. Significant between-group differences are discussed in the context of teaching…

Investigates the effect of cultural background of second-language-readers in different social contexts. Argues that cultural familiarity helps understanding more than the language of the text. Comprehension results are discussed in light of the role of multiculturalism and "melting-pot" policies in shaping minority students' social orientations.…

Observes that there is little research on Australian students' motivations to enroll in particular college courses. Reports the results of an investigation of the motivations of students to undertake an introductory elective marketing course. Argues that this has implications for the areas of curriculum design, streaming procedures, and teaching…

Reports on two studies that use new tasks to compare English children's use of strategies that reverse the order of addends in solving addition problems. Shows that knowledge of commutativity among young children is widespread, but does not establish a direct link between this knowledge and children's choice of addition strategies. (DSK)

Compares a teaching program designed to enhance schema acquisition with one of worked examples, traditionally used to teach geometry. Shows that both groups of subjects had improvements in the number of problems solved, with those exposed to non-goal-specific procedures demonstrating greater rates of improvement and greater efficacy in…

Compares drawings of English children with mild learning difficulties (M.L.D.) with those of children of the same chronological age and of the same mental age. Reports that drawings by M.L.D. children are similar to those of children at the same mental age. Suggests that M.L.D. children follow a normal rather than deviant developmental pattern.…