Instruction: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives

Instruction highlights the ongoing research of military and academic communities--research aimed at developing new approaches in the instruction of complex intellectual processes and skills. Representative work includes learning procedural tasks and learning text comprehension processes in various environments such as computer-managed instructional settings. A variety of technological factors relevant to developing training materials for computerized environments is also presented. In addition, new domains such as learning map interpretation skills are included. This major collaborative effort was supported by the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center in San Diego, California.

Researchers from major military personnel research organizations and universities contributed to this volume. The essays study: student cognitive attributes and performance in a computer-based instructional setting; factors in retention of procedural tasks; experimental investigation of text comprehension in bilinguals; functional context theory; literary and electronics training; problem solving in technical domains; motivation, learning, and prescriptions for change; teaching interpretive skills; training analysis and design for complex aircrew tasks; and implementation of instructional system development in the U.S. Army. This book will be invaluable to educators in the academic and military worlds.

RONNA F. DILLON is Professor of Educational Psychology and Psychology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She is the author of more than 200 articles and book chapters and eight books which include Instruction (Praeger, 1991) and Testing (Praeger, 1989).