Shows that education change depends on level of policy formation and level of policy transformation and on what P. Bourdieu has termed the repertory of actual and virtual possibilities and relations of symbolic force within the base arrangements of a civilization. Discusses teacher education reform in the context of the Swedish Teacher Education…

Presents a theoretical framework for analyzing students' social, emotional, and motivational interpretations and demonstrates the application of the framework in two studies involving 8 12-year-old boys and 14 12-year-old boys in which such interpretations were analyzed in a cognitive apprenticeship-based technologically rich learning environment.…

Discusses educational change at the collegiate level using the example of recent changes in Irish higher education. Suggests that the greatest determinant of success in college change efforts is the ability of academic leaders to infuse a vision of the college's future as they build a culture supportive of change strategies. (Author/SLD)

Studied the robustness of the sign test frequently used to examine group differences as measured by multiple indicators where observations are correlated. Findings of a simulation study show that modest intercorrelations only influence the ability to detect Type I errors to a limited degree, but high intercorrelations make use of the sign test…

Outlines a psycholinguistic framework for reading and spelling methodology at the preliminary stage. Based on the theory of metalinguistic development of A. Karmiloff-Smith and J. Gombert, the framework involves a three-step model for early reading and spelling instruction. The approach balances focus on meaning with focus on skill. (SLD)

Studied the effectiveness of phonological training in improving the reading of 33 poor readers in grade 4 in Sweden. Results show that some children resisted phonological training. These were students for whom only orthographic deciding skills, and not phonological decoding skills, predicted text reading before the phonological instruction. (SLD)

Reviewed studies of the social interaction of toddlers in interaction and play in daycare centers in Europe. Identified a characteristic style in the interaction with peers of 1- and 2-year-olds shown in play sequences, construction of shared meaning, and affiliative structures. (SLD)

Studied the relationship between students' future time perspectives and their investment in schooling in more than 600 Dutch secondary education students. Different future time perspectives were found to be good predictors of school investment, and locus of control was found to have an influence on the relationship between future time perspective…

Studied the emphases of teachers on six educational goals reflecting different values such as achievement, personal development, and appropriate behavior. Findings from abut 40 Norwegian schools and samples of 144 and 157 teachers shows school-specific goal priorities when a profile approach was used to look at goals. (SLD)

Studied the conceptualization of the role of the recreation teacher (instructor in leisure time centers in schools) during team planning sessions in two Swedish schools. Recreation instructors were generally viewed as teachers' assistants, a finding that suggests that recreation instructors who want to develop an occupational identity as the…

Describes this special double issue, which presents work on the topic of volition related to education. "Volition" entails plans to sustain motivation and implement goals, along with strategic regulation of cognition and affect in the completion of tasks. The first issue presents a theoretical overview of volition, and the second presents studies…

Discusses the volitional basis of Personality Systems Interaction Theory (PSI) and applies it to the improvement of conditions for learning and psychological treatment. The theory explains motivational and volitional phenomena, including concentration, coping with failure, identification and intrinsic commitment to personal goals, persistence, and…

Analyzed self-regulatory strategies of goal setting and goal striving in 3 experiments involving 55 German middle school students, 20 German young adults, and 39 German college students. Results show that contrasting fantasy about a desired future with present reality and forming implementation intentions are effective self-regulatory strategies…

Tested the hypothesis that focusing on details of studying (a low-action identity) would enhance performance and persistence. Data for 35 Belgian college students supported this hypothesis for academic nonprocrastinators, but for procrastinators, a low identity was found to enhance only task persistence and performance on a creative response…

Developed a measure of motivational traits, the Motivational Trait Questionnaire (MTQ), around 5 motivational traits and evaluated the developed the MTQ through 2 studies involving 166 and 119 undergraduate students. Results provide evidence of the construct validity of the MTQ and support the multidimensional structure of motivational traits…