A model of expert tutors' knowledge of applied statistics was used to create a web-based computer coach that emulates human tutoring. Cognitive assessments are obtained from records of students' actions as, with the computer tutor's help, they learn to apply components of procedural knowledge required to solve problems. Learning is evaluated by…

An "ill-defined" informal performance task was constructed to evaluate secondary students' problem solving in mathematics. The task for 170 students in grades 9 and 10 was to evaluate other students' solutions to two mathematics questions. Higher-achieving students generally preferred responses reflecting multiple approaches to problem solving,…

Presents a cognitive theory of learning to read and examples of how its theoretical constructs can be measured. Measures of five phonological processing constructs were administered to 161 kindergarten children. Phonological awareness, naming speed, and letter recognition were the most frequent significant predictors of reading achievement in…

Analysis of Longitudinal Study of American Youth data indicates that during grades 7-11, males and females acquired mathematical skills at the same rate. Variation in student scores increased over time, and students maintained their initial position in the distribution. This fan-spread phenomenon also occurred among schools and was more pronounced…

Describes ongoing research engaged in an antiracist critique of transcultural nursing theory (TCN). TCN's core theme of cultural sensitivity organizes and reproduces White racial identity as a dominant but invisible presence in nursing texts. The research will test an instrument that supports nursing faculty and students in examining…

Describes ongoing research on part-time teaching in selected Alberta (Canada) school districts. Themes include benefits and drawbacks of part-time teaching for individuals, students, and schools; incentives to attract part-time teachers; effects on principals in small schools; rural-urban differences; driving forces; and implications for the…

Introduces the five chapters of this theme issue, which explores the learner characteristics, task components, and context variables (including instruction), that can facilitate or inhibit the occurrence of transfer. These chapters represent the diversity of opinion about transfer and instruction. (SLD)

Describes fundamental dimensions that appear to underlie effective transfer: subject-matter knowledge; general cognitive and metacognitive strategies; and motivation. Summarizes five generalizations about transfer drawn from the literatures on transfer, domain learning, and analogical reasoning. (SLD)

Describes three kinds of transfer: from prior knowledge, from learning to new learning, and from learning to application. Suggests that all three start from the dilemmas learners face trying to reach transfer and outlines six such dilemmas. Describes exemplary studies that illustrate transfer solutions developed and their effectiveness. (SLD)

Studied transfer with 60 adults in 4 different computer-based learning environment conditions (simulation of a business with multiple or uniform contexts) for which learners were given either no guidance, problem-solving guidance, or worked-out examples. Results suggest that to optimize learning, learning by problem solving should be combined with…

Reviews evidence from more than 40 studies that multimedia learning environments can promote constructivist learning that enables problem-solving transfer. Explores the problem of how multimedia instructional messages can be designed to promote problem-solving transfer. (SLD)

Focuses on transfer of cognitions, motivations, and dispositions related to learning across different cultural-educational contexts, illustrating the discussion with research on learners of Confucian heritage from Singapore and Hong Kong studying in their own countries and in Australia. Discusses implications for educational practice in a…

Offers three different interpretations for the apparent failure to transfer (learning) and suggests that cognitivistic perspectives on transfer are limited. Suggests "productivity" rather than "transfer" to refer to the generality of learning. (SLD)

Uses data for about 8,000 Swedes born in 1967 to investigate whether geographical distance between the residence area and the nearest university influences the decision to enroll. Results appear to support the policy of decentralizing higher education in Sweden, making universities closer to more students. (SLD)

Studied the functions of Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking teachers in the Danish "folkeskole" and their positions relative to other teachers in the system. Despite their Danish teaching qualifications, most still attend to the integration of Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking minority students and occupy a subordinate position to majority teachers. (SLD)