A study is reported in which 7 children (2 girls and 5 boys, 11 to 12 years of age) with a year of LOGO Programming experience were asked to think aloud about how a LOGO procedure would work, and then to predict by hand-simulation of the programs, what the graphics turtle "pen" would draw when the program was executed. While all children…

This study investigated place location learning from a simulated environmental exploration experience in terms of two variables: gender (both cognitive and affective effects) and presence and/or type of accompanying map. Subjects were 120 fourth and fifth grade students, who were randomly selected and assigned after stratification on gender. The…

The Transparent Computer, a computer simulation designed to teach programming concepts to non-programmers, provides a graphic representation of the computer and illustrates information flow within the units of the computer. The emphasis of the simulation is on the acquisition and application of concepts and comprehension of the structuring of…

Trying to change the predictive rule for the sinking and floating phenomena, students have a great difficulty in understanding density and they are insensitive to empirical counter-examples designed to challenge their own rule. The purpose of this study is to examine the process whereby students from sixth and seventh grades relinquish their…

This 10-day study compared the effects of alternative ways of using microcomputer simulations on the achievement and attitudes of sixth- and seventh-grade science students (N=173). Nine classes were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: (1) microcomputer simulations; (2) laboratory activities; (3) a combination of simulation and laboratory…