Presents the findings of an interview study of first-year engineering students' approaches to studying. Focuses on the data to illustrate the construct of dissonant study orchestration as it is manifested in the everyday academic reality of these students' learning behavior. Includes references. (CMK)

Reports in detail on the results of a study indicating that physics students' prior understandings of key concepts are systematically related to the way they approach their studies, their perceptions of learning context, and the quality of the outcomes of their studies. Includes references. (CMK)

Explores dissonance in students' way of learning from a regulation of learning perspective. Examines consonant patterns of interrelations among learning elements and investigates several studies that used an Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) as a research instrument for indications of dissonant patterns of interrelations among the learning…

Presents the results of a study that explored the management of subject-verb agreement in second -to seventh-grade children studying the French language. Examined whether agreement with imperfect tense may have a lesser cost than agreement with the present. Finds that imperfect tense is acquired more rapidly than present tense. (CMK)

Reports on a study of teacher regulation of classroom activity and teacher-student behavior. Focuses on two types of regulatory strategies: (1) regulating the social structure of participation; and (2) regulating the content development and learning task. Identifies and analyzes the second type of strategy. Includes references. (CMK)

Examines how young children in preschools use the criterion of movement to determine whether an object, in this case plants, is living or non-living. Reports that children presented a conceptual change classifying the plant as alive using explanations including dependence on environment and other functions. Includes references. (CMK)

Describes an investigation of student and parent attitudes towards bullying by comparing attitudes with bullying behavior. States that parents (n=747) completed the Parental Attitudes to Bullying Scale and children (n=326), aged six to eleven, in primary schools completed the Children's Attitudes to Bullying Scale. Includes references. (CMK)

Examines the influence of the characteristics of children with Down syndrome on the interaction in parental tutoring. Observes parent-child dyads (n=36) and parent-Down syndrome child dyads (n=36). Reports that the instructions parents gave to children with Down syndrome were better adapted to furthering autonomy. (CMK)

Explores the characteristics of social interaction during an English language based task in the primary classroom, and the role of the computer in structuring collaboration when compared to a non-computer mode. Explains that seven and nine year old boys and girls (n=120) completed a computer and non-computer task. (CMK)

Investigates whether pairing unpopular five- to six-year old children with more popular peers would promote more effective collaboration. Examines the differences in verbal and nonverbal communication of the popular and unpopular children. Explains that the children were filmed playing a collaborative game. (CMK)

Discusses a case study that investigated situational mechanisms of peer group interaction in collaborative activity. Aims to highlight the processes and conditions for meaning-making and to characterize the relationships of social and cognitive processes in peer-mediated collaborative learning. Explains that twelve year olds (n=20) participated in…

Examines how students construct shared understanding by exploring what interactive and discursive tools students use in their collaboration. Presents observations made during a series of innovative mathematics lessons in an eighth grade Dutch primary school classroom. (CMK)

Focuses on the discussion of whether "none of the above" (NOTA) questions should be used on tests. Discusses a study in which a protocol analysis was conducted on written statements of examinees while answering NOTA items. Explains that a multiple-choice test was given to university students finding that NOTA options seem to be more attractive.…

Presents the results of a study focusing on comparisons between teachers using a conventional, formal, direct approach when teaching five-year old children mathematical skills ("Official" method) and teachers employing a more interactive, collaborative, supportive approach ("High Scope" method). Includes references. (CMK)

Examines how children, ages four to ten years old, construct conventional time by using different tools to locate events in time. Explains that the children underwent an interview task and a card arrangement task. Finds that younger children use relative locations while older children utilize absolute locations. (CMK)