The effects of two instructional strategies for sequencing examples and nonexamples of the concept "parallelogram" were compared for sixth graders. A rational sequence was favored over a random sequence at the formal level of concept attainment; no interaction effect was found between the strategy and students' mathematical ability. (MNS)

This research was designed to investigate several primary questions in comparing the Logo floor turtle to the Logo screen turtle: (1) Do young children gain different geometric concepts from experiences with the floor turtle than they do with the screen turtle? (2) Do young children learn to use the four basic Logo commands more efficiently with…

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of student participation and of realistic levels of vagueness terms on student achievement and attitudes. Ninety-six sixth graders from a middle school in Georgia were randomly assigned to one of eight groups defined by possible combinations of two teacher uncertainty conditions, two…

Secondary school geometry students have been found to have misconceptions concerning parallel lines. Correctional teaching programs did not seem effective in changing these misconceptions. This research describes an attempt to use teaching strategies which take into account current learning theory and which encourages students to be actively…

This study explored the effects of a left-hemispheric, right-hemispheric, or integrated teaching approach on students' achievement and attitudes. One hundred eighteen second-grade pupils were randomly assigned to four groups to receive two weeks of instruction on geometry and measurement with: (1) a formalized, structured-textbook approach; (2) a…

Research on Teacher Education was the theme for the plenary sessions of the eighth annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. More than 50 papers were selected for presentation at the conference. These papers are grouped into seven categories in these conference proceedings.…

The objective of this pretest-posttest Quasi-Experimental Design study was to determine the effects of LOGO Based Instruction (LBI) compared to instruction by teacher lecture and pencil-and-paper activities on: (1) students' understanding of the concepts of point, ray, line, and line segment; (2) students' attitudes toward learning geometry,…

This document contains 53 plenary and contributed papers presented at the eighth Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) meeting. Two plenary addresses focused on mathematics research in Australia and Japan, and problem solving and symbolism. Contributed papers were classified under 13 headings including: teaching and learning theory; cognition;…

This document contains plenary and contributed papers presented at the seventh PME meeting, held near Jerusalem, Israel in July 1983. Three plenary papers focused on implicit models in solving problems, discussions with teachers and children, and heuristics. Contributed papers were classified under seven headings: learning theories…

Reports a case study to evaluate whether basic concepts of fractal geometry are teachable to elementary school children and to determine the effectiveness of having an elementary school student present a lesson to inservice and preservice teachers. Concludes that simple concepts of fractal geometry appear appropriate for the elementary school…

This issue contains abstracts and critical comments on 11 articles, plus an editorial comment entitled "A Teacher Shortage?". Studies included concern solution processes on addition and subtraction examples; numerical rule induction; individual differences in performance on manipulative, pictorial, and symbolic tasks; the effect of a…