Roger Bruning

Sources of Situational Interest.

We tested the relationship among sources of interest, perceived interest, and text recall. Sources of interest referred to factors (e.g., ease of comprehension) that evoke feelings of interest in a text. Perceived interest referred to the feeling of interest itself. A factor analysis revealed six different sources of interest. Of these, ease of comprehension and vividness explained 45% of the variance in perceived interest. In turn, perceived interest explained 18% of the variance in text recall; however, only ease of comprehension was related to recall once perceived interest was controlled statistically. Results suggested that different sources of interest affect perceived interest, which in turn, affects recall. Implications for text design and future research were discussed.

The Relationship between Metacognition and Intelligence in Normal Adolescents: Some Tentative but Surprising Findings.

This study explored the relationship between metacognition and intelligence in a group of normal adolescents. The relationship has strong theoretical support in current conceptions of intelligence. For the purposes of this study metacognition was assessed across three different cognitive problem sets. Correlational analyses indicated a nonsignificant relationship between intelligence and metacognition. These results suggest that tests of metacognition and intelligence may tap unrelated aspects of cognition and that additional research will be required to understand the relationship between these two constructs.

Advance Organizers: Concrete Versus Abstract

AbstractWe used two experiments to examine the relative effects of concrete and abstract advance organizers on students’ memory for subsequent prose. In Experiment 1, students who effectively encoded a concrete organizer recalled significantly more of the content of a brief subsequent text than did students who effectively encoded an abstract organizer or who read the passage without an organizer. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 with a 5,000-word passage. The results of the second experiment confirmed those of the first. The results of the experiments are discussed in terms of the memorability, familiarity, and visualizability of concrete and abstract verbal materials.

Participant Perceptions of a Collaborative Satellite-Based Mathematics Course

Abstract Qualitative research methodology was used to explore the perceptions of students and classroom teachers participating in an interactive collaborative satellite‐based mathematics course in twenty‐one high schools. A pre‐ and posttest measure of college mathematics placement was used to compare students in the satellite‐based course to those in a traditional precalculus course. Results showed that a collaborative satellite distance learning format is effective for mathematics instruction when it provides classroom teachers with resources they would not typically have access to and when it is used with underachieving students. Results also indicated that the medium can be an effective way to implement nationally recommended curriculum and instruction standards in mathematics. Factors accounting for these results are discussed.

Using Teacher Reflective Practice to Evaluate Professional Development in Mathematics and Science

Systemic reform has been a key element of the mathematics and science educational agenda for the past decade. Systemic reform proponents advocate emphasizing mathematics and science from kindergarten through 12th grade; adopting new math and science education standards; providing ongoing professional development for teachers (Frechtling, Sharp, Carey, & Vaden-Kiernan, 1995); and aligning policy, practice, and assessment procedures. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has supported the development of systemic reform by funding statewide, urban, and rural systemic initiatives to improve K-12 mathematics and science education throughout the United States (Fitzsimmons & Kerpelman, 1994). In the past decade, professional development has evolved in content, delivery, and style. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards and the National Science Education standards clearly define a new direction for effective mathematics and science instruction. The standards incorporate constructivist teaching and learning techniques reflecting changes in learning theory and focusing on student-centered learning and real-life applications of concepts. These standards promote instructional approaches that prepare students to take more active roles in their learning and work independently and collaboratively. The goal is for students to construct more powerful and flexible knowledge and understanding. To use these approaches, teachers must think in ways substantially different from how many of them were taught about students, subject matter, and the teaching and learning process (Borko & Putnam, 1995). Effective professional development can provide teachers with the means to engage in exploration, research-based inquiry, reflection, experimentation, and practice, while providing collegial sharing of knowledge and opportunities to draw on the expertise of others in the community. Abdal-Haqq (1996) and Joyce and Showers (1982) have identified several factors essential in delivering effective professional development programs: providing training, practice, and feedback; providing opportunity for reflection; allowing opportunity for group sharing and inquiry; focusing on student learning and assessment practices; incorporating constructivist approaches to teaching and learning; recognizing teachers as professionals; and providing adequate time and follow-up support. Most of these elements were in the professional development workshops that were the subject of our evaluation. Professional Development Workshops The Nebraska Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was one of the initial group of 11 statewide systemic initiatives NSF funded to develop projects leading to systemic change in mathematics and science education. One primary strategy of NMSI was the PEERS (Promoting Educational Excellence Regionally and Statewide) Academy--a series of 2-week professional development workshops to increase teacher understanding of mathematical and scientific processes, improve teaching methods in math and science, and create a supportive network for systemic change in the state. Nebraska classroom teachers who had earlier participated in two 5week residential summer NMSI Institutes conducted the PEERS workshops. These workshop leaders, called Lead Teachers, were role models and advocates for change in math and science education by working with participating K-12 teachers to incorporate more constructivist, standards-based, and inclusive teaching practices in their classrooms. Conducted in grade-related groupings (e.g., K-3, 4-6, etc.) the PEERS workshops modeled best practices in K-12 teaching and included many key components of standards-based practices. Workshops were comparable in their goals across the different grade levels, but individual Lead Teachers tailored activities and lessons within workshops. Districts were required to commit funds for their teachers, ensuring that administrators were supportive and knowledgeable about the professional development efforts. …

