Compared the perceptions of persuasiveness of text of undergraduate students (n=195) to those of text-based persuasion and conceptual change experts (n=7). Findings show overlap between the students' and experts' conceptions of persuasion and also show the importance of type and form of supporting evidence and the affective nature of the text.…

Considers the persuasive qualities of refutational text and explores the role of refutational text in educational settings that have competing agendas. Discusses how the use of refutation to aid learning fits into one of these agendas, and the teaching of refutation as a persuasive rhetorical device fits another. (SLD)

Describes key issues pertaining to research on persuasion and conceptual change, exploring: (1) the legitimacy and aims of persuasive discourse in educational contexts; (2) the interplay of message and person characteristics; and (3) the integration of research methods to investigate change through persuasion. (SLD)

Chapters of this special issue identify three characteristics of persuasive text that can be useful in inviting conceptual change. These are: (1) the comprehensibility, clarity, and credibility of the text; (2) the importance of explicitly addressing the readers' prior beliefs; and (3) affective and motivational factors. (SLD)

Data for 1,833 Norwegian students in grades 4, 7, and 9 show that learning disabled (LD) (n=214) and low achieving (not diagnosed as LD; n=156) attributed success in mathematics and language to ability to a greater extent than other students. LD students showed more helplessness than other low achieving students, although these students showed…

Demonstrated an experiment on the properties of air to 2 groups of Swedish fourth graders (total n=45), using familiar materials in one case and unfamiliar, "scientific," materials in the other. Written explanations by students show that the unfamiliar materials were a barrier to understanding and may have actually obstructed students' reasoning.…

Presents five arguments that support the view that photography is a helpful tool in understanding the ways people experience the world and illustrates these arguments in the context of a study that used photography and interviews about photographs to probe the ecological understanding of 12 prospective teachers. (SLD)

Studied the advantages and disadvantages of using multilevel models and the statistical program MLwiN in analyzing large-scale educational data with repeated measures. Used data from Finnish eighth graders in 1991 (n=1,123) and 1995 (n=1,113) to study the quality of school life over time. Results show the usefulness of the multilevel statistical…

Studied teacher certainty in 1,153 Norwegian teachers in elementary and junior high schools using confirmatory factor analysis and generalizability theory. Results indicate a good fit for a model that operationalizes teacher certainty as a second order latent variable with three first order latent variables: teacher's perceived didactic certainty,…

Studied the long-term influences of portfolios on professional development with three samples: (1) 15 Israeli school principals; (2) 26 senior nurses in The Netherlands; and (3) 33 nurses from the staffs of the senior nurses. Findings show that portfolios are used mainly for documentation, but have high potential as mirrors of competence when used…

Four examples show how academic freedom has come under heavy attack during the 20th century. Yet some scholars say they do not care about academic freedom. Perhaps the greatest danger to academic freedom does not come from scholars who advocate extreme views or assert their right to academic freedom, but from those who are apathetic or cowardly.…

Analysis of an outcome-based, self-paced high school in Canada demonstrates the difficulty of changing the "grammar of schooling" even through extensive reform. The need to be seen as a successful school and the unintended consequences of pedagogical changes practically neutralized the intended reform, leaving the school's middle-class culture…

Revision of the Bachelor of Education program at the University of Alberta (Canada) and results of an initial formative evaluation of one program component--students' first school placement--are described. Program revisions based on continual student and teacher feedback obtained from ongoing formative evaluation enabled positive program…

A study examined assessments by 127 preservice teachers, formulated from portfolios of three hypothetical fifth-grade children. Most participants followed a fairly logical set of procedures, formulating criteria to evaluate the assignments and then applying them. A few made decisions not supported by the evidence, commenting on children's quality…

A study examined the experiences of 10 physical education student teachers who completed their student teaching in groups of 5 at two secondary schools. Participants expressed positive responses to the cohort practicum in six areas. Having several student teachers in one department created a supportive learning environment that fostered reflective…