Reviews reasons educational practice is less influenced by curriculum theories than in the past and responds to the criticism by William Wraga that theory and practice have split. Notes the gendered nature of the relationship between theory and practice in curriculum, in that more theorists are male and more practitioners are female. (SLD)

Criticizes the response by William Pinar as not addressing points raised in Wraga's essay on reconceptualized curriculum studies. Pinar's vision of hopelessness for reforming the curriculum field continues the insulation of curriculum theorists from the complex problems of school practice. (SLD)

Responds to Eisner's discussion of the nature of research and the place of qualitative research. Advocates increased emphasis on the true experiment in educational research to provide evidence of the usefulness of educational practices. (SLD)

Explores the nature of educational research, replying to Knapp's comments on the role of qualitative research. Suggests that the "true" experiment is very hard to conduct in educational research and discusses what validity means in the educational research context. (SLD)

Focuses on developments in the field of adult literacy in the 1990s and outlines seven areas related to key topics in the field. Provides a brief analysis of major research findings in each of these areas and offers a prognosis of the next generation of adult literacy work in the United States. (SLD)

Discusses the opinions of Daniel A. Wagner and Richard L. Venezky about the field of adult literacy, and challenges their position that the field needs to continue to develop along existing lines. Suggests that alternatives to traditional classroom-based literacy be studied to provide research-based alternatives to traditional practices. (SLD)

Continues the exploration of the future direction for the field of adult literacy and calls for improved empirical underpinnings for practice in the area of adult literacy and the improvement of the research base. (SLD)

Expands the debate over the conflicts between cognitive theory and situated learning from theoretical considerations, to include concerns of educators engaged in classroom-based research and instructional design in collaboration with teachers. Considers the treatments of meaning and instructional goals from the perspectives of cognitive theory and…

Outlines a developmental model of critical thinking that is derived from contemporary research on directions and processes of intellectual development in children and adolescents. Identifies metacognitive, metastrategic, and epistemological forms of second-order cognition that enter into critical thinking. (Author/SLD)

Reviews qualitative (historical and ethnographic) studies of education in Japan that advance a general understanding of educational theory and practice. Japan, which is neither an educational paradise nor an examination hell, is the source of much data of value to educational research in the United States. (SLD)

Reviews the work of Paulo Freire, one of the first internationally recognized educational thinkers who appreciated the relationships among education, politics, imperialism, and liberation. Discusses critical pedagogy and the place of liberation as the central project of education. (SLD)

Suggests that to bring about a fusion of teacher and researcher communities in education requires a change in emphasis from the generation of knowledge to dialog about what counts as knowledge. Bases the case for dialogic research on the theories of Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. (SLD)

Reviews scholarship in science and technology studies and discusses associated curricular implications in terms of educational aims, learning experiences, and resources. Propounds a view of scientific literacy as preparation for competent participation in the scientific arena. (Author/SLD)

Comments on the discussion by Ginette Delandshere and Anthony Petrosky of the numerical rating of complex performances in the context of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Early Adolescence/English Language Arts assessment. Conceptualizes the discussion in terms of matching information to purpose in testing. (SLD)

Responds to Susan Brookhart's comments on the discussion of assessing complex performances by Delandshere and Petrosky. Notes that the article focused on the meaning and usefulness of scores or ratings in the context of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards assessments. (SLD)