The relationship between a student's stated preference for solving a problem and his/her actual problem methodology, concrete or abstract, was studied. Comparisons were made between formal and nonformal students. (MP)

First and second graders' understanding of transitivity for each of the relations "larger than,""smaller than,""longer than," and "shorter than" was investigated. Results showed that on only two of the eight comparisons did the order of presentation of the premises make a significant difference in students'…

A total of 450 seventh and eighth graders responded to six tasks requiring proportional reasoning and representing different degrees of concreteness. Results showed that more students answered questions correctly when concrete aspects existed, and that about one-fourth of the group was unpredictable in applying proportional reasoning at the formal…

Preservice teachers administered Piagetian tasks to elementary students. On the whole data collected compared favorably with the findings of Renner (EJ 044 727) in showing that students achieved conservation of substance (liquids and solids), length, area, and weight at later ages than stated by Piaget. No significant sex differences were found.…

Students using the Science Curriculum Improvement Study curriculum were informally observed to be incapable of defining a system although they could perform related tasks. A study was performed to determine students' understanding of various aspects of systems. (SD)

This article reports a study conducted with fourteen learning-disabled elementary students to determine the growth of achievement and conservation abilities after using the "Sink or Float" unit of the Elementary Science Study. (MK)

In the experiment discussed, three modes of presenting materials to second grade students were compared. Data analysis showed that the abstract mode was less successful than the others, but there was no clear difference between the manipulative and pictorial modes. (SD)

When primary children were interviewed to determine their perceptions of embedded triangles, they failed to observe overlapping triangles. Possible explanations for this and other response patterns are discussed, and implications for schooling are explored. (SD)

Students tested on their ability to apply the ratio concept in a simple problem of measurement were retested two years later; one-third showed no change in category. The data were grouped in analogy to the three developmental stages of Piaget. Additional data from a group of eighth graders did not clarify further how students arrive at…

This article supports the learning theory and intellectual development model of Jean Piaget as a theory base for science education. (Author/MK)