Linear functions are an essential part of school and university education. Nevertheless, this topic is challenging for many students--especially in STEM topics. In this article, we contribute to the understanding of learning difficulties in the context of mathematical and physical problems. Here, we present the results of an eye-tracking study on…

Intuitive knowledge seems to influence human decision-making outside of consciousness and differs from deliberate cognitive and metacognitive processes. Intuitive knowledge can play an essential role in problem solving and may offer the initiation of subsequent learning processes. Scientific discovery learning with computer simulations leads to…

Individuals have difficulty changing their causal beliefs in light of contradictory evidence. We hypothesized that this difficulty arises because people facing implausible causes give greater consideration to causal alternatives, which, because of their use of a positive test strategy, leads to differential weighting of contingency evidence.…

Analysis of a sample of 100 pupil scripts from a British Assessment of Performance Unit survey suggests that ability to read and interpret graphical data should not be seen as an independent process skill. Instead, hidden cognitive demands of assessment items require integrated understanding based on a sophisticated procedural model. (SK)

Theories of learning and instruction usually are grounded in psychological and epistemological assumptions. However, these theories ignore the child in relation to his or her cultural and institutional context and ignore the schoolteacher from the social context that regulates the process of transmission and acquisition of knowledge and skills.…

Discussion of the use of computer-based information retrieval systems in schools focuses on three paper and pencil experiments conducted in the United Kingdom that were designed to investigate how 9- to 11-year-olds organized and retrieved information from four organizational structures: lists, hierarchies, networks, and tables. (18 references)…