| Popis: |
After introducing the larger investigation of which the present paper is a part, this paper reports on the development and application of a framework for assessing course characteristics. The framework distinguishes three types of features: apparent demands (five cognitive and two self-management), net demands adjusted for supports (four cognitive and one self-management), and net demands adjusted for compensations (one cognitive and one self-management). Course profiles, assessed by classroom observations and analyses of all course documents, of 11 junior high school, 9 senior high school, and 2 college social science courses are reported and discussed. Findings include: (1) complex patterns of variation across educational levels in the profiles of apparent and net demands for each of the types of demand assessed; and (2) wide ranges within educational levels in the magnitude of each of these features. Discussion focuses on the utility of the framework for (1) predicting variance in students' performances and (2) constructing, evaluating, and revising curriculum. |
