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This paper investigates the process and meaning of problem-based learning (PBL) that students may experience. The Project Cycle Management method was taught and utilised as an instrument of PBL at a Japanese women's college over a period of 5 years. The study closely examined what and how students learned in PBL from the perspectives of cognitive, social, and internal aspects. Despite the relative ignorance about the internal aspect of learners in previous research, the results of the study revealed that the internal aspect is inseparably linked with the other two aspects, and the three of them simultaneously undergo their own changes in the PBL process. That is, meaningful learning experiences seem to be no less importantly affected by the feelings or internal aspect of learners than by cognitive and social counterparts. Then, beyond knowledge building and skill acquirement, PBL may have contributed to broadening learners' perspectives and promoting their personal development. In this regard, PBL can be defined anew, from an angle different from that of previous research, as learning that can generate rich and varied emotions in learners concurrently as they face problems, enable them to acquire subject matter knowledge and relational skills through dialogue, and eventually guide them to the threshold of personal transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the effects of spoken vs. written dialogue modalities on the effectiveness of information search with a computerized retrieval system. Forty-eight adults familiar with the use of computers were asked to carry out six information retrieval tasks, engaging with the system using either spoken or written communication. The written modality was more efficient with regard to the number of dialogue turns, length of interaction with the system and mental workload. Even though the turns lasted longer in the written mode, they appeared to yield less mental workload. Moreover, spoken and written dialogues did not differ as regards the use of pronouns and articles. The implications for the development of natural-language dialogue systems are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]