Over the past century, educational psychologists and researchers have posited many theories to explain how individuals learn, i.e. how they acquire, organize and deploy knowledge and skills. The 20th century can be considered the century of psychology on learning and related fields of interest (such as motivation, cognition, metacognition etc.) and it is fascinating to see the various mainstreams of learning, remembered and forgotten over the 20th century and note that basic assumptions of early theories survived several paradigm shifts of psychology and epistemology. Beyond folk psychology and its naïve theories of learning, psychological learning theories can be grouped into some basic categories, such as behaviorist learning theories, connectionist learning theories, cognitive learning theories, constructivist learning theories, and social learning theories. Learning theories are not limited to psychology and related fields of interest but rather we can find the topic of learning in various disciplines, such as philosophy and epistemology, education, information science, biology, and – as a result of the emergence of computer technologies – especially also in the field of computer sciences and artificial intelligence. As a consequence, machine learning struck a chord in the 1980s and became an important field of the learning sciences in general. As the learning sciences became more specialized and complex, the various fields of interest were widely spread and separated from each other; as a consequence, even presently, there is no comprehensive overview of the sciences of learning or the central theoretical concepts and vocabulary on which researchers rely. The Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning provides an up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the specific terms mostly used in the sciences of learning and its related fields, including relevant areas of instruction, pedagogy, cognitive sciences, and especially machine learning and knowledge engineering. This modern compendium will be an indispensable source of information for scientists, educators, engineers, and technical staff active in all fields of learning. More specifically, the Encyclopedia provides fast access to the most relevant theoretical terms provides up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the most important theories within the various fields of the learning sciences and adjacent sciences and communication technologies; supplies clear and precise explanations of the theoretical terms, cross-references to related entries and up-to-date references to important research and publications. The Encyclopedia also contains biographical entries of individuals who have substantially contributed to the sciences of learning; the entries are written by a distinguished panel of researchers in the various fields of the learning sciences.

In Mixed Methods Design in Evaluation, the first volume of SAGE's Evaluation in Practice Series, best-selling author Donna M. Mertens explores the meaning of mixed methods evaluation, its evolution over the last few decades, and the dominant philosophical frameworks that are influencing thought and practice in the field today. Four chapters explore evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions, development of instruments, systematic reviews, and policy evaluations, while an additional chapter covers evaluation approaches often required in specific contexts including gender responsive evaluations, needs assessment, and evaluations in conflict zones. Practical in nature, the book guides readers’ thinking about the design of mixed methods evaluations through the use of illustrative examples and explanations for further applications.

The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.

Developed specifically to overcome problems with traditional standardized instruments, curriculum-based measurement (CBM) has steadily increased in educational use. These brief assessment probes of reading, spelling, written expression, and mathematics serve to quantify student performance as well as to enhance academic achievement. Their widening use as a means of evaluation and ultimately of instruction, has created a corresponding need to expand the applications of this methodology to diverse populations. This new volume addresses that need by focusing on the broader application of CBM, providing practical new measures, as well as detailing their use with specific student groups.

Making Good Progress? is a research-informed examination of formative assessment practices that analyses the impact Assessment for Learning has had in our classrooms. Making Good Progress? outlines practical recommendations and support that Primary and Secondary teachers can follow in order to achieve the most effective classroom-based approach to ongoing assessment. Written by Daisy Christodoulou, Head of Assessment at Ark Academy, Making Good Progress? offers clear, up-to-date advice to help develop and extend best practice for any teacher assessing pupils in the wake of life beyond levels.

These Proceedings, consisting of Parts A and B, contain the edited versions of most of the papers presented at the annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation held at University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, on July 27 to August 1, 1997. The Review was organized by the Center for NDE at Iowa State University, in cooperation with the Ames Laboratory of the USDOE, the American Society of Nondestructive Testing, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Science Foundation IndustrylUniversity Cooperative Research Centers. This year's Review of Progress in QNDE was attended by approximately 370 participants from the US and many foreign countries who presented a total of approximately 350 papers. As usual, the meeting was divided into 36 sessions with four sessions running concurrently. The Review covered all phases of NDE research and development from fundamental investigations to engineering applications and inspection systems, and methods of inspection science from acoustics to x-rays. The Review continues to experience some fluctuations in size, mostly under pressure from a decrease in funding for NDE research at the US Federal level, but increased participation from foreign laboratories has more than made up the difference. The Review is ideally sized to permit a full-scale overview of the latest developments in a collegial atmosphere that most participants favor. The opening plenary session this year concentrated on advances in imaging technologies and methodologies that have been made in recent years. Dr. K.