The Cognitive Training for Children (CTC) (K. Klauer, 1989) is a program that teaches thinking strategies that increase inductive reasoning. This study reviews 17 studies of the effectiveness of the CTC through a qualitative meta-analysis. Results suggest that it is neither better nor worse than available rival cognitive training programs. (SLD)

Thirty-eight sixth graders were trained in fraction calculation through progressive transformation dialectics (PT) whereas a control group of 38 was taught through a traditional mathematics education framework. The PT group, encouraged to form network-type knowledge representations, performed better on problems that required more than mere…

The effects of incidental learning were assessed in 2 experiments involving 201 seventh graders in Poland through an experimental paradigm based on the levels of processing theory. Data suggest that an important aspect of intelligence is "opportunistic" learning (learning in advance). Intelligent people take cognitive advantage of…

This experiment investigated the effect of the presentation of a globe--the culturally accepted artifact representing the earth--on children's reasoning in elementary astronomy. Forty-four children from grades 1 and 3 were interviewed individually. First, the children were asked to make their own representations of the earth (i.e., drawings and…

Mental arithmetic strategies were studied with 91 Dutch third graders who computed by splitting off 10s and units in both numbers or counting by 10s up or down from the first unsplit number. Results reveal flexibility in changing between and within strategy use. Implications for instruction are discussed. (SLD)

Subjects forced to process redundant material or split their attention between multiple sources of information may encounter extraneous cognitive load. Results of 4 experiments involving 125 fourth graders in Sydney (Australia) provide evidence for the inadequacy of conventionally formatted instructional materials and emphasize debilitating…

In the current article, effects of socially induced metacognitive activities on performance of 60 French elementary and secondary school students (grades 3 through 9) were studied. Performance of low-achievement students was higher in a social comparison situation than an ordinary academic situation. A strong contingent relationship between social…

A cognitive education program applicable across many classroom settings was evaluated with 147 Australian students in grades 4 through 7 who were or were not exposed to the Process-Based Instruction (PBI) approach. Results indicate the positive effects of PBI on student achievement and student and teacher attitudes. (SLD)

Twenty-one impulsive fifth and sixth graders with low academic achievement were assigned to (1) self-instruction (SI) training; (2) problem solving (PS) training; or (3) a control condition. SI and PS training produced improvement in impulsivity and achievement, but only the impulsivity decrease was maintained at six months. (SLD)