<p>The exchange between the teacher and the student promotes learning far different from that which results <as> the student listens but does not participate.</as></p>
<p>Many have said that the correct answer is "when", instead of "as". When I looked up the correct idiom usage, I found "result from" is correct. Now, many, including silverturtle, have asserted that "when" is better. Crazybandit said that "whenever", which means "any time", is preferred for a hypothetical situation (student listening but not participating), and that "when" can replace "whenever". Is there a rule pertaining to this?</p>
<p>Can anyone please explain?</p>
<p>All three forms are correct.</p>
<p>‘As’ in this sense means ‘while’. Think of two processes (perhaps related, perhaps not) occurring at the same time. (He became sadder as the sun went down.)</p>
<p>‘When’ in this sense means ‘at the time that’, which is much the same thing, but, in my view, can slightly change the meaning to suggest a more subjunctive ‘in the event that’. </p>
<p>‘Whenever’ is listed in the dictionary as a synonym of ‘when’, but is used as a more emphatic form, stressing the connection in time and possibly implying a cause-effect relationship.</p>
<p>For the purpose of the question, the sentence is correct as written.</p>
<p>‘Results from’ would require that the entire balance of the sentence be changed, and there is nothing wrong with ‘results as’. Consider:</p>
<p>Chaos results as law and order break down.
Chaos results from the breakdown of law and order.</p>
<p>Both are acceptable. The first suggests that the two processes happen concurrently. The second is less specific, suggesting the possibility that they can also happen sequentially.</p>