Where it is used
Each entry identifies the volume, edition, chapter or appendix in which the work appears.
The evidence behind the series
Follow the research.
Explore every source.
Browse the scientific research and professional literature used across all seven volumes of The Science of Learning for Educators.
7book volumes
8author ranges
1searchable library
Search the collection
Find a paper, author or idea.
Choose an author range, search a title or concept, or narrow the collection by source type. Open any result to see where it appears in the books, read its evidence summary and follow available source links.
2 references
-
- Vol 4 RE: Chapter 10
educational psychologycognitive perspectivesdevelopmental perspectivesmotivational factorsprior knowledgestrategic processingknowledge transferinstructional decision-makingBook Evidence summaryAt a glance
Alexander presents educational psychology through problems that matter directly to teaching rather than as a catalogue of separate psychological theories.
Key ideas
The book compares cognitive, developmental, motivational, social, and sociocultural perspectives and applies them to knowledge acquisition, transfer, strategic processing, assessment, and classroom learning. A recurring concern is how learners' prior knowledge, beliefs, goals, interests, and strategies interact with instructional conditions. The text helps readers see that no single theory explains every educational situation and that sound instruction requires selecting concepts that fit the learner, content, and task. For educators, its practical value lies in connecting psychological research to decisions about explanation, practice, motivation, evaluation, and support for increasingly independent learning.
Why it matters
It is an integrative textbook rather than a report of one study.
View or buy the cited work >>Read a similar article free online >>
-
- Vol 1 TE: App A
- Vol 2 RE: Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, App A, App D
- Vol 2 TE: App B
- Vol 4 RE: Chapter 10
- Vol 4 TE: Chi, M. T. H. (2009). Active-constructive-interactive: A conceptual framework for differentiating learning activities. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1(1), 73–105
- Vol 5 RE: Chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
prior knowledgeconceptual understandingknowledge transfermetacognitionformative assessmentlearner-centered environmentsknowledge-centered environmentslearning communitiesBook Evidence summaryAt a glance
This National Research Council synthesis connects findings about cognition, development, neuroscience, and classroom learning. It describes expertise as organised, conceptually connected knowledge that supports recognition and transfer, not simply a larger store of facts.
Key ideas
Learners enter instruction with prior knowledge and beliefs that shape new understanding; teaching must therefore elicit and work with existing conceptions. Metacognitive approaches help students plan, monitor, and revise their learning. The book characterises effective environments as learner-centred, knowledge-centred, assessment-centred, and community-centred, with these dimensions designed coherently. It also examines children’s learning, brain development, teacher learning, and educational technology.
Why it matters
For educators, the synthesis supports building deep disciplinary structures, making thinking visible through formative assessment, cultivating metacognition, and designing supportive communities in which knowledge can be applied beyond the original lesson.
A transparent research trail
More than a bibliography.
What it contributes
Evidence summaries explain the central idea and why the source matters to educators.
How to access it
Entries link to lawful full text where available, or to a publisher, library or purchase page.
Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
Citation checks
References are checked against publisher records, scholarly indexes, DOI or ISBN metadata, repositories and author records where available. An entry marked [Citation not verified] preserves the wording found in the relevant volume without attributing findings to an unconfirmed work.
From sources to a coherent pathway