Examined middle school students' perceptions of the conditions that foster their meaningful engagement in classroom learning. Found that students described classroom environments in which students are mentally and physically active in instructional activities that are meaningful, varied, and interesting, and that involve group learning.…

Confirms the hypothesis that elementary school science students recall science concepts for which they generate their own examples and definitions better than science concepts for which they do not generate their own examples and definitions. (BB)

Used content analysis and grounded theory methods to examine professional beliefs about teaching and learning among 298 Taiwanese early childhood preservice teachers. Found that beliefs can be organized systematically to construct useful patterns of interrelationships among belief components, such as teachers' roles, images of classroom practice,…