The authors investigated the degree to which school-level teacher characteristics and resources are related to the mathematics learning of kindergarten children using a sample drawn from a large US database. Kindergarten-level teacher characteristics were operationalised as collective teacher efficacy, teacher experience and teacher preparation;…

Learning environment studies acknowledge that learning takes place within the social realm and that social conditions contribute to the quality of both learning and experience. This can be said to be especially true for environmental learning programs. To access information about students' perceptions of their learning environment, a robust…

It has been argued by both educationalists and social researchers that visual methods are particularly appropriate for the investigation of people's experiences of the school environment. The current and expected building work taking place in British schools provides an opportunity for exploration of methods, as well as a need to establish ways to…

There are few available instruments that assess students' perceptions of university teaching and learning environments and can be used to provide diagnostic feedback, at the degree or program level, on the quality of the environment. This article describes the development, testing and application, for quality assurance purposes, of a suitable…

School improvement initiatives are needed to better meet the needs of underprivileged students, to reduce underachievement and to break a continuing cycle of disadvantage. This article describes part of a school improvement initiative in New Zealand that provided additional funding for school nurse and social worker services in nine secondary…

This article describes the adaptation and validation of the Constructivist OnLine Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) for use in the transnational higher education context. As higher education becomes a more global phenomenon, "borderless" education, either online or by distance education, is becoming a reality and there is a need for remote…

Learning in workplaces is neither ad hoc nor informal. Such labels are a misnomer and do not do justice to the highly-structured nature and complexity of many workplaces where learning takes place. This article discusses the organisational and structural framework developed from a three-year doctoral study into how apprentice chefs construct their…

This autoethnography provides insights into the experiences of a first-year elementary school principal that led to a change in leadership style from an authoritarian style to a transformational leader. Discusses changes in the school to a more positive climate that had a more positive effect on learning and working environments. (Author/LRW)

Describes the effects of an undergraduate learner-centered community of learners approach to instruction on student motivation and cognitive learning strategies. Discusses objectives, including integrated courses, active and collaborative learning, and opportunities for learning through information technology and library resources; and describes…

Describes the pedagogical framework of an interdisciplinary, international project entitled NINTER (Networked Interaction: Theory-Based Cases in Teaching and Learning). Discusses a pedagogical model for teacher and staff development programs in a networked environment; distributed cognition; cognitive apprenticeship; challenges for educational…

Describes the development of the Classroom Systems Observation Scale (CSOS), which assesses preschool through sixth grade classroom functioning from a systems perspective using a theoretical framework based on the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. Discusses influences of home environment and parental support on learning; and…

Introduces the concept of vision as a potential solution for problems in educational effectiveness theory and research. Relates ideas and behavior more strongly than earlier concepts such as expectations and beliefs because it emphasized causal relationships between educational goals and means. Discusses cultural values, educational leadership,…

Discussion of students' perceptions of their learning environment focuses on the concept of self-efficacy, which is defined as a sense of confidence regarding the performance of specific tasks. The premise is that student self-efficacy beliefs regarding academic performance can have implications for improving learning environments and student…

Discusses criteria for good assessment practices derived from research-based models in cognitive psychology and expert-novice studies. Describes an assessment system for a problem-based curriculum in economics and business administration at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands), reports on a study of improving assessment practices, and…

Explores questions related to the meaning and nature of time in schooling environments. Highlights include metaphors of time; postmodern perspectives; semiotic interpretations; the value of collaboration; and the organization of learning environments. (Contains 34 references.) (Author/LRW)