Studied the predictability of 8 different types of goal orientations as motives for academic achievement in a sample of 7,391 13-year-old students. Findings suggest that students at this age already pursue a variety of academic and nonacademic goals and that different types of goal orientations are differentially related to achievement. (SLD)

Uses an Aristotelian perspective to discuss the relationship between educational theory and practice. Draws on Aristotle's Nichomachean ethics and his description of three forms of knowledge to show that educational theory and practice are of qualitatively different categories and thus cannot automatically enter into a "fruitful relationship."…

Studied how Swedish schools try to promote students' reading through examination of school-run booktalk conversations held by students in grades 4 through 7. Observations of eight groups show the conflict between the stated aim of promoting reading for pleasure and both tasks presented to students and problems in synchronizing the reading of…

Explored gender differences in home computer use and control beliefs about computer use in 152 Norwegian eighth graders. In the group of students without computer training or use at school, males had greater perceived control and greater confidence. No gender differences were found for the group with computer training in school. (SLD)

Studied the impact of high (syntax and semantics) and low (graphemes) linguistic levels in the oral reading of running texts of 50 beginning readers in Sweden. The analysis reveals various strategies among the readers, both in the extent to which they were sensitive to higher linguistic levels and the extent to which they used particular…

Studied whether signs of gender-biased provocation between teachers and students could be traced at the upper level of compulsory school using classroom observations in 40 lessons. Findings show that boys in general are given more attention than girls, but male teachers increase the attention given to girls as they grow older. Teachers could be…

Examined ways in which the educational position of parents organizes the association between their assessments of the competence of their children and their educational expectations for their children using groups of 126 academically educated and 375 vocationally educated parents. Findings suggest that the interpretations parents make of their…

Studied the complementary nature of Illinois Test of Psycholingusitic Abilities (ITPA) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) in a sample of 60 language-impaired children. Results suggest that the ITPA is more sensitive to differences in children's verbal and performance abilities than the WISC-R. (SLD)

Studied the meaning of symmetry of knowledge-based roles for knowledge construction and sharing in social interaction during the report writing phase of an experimental science learning project with four ninth grade students in Finland. Identified four patterns of interaction that differed in terms of their symmetry of knowledge-based roles and…

Analyzed the contexts of texts written by Swedish school chidlren in order to gain a picture of their experiences of school and then related those experiences to the democratic goals of integration and practices of selection and segregation that are occurring in Swedish school systems. Findings for 185 childrens' texts show the importance of…

Studied phonological processing in relation to academic achievement in the native and a second language in 66 12-to-13-year-old Finnish students at the end of their sixth school year. Findings are in agreement with findings from other studies, demonstrating a fairly strong relationship between language competencies and phonological processing.…

Administered three tests of intelligence and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (Entwhistle, 1997) to 89 Norwegian undergraduates to study the relationships among intelligence, approaches of learning, and academic achievement. Findings support the construct validity of approaches to learning because of its independence from…

A study examined how culture influences Canadian Native student learning. Classroom observations, conversations, and student journals from 10 Aboriginal students in a Winnipeg high school social studies class identified five related themes: traditional Aboriginal approaches to learning, patterns of oral interaction, self-concept, curriculum…

A review of 154 research studies found that mathematics education reform contributed to higher student achievement only when there was substantial implementation of reform. The main obstacle to implementation was teacher beliefs about mathematics teaching. The best method for increasing implementation is sustained inservice teacher education that…

Examination of old and new vocational initiatives in Alberta suggests that educators and employers support new school-to-work programs (Tech Prep; Registered Apprenticeships; Careers, the Next Generation). However, these programs are hampered by mixed policy messages; the resilience of existing practices; and lack of provincial resources,…