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Showing papers in "Educational Psychologist in 1993"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review the diverse ways in which perceived selfefficacy contributes to cognitive development and functioning and find that teachers' beliefs in their personal efficacy to motivate and promote learning affect the types of learning environments they create and the level of academic progress their students achieve.
Abstract: In this article, I review the diverse ways in which perceived self-efficacy contributes to cognitive development and functioning. Perceived self-efficacy exerts its influence through four major processes. They include cognitive, motivational, affective, and selection processes. There are three different levels at which perceived self-efficacy operates as an important contributor to academic development. Students' beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and to master academic activities determine their aspirations, level of motivation, and academic accomplishments. Teachers' beliefs in their personal efficacy to motivate and promote learning affect the types of learning environments they create and the level of academic progress their students achieve. Faculties' beliefs in their collective instructional efficacy contribute significantly to their schools' level of academic achievement. Student body characteristics influence school-level achievement more strongly by altering faculties' beli...

7,013 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper found that middle school and high school students have a common sense epistemology of science at variance with the constructivist epistemologies of science, which they advocate as the appropriate curricular goal of science education.
Abstract: One important goal of science education is to help students understand the nature of the scientific enterprise itself. We review data from several sources, indicating that middle school and high school students have a common sense epistemology of science at variance with the constructivist epistemology we advocate as the appropriate curricular goal. We sketch the student epistemology and discuss two attempts to induce changes in it through science education.

379 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the rules and moves for one epistemic game and briefly describe a catalog of epistemic games that are used to analyze phenomena in terms of their structure, function, or processes.
Abstract: Epistemic forms are target structures that guide inquiry. Epistemic games are general purpose strategies for analyzing phenomena in order to fill out a particular epistemic form. The article describes in detail the rules and moves for one epistemic game and briefly describes a catalog of epistemic games that are used to analyze phenomena in terms of their structure, function, or processes.

345 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, emotions are used as a gross discriminator to identify quickly problematic and non-problematic situations, and emotions can be seen as action readiness changes that are linked to current concerns.
Abstract: The cognitive system is designed for knowledge and skill acquisition, but, as several researchers have pointed out, learning is also facilitated or hampered by emotions, moods, and feelings. Emotions are stored in memory along with declarative and procedural knowledge, and this information may be used as a gross discriminator to identify quickly problematic and nonproblematic situations. As such, emotions can be seen as action readiness changes that are linked to current concerns. They remind the person of past problematic or nonproblematic situations. When negative emotions create a pessimistic perceptual attitude, they may draw the learner's attention to task-irrelevant aspects that activate intrusive thoughts and create a concern for well-being rather than for learning. An optimistic perceptual attitude may lead to short-term learning intentions and to activity in the mastery mode.

332 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Roy Pea1
TL;DR: The ontogenesis of conceptual change in scientific thinking provides a central case for examining this problem as discussed by the authors and a sociocultural framework informed by studies of conversation analysis is described, in which meaning negotiation and appropriation are identified as mechanisms for achieving such conceptual change.
Abstract: The number of analyses of cognitive activity situated in a material and social world has increased It has been particularly challenging to the theoretician and researcher to make the bridge from macrosocial theories of cultural learning to microanalytic details of situated human activities for learning in specific subject domains The ontogenesis of conceptual change in scientific thinking provides a central case for examining this problem A sociocultural framework informed by studies of conversation analysis is described, in which meaning negotiation and appropriation are identified as mechanisms for achieving such conceptual change Key implications of this perspective for the design and study of learning environments are outlined

194 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The implicit "no pain, no gain" understanding of traditional education is contrasted with a view of education that encourages mindfulness as discussed by the authors, where "facts" are given as truth, free of context or perspective.
Abstract: The implicit "no pain, no gain" understanding of traditional education is contrasted with a view of education that encourages mindfulness. The former relies on a static conception of information typically communicated in absolute language. Here, "facts" are given as truth, free of context or perspective. The latter relies on variability, communicated through conditional instruction. Here, facts are perspective dependent. Evidence is presented that suggests that mindfulness is not only more effective, but is also more enjoyable.

185 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The relationship between gender and science in schools is the focus of as mentioned in this paper, where the authors argue that neither macro-level frameworks, suggested by international studies, nor causal models, developed in mathematics, provide an adequate paradigm to guide gender research.
Abstract: The relationship between gender and science in schools is the focus of this article. It begins with the hypothesis that neither macro-level frameworks, suggested by international studies, nor causal models, developed in mathematics, provide an adequate paradigm to guide gender and science research. An analysis of an Australian and American study informs the proposed model that suggests how students' and teachers' constructions of gender and science affect student outcomes. The model is proposed as a scaffolding for future research that will systematically examine known and new variables as well as their effect on girls' interest, confidence, achievement, aspiration, and retention in science.

