The extensive literature, situated mainly in "first world" contexts, on design and evaluation of distance learning materials, emphasises the importance of student feedback. This paper begins with an account of how two groups of students responded to questions on a text they had used in an inservice professional development programme for teachers…

In this article, the author reports findings from a project designed to explore approaches for improving students' mathematical learning outcomes in relation to the base ten number system. The project explored the role of a commonly used teaching activity, referred to in the project as the "base ten game," in developing children's…

The effects of a Self Regulated Learning (SRL) environment on pre-service primary teachers of Science and Technology were investigated in this exploratory study. A representative sample of teachers was interviewed about their experience and how it impacted on them pedagogically, affectively, conceptually and metacognitively. The preliminary…

On 1 August 1989, the introduction of a National Curriculum of subjects to all maintained schools throughout England and Wales brought compulsory science education into the primary sector for the first time. As a direct result of its elevated profile and an immense amount of hard work and effort by teachers and other professionals responding to…

In this paper I argue that language policies for education have effects on pupils' educational possibilities. With the case of the Karagwe district in Tanzania the research suggests that the policy of "Swahili only" in primary school education favours the small minority of the children that live in a context where Swahili is used. This…

In the context of an imagined symposium, this article addresses the literacy practices of elementary students ranging from first through sixth grade. The arguments the students make throughout the symposium, as well as the practices they relate, are drawn from arts-based literacy research conducted by the two authors. The imagined symposium begins…

The question asked by this study was whether information on play behaviour of young children at-risk of learning difficulties could act as a diagnostic means of investigating emerging learning difficulties. A sociocultural perspective was taken to examine the role of interaction during the play of students in a regular primary school and in a…

By using a problem-posing, critical literacy approach employing children's literature, even the complex issues of a world in conflict and confusion can be addressed through an ongoing dialogue. In this article, the author defines "critical literacy" as a process of constructing and critically using language (oral and written) as a means of…

Health education is a part of the primary school science curriculum in France. Teachers often consider sexuality education and sexually transmitted diseases prevention as a topic they cannot teach without the help of partners. This paper is an account of a research carried out to study the representations of primary school pupils (Key Stage 2,…

In spite of the introduction of a National Curriculum in UK schools and the improved progression and continuity that it promised, pupils still have problems with learning when they transfer from primary to secondary school. These problems are particularly acute in science. One approach is to provide a programme of "bridging work", focused on…

In this paper, we will present some proposals by a committee whose mandate was to review basic education in Norway, and more importantly, we will discuss the reactions to these proposals. The committee made more than one hundred different suggestions. Our focus will be on inclusion in a broad sense. The proposal to receive the most attention was a…

Sixteen 7-year-old children from an urban primary school were assessed for cognitive processing style by means of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), which indicated their positions on each of the two dimensions of Attention and Planning. Then they searched for information on a CD-ROM of text and nontext-based hypermedia. Instruction and…

Sociocultural researchers have claimed that students' learning of science is a discursive process, with scientific concepts and ways of reasoning being learned through engagement in practical enquiry and social interaction as well as individualized activity. It is also often claimed that interacting with partners while carrying out scientific…

Discusses the importance of music centers in the early childhood class to the development of music abilities of children. Significance of understanding of the fundamental concepts in music including pitch and duration to the musical skills of primary and elementary students; Impact of environment on the learning abilities of children; Role of…

A paper was published in JBE in 2001 which examined the background of the education reform launched in 2000 in Hong Kong, and reviewed existing practices as well as beliefs in science and biology assessment among secondary teachers in Hong Kong. The direction of the reform was to take the emphasis away from public examinations as the sole…