The object of this paper is to learn what little children know about the inside of their bodies before they have studied these particular aspects at school. The data for our project were collected by means of drawings made by 342 Spanish children aged four to seven. They were required to depict where the food, drink, and air which enter their…

Metalinguistic knowledge and its antecedents were studied in an investigation of performance- and reflective-based knowledge in 27 young children. Piagetian assessment tasks were used to determine cognitive functioning level, and then the children were tested as to knowledge of words' structural and significative features. Results support an…

Kindergarten (n=30) and grade 1 (n=15) students of contrasting socioeconomic backgrounds were interviewed to assess their knowledge of number word sequences and spatial patterns and their ability to recognize numerals and use counting to establish numerosity of visible and screened collections. Findings indicate greater variation in abilities…

A study of 40 medical students assessing the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) determined that cognitive measures associated with expert performance can be used to distinguish students who have participated in PBL from their counterparts in terms of knowledge, reasoning, and learning strategies. Includes a case study of an 11-year-old…

Asserts that college students lack understanding of the concept of function. Based on an epistemological theory, offers an instructional treatment using computers that presents a process concept of function and results in substantial improvements in student understanding for many students. (29 references) (MDH)

The development of economic reasoning in young children is examined from the theoretical perspective of Piaget's work on cognitive development. To determine a possible correlation between grade level and the type of reasoning children use to approach economic problems, 70 urban children, preschool through grade 3, answered questions which measured…

Research summarized here demonstrates how similarity thinking can be used in training programs to help ethnic minority children acquire basic skills. Current achievements are often attenuated by poor language skills, especially when English is not the first language of the child. Similarity thinking assesses the child's ability to learn without…

A paradigm for learning economic concepts based on cognitive development and learning theory is offered as a guideline for teaching and research. Discussion is divided into two sections. The first section establishes the model's theoretical framework, which is based on two propositions. The first of these is that economic knowledge is not a fixed…

Theory and research regarding four levels of concept attainment and three uses of concepts as specified by the conceptual learning and development (CLD) model are described. Assessment batteries were developed to assess each child's level of concept attainment and also the related use of the concepts equilateral triangle, cutting tool, and noun.…

The Model of Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) is an analytical, descriptive model. It defines four levels of concept attainment and the possible uses and extensions of attained concepts, specifies the cognitive operations involved in learning concepts at each of the four levels, and postulates internal and external conditions of learning…

The Model of Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) is an analytical, descriptive model. It defines four levels of concept attainment and the possible uses and extensions of attained concepts, specifies the cognitive operations involved in learning concepts at each of the four levels, and postulates internal and external conditions of learning…

This book grew out of a conference sponsored by the Educational Testing Service and the University of Wisconsin's National Center for Research in Mathematical Science Education that focused on assessment issues in mathematics education. The book's 16 chapters focus on clarifying and articulating the goals of assessment and instruction. They are…

The Model of Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) is an analytical, descriptive model. It defines four levels of concept attainment and the possible uses and extensions of attained concepts, specifies the cognitive operations involved in learning concepts at each of the four levels, and postulates internal and external conditions of learning…

Describes three perspectives from which middle school teachers can plan laboratory activities for the purpose of improving students' scientific literacy. Perspectives are the learning cycle approach categorizing activities by stages of development; problem-solving skills approach categorizing activities according to the amount of teacher control;…

The Model of Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) is an analytical, descriptive model. It defines four levels of concept attainment and the possible uses and extensions of attained concepts, specifies the cognitive operations involved in learning concepts at each of the four levels, and postulates internal and external conditions of learning…