156 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors define three categories in addition to processes: the language of thinking, abstract conceptual structures, and dispositions, which bring with them a less top-down view of how thinking works: different constituents of thinking are activated by the particulars of an occasion of thinking.
Abstract: Current efforts both to conceptualize good thinking and to teach thinking are dominated by what might be called the general processes view, which holds that good thinking consists in a number of general cognitive processes supported by appropriate skills and strategies. This view suggests that thinking works top-down through the activation of general processes that access context-specific knowledge and call subprocesses. However, contemporary scholars in this issue and elsewhere have proposed constituents of good thinking quite different from processes, strategies, and skills—in effect a broader ontology of the kinds of things that figure in good thinking. We define three categories in this broadened ontology in addition to processes: the language of thinking, abstract conceptual structures, and dispositions. It is argued that these categories bring with them a less top-down view of how thinking works: Different constituents of thinking are activated by the particulars of an occasion of thinking and by on...

111 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between teaching and learning is examined from a perspective concerned with integrating the two phenomena along several dimensions, including the simultaneous effects of cognitive, affective, motivational, and developmental factors.
Abstract: The relationship between teaching and learning is examined from a perspective concerned with integrating the two phenomena along several dimensions. Traditionally, teaching and learning have been studied as separate entities. This discussion is based on the premise that within an educational context, teaching and learning are so intertwined in a dynamic and reciprocal process that they need to be considered as a single entity rather than as two separate ones. The need to consider the simultaneous effects of cognitive, affective, motivational, and developmental factors is also stressed. The evolution of research and theory on teaching and learning, along with issues associated with the application of psychological theory to educational practices, are examined for insights into the types of issues that need to be pursued in the next generation of research on the teaching-learning process. Several approaches to the application problem are critiqued, and examples of research that integrates concerns for teach...

105 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper argued that interpreting the illocutionary force of another's speech act is parallel to determining the propositional attitude to one's own mental state, and that understanding how to take statements provides a model for how to hold beliefs.
Abstract: Speech act theory (Searle, 1969) is used to analyze the concepts for thinking about talk and thought—metalinguistic and metacognitive concepts—and the relations between them. We examine the relations between speech acts and their corresponding mental states and between speech acts linked in a discourse. We argue that interpreting the illocutionary force of another's speech act is parallel to determining the propositional attitude to one's own mental state. Thus, understanding how to take statements provides a model for how to hold beliefs. We then review what children learn about mental states and speech acts during their preschool years, and we consider what must be achieved in the school years. First, children have to learn how to interpret utterances and hold beliefs, and then they have to learn how to take objective statements as expressions of someone's belief. We conclude by considering how teachers might help children achieve these two ends.

