This study examines the use of question prompts and peer interactions as scaffolding strategies to help undergraduate students with their problem-solving processes on an ill-structured task. The mixed research method, combining both experimental and comparative multiple-case studies, was used to study the outcomes as well as the processes of…

A case study is presented on what is learned by a very advanced Math student in a ninth grade class (fifteen years old, approximately). This case was obtained from an exploratory study carried out in a classroom of eighteen students when the employment of certain cultural artifacts was introduced to approach the theme of basic geometrical…

Researches indicate that worked examples could effectively facilitate problem solving by reducing cognitive load during learning. However, there is no study using worked examples in a game-based environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of worked examples on problem solving in a game-based environment. In this study,…

This book focuses on three particular context-specific accounts of scientific thinking. The first section of the book presents research focused on extending knowledge of the fundamental components of scientific thinking. In the second section, research is presented that is focused primarily on how to build a structure for scientific thinking in…

Implications are that increasing a child's ability to think in terms of alternative solutions to real-life problems could supplement a primary preventive mental health program. (Authors)

Demonstrated is a covariance principle that causes the observer to assume that if one aspect of a two-dimensional figure (its perimeter or its area) is conserved, the other aspect must also be conserved (pseudo-conservation). Mentally retarded individuals, assuming no such fixed relationship, correctly judged the changed state of the nonconserved…

Three experiments with small samples of elementary school students were conducted to: (1) investigate the impact of syntactic complexity on analytic assistance; (2) extend the research on analytic assistance to younger subjects; and (3) determine the relative importance of analytic assistance when compared to an example-only comparison group.…

Tests the applicability of Ausubel's theory to the meaningful learning of intellectual skills. Results of three studies of high school students indicate that advance organizers enhance learning of skills related to solubility product problems. This effect was removed if prior teaching in relevant background knowledge was included. (Author/WB)

Common mathematical errors of pupils as identified by the Concepts in Secondary Mathematics and Science Project are identified and traced to the use of methods invented by students rather than formally taught methods. (MP)

Proposes a categorization scheme based on instructional design theory and empirical findings for employing various types of graphic/visual displays under specified conditions. (Author/CHC)

Piaget's characterization of formal operational thought and human judgment psychologists' model of bounded rationality are two conflicting models dealing with the nature and limits of mature thought. However, a look at the respective databases demonstrates their complementarity and their contribution to understanding mature cognition. (Author/RD)

This monograph describes the development of the Metaphoric Triads Task (MTT), an instrument designed to assess metaphoric comprehension. Validity and reliability of the instrument are discussed and data for 12 samples of subjects are reported. Sex differences were negligible, but progressive improvement in MTT score with age was noted. Pictorial…

To determine whether objective test items could measure cognitive processes more complex than recall of isolated facts, the committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons preparing the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination classified test items into three taxonomic levels according to the cognitive process required to answer the item.…

There is evidence to suggest that mature students learn particularly effectively in a problem-solving environment, and that they appear to be especially responsive to analogies and metaphors. Three examples are given of domains where the student has to convert a formulation into an equivalent diagram. Arguably, the process of performing this…

The historical development of special education in Germany is summarized. Four cognitive teaching methods for special education are described: cognitive behavior modification with a focus on problem solving and metacognition, intelligence training based on inductive thinking, application of Piagetian concepts, and dynamic testing. (Author/JDD)