Keywords and vocabulary acquisition: Some words of caution about words of assistance

Consistent results of two experiments with relatively technical, native language vocabulary, showed that effectiveness of keyword methods depended upon whether meanings of words to be learned were abstract or concrete and whether comprehension was assessed immediately or after a delay. Keywords bearing acoustical similarities to vocabulary items whose meanings were presented as sentences consistently facilitated students’ retention of the meanings of concrete items on immediate posttests. However, in contrast to recent research on foreign language vocabulary having simpler definitions, these experiments showed that it may be difficult to use the keyword method to aid long-term retention with moderately complex. abstract, native language vocabulary.

Perspectives on an interactive satellite‐based Japanese language course

Abstract Learning outcomes for an interactive television‐based distance learning course in introductory high school Japanese were evaluated in three successive years by comparing student achievement in the distance learning course to that in traditional classes. Year‐end achievement tests of listening and written language competency were administered to students in both the distance and face‐to‐face courses. Results in the first two years showed that test scores of students in the distance learning course were higher than those of students in the face‐to‐face classes; however, possible group differences in motivation, general ability, and experience as language learners could not be ruled out as explanations for the difference. Therefore, achievement measures were supplemented in the third year with data on students’ perceived efficacy as Japanese language users, their grades, and their previous foreign language learning experience. The achievement data again showed differences favoring the distance learn...

Improving Farmers’ Perception and Use of Climate Predictions in Farming Decisions: A Transition Model

Despite tremendous efforts to improve weather and climate predictions and to inform farmers about the use of such weather products, farmers’ attitudes toward forecast use remain poor and farmer use of forecasts has not increased. This paper describes features of a new conceptual model for facilitating farmers’ use of weather products and offers preliminary evidence for its effectiveness based on a test-of-concept prototype. The prototype system provides farmers with contextualized information, the opportunity to use that information in relevant farming contexts, and collaborative interaction with other users. In addition, scaffolding and feedback are incorporated in the model to enhance learning and motivation. Surveys before and after use of the prototype system, and focus-group discussion after system use, were conducted to obtain evaluations from 15 farmers in southeastern Nebraska. Farmers’ evaluations of the system were moderately positive and indicated greater intentions to use the products in the future than they had in the past. However, farmers only slightly increased their positive expectancies of various general categories of weather and climate products, supporting the difficulties associated with changing overall attitudes when attempting to transfer scientific improvements into practical uses. It is suggested that multiple exposures to such a system and more individualized and personally relevant use opportunities may further enhance the power of the proposed model.

Interference effects on the recall of pictures, printed words, and spoken words☆

In an extension of the work of Pellegrino, Siegel, and Dhawan, nouns were presented in triads as pictures, printed words, or spoken words and followed by visual, acoustic, visual and acoustic, or no interference. Recall, presentation type, and confidence ratings were elicited after each triad. After all triads were presented, participants free-recalled as many nouns as possible, indicated presentation type, and rated confidence as measures of long-term memory. In short-term memory, pictorial superiority was noted under conditions of acoustic and visual and acoustic interference but not after visual interference. Long-term memory data showed superior recall for pictures. These results were compared to the Pellegrino et al. research and to Paivios dual coding hypothesis, and differences in patterns of short-term and long-term memory data were interpreted within a levels of processing framework.

Removing the Snare From the Pair: Using Pictures to Learn Confusing Word Pairs

The extant picture-learning research does not address confusing word pairs that are not concrete (e.g., in and into). In this study, university students viewed 11 timed Web pages containing information on confusing word pairs. Each page addressed one word pair and distinguished the words with examples (example group), examples and rules (rule group), examples and pictures (picture group), or examples, rules, and pictures (picture/rule group). On a concept test, all groups outperformed the example group, and the picture group outperformed the rule group. All groups outperformed the example group on a skill test. These results were consistent with the picture hypothesis and extend the previous research to include the use of pictures with paired words that are not concrete.