Examines the feasibility of including instruction in common schemes of inference in the elementary grades. (CP)

The performance of elementary school children on tasks requiring right and left hemisphere function was investigated and asymmetries in hemisphere function were discovered. (MP)

Advance organizers may fail to promote learning even though they are approximately related to the main learning experience and internally meaningful and logical. If they are to optimize the likelihood that new materials will be readily and properly subsumed, they must also be constructed to conform to the cognitive preparedness and scholastic…

This research study shows that it is possible to advance the use of proportional reasoning of many secondary school students by means of a well-designed teaching program. (MP)

This study, conducted with seventh graders, lends support to the Piagetian hypothesis that the development of formal operations is a prerequisite for the effective learning of the proportions concept. (MK)

The goal of this article is to identify and disseminate several important messages from recent research on formal thought. Reasoning by adolescents, measurement of Piagetian formal reasoning, the importance of additional factors, stages, and working memory are discussed. (MNS)

Reports the results of a study that indicate that junior and senior high school science students are penalized (by receiving lower grades) for not being able to think at the formal operational level. Outlines some methods that may be used to facilitate growth in cognitive development of students. (JR)

Reviews research in the area of scientific classification of botany concepts. The acquisition, transfer, and ability to use cognitive skills were investigated. (CP)

Investigated was whether reading achievement could be increased by exposure to logical and perceptual tasks as found in science process activities. (MP)

The use of Piaget's Displacement Volume task is shown to be a reasonably good indicator of early formal reasoning. A paper-and-pencil task is also shown effective in measuring the same stage of reasoning. (MN)

Describes a study, involving 120 first grade children, which supports the hypothesis that the rate of attainment of conservation skills is significantly enhanced by experiences made possible by the first grade program of SCIS. Describes the six conservation tasks used for pre-tests and post-tests: number, liquid amount, solid amount, length,…

Reasons for the development of middle schools and characteristics of middle school students are discussed. Students' physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development are considered, with references to research evidence. (MNS)

Reports the results of a study in which children below the age of eleven were tested on their ability to perform several tasks of class inclusion and a task relating to the conservation of weight. (JR)

Studied was how high school science and mathematics students approach tasks that require correlational reasoning for successful solution. The results show that a significant number of students did not use correlational reasoning. (MP)

Examines the role of individual preference in the measurement of a student's cognitive level of development utilizing 324 science students from grade eight to college seniors. Results indicate that although students may possess formal thought ability, they may prefer to solve certain problem types via concrete methods. (SL)