88 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the literature on achievement and gender differences among African-American students and two empirical studies I conducted are presented in this article, which indicated that successful achievers reported more positive self-perceptions, more interpersonal support, and more active problem solving.
Abstract: This article discusses factors related to academic achievement among African-American male and female students. A review of the literature on achievement and gender differences among African-American students and two empirical studies I conducted are presented. The results of the first study, which focused on achievement, indicated that successful achievers reported more positive self-perceptions, more interpersonal support, and more active problem solving. The results of the second study, which focused on gender differences, indicated differences in support favoring females. In addition, some gender differences were found in this sample that differed from those found for White students.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, teachers' pedagogical content knowledge about children's minds and learning: Implications for teacher education, is discussed, and a discussion of the role of content knowledge in teacher education is presented.
Abstract: (1993). Teachers' pedagogical content knowledge about children's minds and learning: Implications for teacher education. Educational Psychologist: Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 279-290.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that the school climate is less encouraging for girls and young women than it is for their male classmates, and even testing and assessment procedures give an inaccurate picture of girls' abilities and thereby limit their options.
Abstract: Girls and boys are still far from equal in U.S. elementary and secondary schools. Research on teacher-to-student and student-to-student classroom interaction patterns, reviews of curricular materials, and data on participation in extracurricular activities suggest that the school climate is less encouraging for girls and young women than it is for their male classmates. Even testing and assessment procedures give an inaccurate picture of girls' abilities and thereby limit their options. This article reviews current research and makes specific recommendations for actions to create a more gender equitable environment in the nation's schools.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the notion of a central conceptual structure is introduced to support the claim that classical Piagetian theory has much to offer education, which could not be derived from the learning theory of its day.
Abstract: Classical Piagetian theory had much to offer education, which could not be derived from the learning theory of its day. Since the cognitive revolution, learning theory has accepted most of Piaget's basic constructivist premises and outstripped his theory in its ability to model the details of children's cognitive structures. Thus, an important question is whether Piagetian theory still has anything distinctive to offer. To support the claim that it does, the notion of a central conceptual structure is introduced. These structures have several features that make their discovery in the context of learning theory unlikely, most notably their generality, the wide range of content domains that they span and their susceptibility to general developmental as well as specific experiential influence. Educational areas in which analysis of central conceptual structures has proven useful include (a) assessment, (b) early childhood education, (c) curriculum design, and (d) remedial instruction.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that studies of pupils' episodic memories, their characteristics, and their functions may enhance the power and relevance of educational psychology with respect to understanding how pupils learn from instruction in classroom contexts.
Abstract: Contemporary educational psychology has employed models of procedural and semantic (or declarative) memory, but generally it has ignored a third form of memory (i.e., episodic memory) thought by some (e.g., Tulving, 1983,1985) to be especially important for explications of human functioning. Tulving's (1983,1985) ternary theory of memory is presented, with emphasis given to the acquisition, representation, and expression of knowledge in episodic memory. I argue that studies of pupils' episodic memories, their characteristics, and their functions may enhance the power and relevance of educational psychology with respect to understanding how pupils learn from instruction in classroom contexts. A conceptual framework and possible strategies for the conduct of instructional research are described that consider pupils' episodic memories as important mediating variables in learning from teaching.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a survey of recent trends in research on gender and education in the field of education, focusing on three categories: gender, gender identity, and education.
Abstract: (1993). Introduction: Recent Trends in Research on Gender and Education. Educational Psychologist: Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 313-319.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Several theories of learning and development are presented: nativism, behaviorism, structuralism, infopation processing, naive theories approach, the sociohistorical approach, and two interstitial theories as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Several theories of learning and development are presented: nativism, behaviorism, structuralism, infopation processing, the naive theories approach, the sociohistorical approach, and two interstitial theories—a neo-Piagetian and a nonuniversal developmental theory. I claim that the notions of learning and development are not fixed and agreed on. Instead, they are defined by the theory in which they are embedded. The aspects of the various theories are discussed with respect to educational practice. Tensions between academic psychology and educational practice about learning and development are also discussed. The articles that comprise this special issue are presented within the theoretical frameworks of learning and development.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the 21st century, it is unlikely that the goals that were set forth in 1990 by the National Governors' Association will be met to any satisfactory degree, but educational psychology can help define these goals and assess how well they are met as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Educational psychology has much to offer education in the 21st century, but it must take account of the great changes in the conditions of education that will undoubtedly occur-greater diversity of school populations and the enormous problems faced by the Third World. Educational psychologists must open up new contacts with colleagues in other countries. In the United States, it is unlikely that the goals that were set forth in 1990 by the National Governors' Association will be met to any satisfactory degree, but educational psychology can help define these goals and assess how well they are met. A major problem for educational psychology to solve in the 21st century is how the schools can deal successfully with individual differences in learning rates.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper reviewed research on gender and social class as intersecting factors in children's achievement, focusing particularly on what is known about girls in working-class families and proposed directions for research and social policy to address gender and class issues in achievement in the context of changing macroeconomic conditions.
Abstract: The goals of this article are three-fold. My first aim is to review research on gender and social class as intersecting factors in children's achievement, focusing particularly on what is known about girls in working-class families. The second aim is to summarize work that I have been conducting on the effects of structural change in the economy on working families with particular attention to the different implications for girls and boys. Finally, I propose directions for research and social policy to address gender and class issues in achievement in the context of changing macroeconomic conditions.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, New Conceptions of Thinking (NewConcepts of Thinking) are introduced and discussed in terms of New Conception of Reasoning (NCW) and Belief Beliefs (BBS).
Abstract: (1993). Introduction: New Conceptions of Thinking. Educational Psychologist: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 1-5.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors collected information from a broad range of schools who offer graduate degrees in educational psychology and analyzed according to curricular content, administrative organization, student autonomy, course distributions and other requirements.
Abstract: An academic discipline can be defined on the basis of multiple sources of evidence. In spite of various efforts over the past 20 years to assess the identity of educational psychology, professionals within the field still lack a consensual view about its role and purpose as a discipline distinct from general psychology. One measure of a discipline's identity, which none of the attempts to define educational psychology have addressed, is the training of prospective educational psychologists. Although students at any institution must respond both to an implicit, hidden curriculum and to an explicit, formal curriculum, we argue that the latter best approximates the local consensus of professionals within the field. In this study, information was collected from a broad range of schools who offer graduate degrees in educational psychology and analyzed according to curricular content, administrative organization, student autonomy, course distributions, and other requirements. In general, the data suggested thre...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the special feature of the spring 1992 issue of Educational Psychologist, Berliner argued that we must learn to tell stories about our research that enable practitioners to better understand research findings as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the special feature of the spring 1992 issue of Educational Psychologist, Berliner argued that we must learn to tell stories about our research that enable practitioners to better understand research findings. Although strongly supportive of Berliner's intent, we argue that he has made distinctions between stories and data that can erase philosophical gains that have been hard won by the field. Influencing educational policy is more complex than the telling of a good story and the existence of collaborative research efforts, and qualitative research methodologies are better suited to the long-term solution of the problem.