Discusses the results of a study that explored first year university students' ideas about measurement in the physics laboratory. Uses the 'point' and 'set' paradigms as a model to analyze responses to written probes. (Contains 21 references.) (DDR)

This essay is based on observation and interpretation of the mathematical language of children while they engage in situations involving fractional numbers. This interpretation includes the consideration of various levels of language use, informal metamorphic and metonymic uses of fractional number language, and the interplay between language use…

Asks whether theories of knowledge representation provide a basis for the development of theories of knowledge structuring in instruction. Discusses codes of knowledge, surface versus deep structures, semantic networks, and multiple memory systems. Reviews research on teaching, external representation of cognitive structures, hierarchical…

As biological and socio-cultural beings, humans are encouraged and aspire to "see" not only what comes "within sight," but also what is not possible to see. Visualization is described as offering a method of seeing the unseen. These ideas are organized into sections that focus on seeing the unseen in data, seeing the unseen in…

This paper gives a brief introduction to a discipline called the cognitive science of mathematics. The theoretical background of the arguments is based on embodied cognition and findings in cognitive linguistics. It discusses Mathematical Idea Analysis, a set of techniques for studying implicit structures in mathematics. Particular attention is…

This paper focuses on some cognitive and didactical phenomena that feature processes and products of pupils in grades 7-12 who learned mathematical proof within technological environments. The main issues in the analysis of students' performances consist of metaphors, deictics, mental times, narratives, functions of dragging, abductions, and…

Transfer of training in the construction and use of knowledge maps to text comprehension was investigated. Knowledge maps (k-maps) are spatial/verbal arrays that represent information in the form of node-link diagrams. K-maps make the macrostructure of a body of information more easily available to the learner. Because k-maps emphasize…

Describes a study in which secondary students (N=32) were interviewed to determine their understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. Presents some of the strengths and weaknesses of these views and provides cross-cultural comparisons. (DDR)

Provides information about hypnosis. Uses research data to define hypnosis, discuss the relationship between hypnosis and memory, and present some possible benefits. Includes a chart with some common misconceptions about hypnosis and the corresponding true statement. (DDR)

An appreciation of the relationship between novice and expert knowledge frameworks may help develop an understanding of the process of transition from one to the other. Recommends the use of concept mapping. (DDR)

Examines third year university physics students' use of models when explaining familiar phenomena involving interaction between metals and electromagnetic radiation. Concludes that few students use a single model consistently. (Contains 27 references.) (DDR)

SCALE-UP is an extension of the highly successful IMPEC (Integrated Math, Physics, Engineering, and Chemistry) project, one of North Carolina State's curricular reform efforts undertaken as part of the SUCCEED coalition. The authors utilize the interactive, collaboratively based instruction that worked well in smaller class settings and find ways…

Argues that the organization of cognitive structures for technical domains can be visualized as a network of connected thinkable models. Describes a taxonomy of models that has been developed and discusses the issue of how representations relate to human modes of perception and action. Contains 25 references. (DDR)

Describes a study that investigates the relationship between secondary students' written responses and the mathematical and cognitive processing used when solving a complex problem. Contains 40 references. (DDR)

Examines the place of mental models in the process of knowledge construction, particularly by the relationship between mental models and computer models in that process. Analyzes and discusses children's use of spreadsheets to build their own computer models. Suggests that the process of building models on a computer may provide direct support to…