Dualisms pervade the language of higher education research providing an over-simplified roadmap to the field. However, the lazy logic of their popular appeal supports the perpetuation of erroneous and often outdated assumptions about the nature of modern higher education. This paper explores nine commonly occurring dualisms:…

This paper draws on the theoretical resources offered by feminist scholarship to enquire into the discourse of the intellectual and how women do being an academic. My starting points are threefold: Val Hey's interrogation of Butler's work and her emphasis on the importance of sociality; Carrie Paechter's exploration of the available personal sets…

Describes a study of level of intellectual development displayed by a population of Australian primary school education students at the time of entry to college. Results agree with United States research which indicate that a significant proportion of high school and college students is not at the level of formal operations, an idea contrary to…

Describes an investigation undertaken to evaluate whether or not the Purdue experimental program, through its concrete curricular materials and inquiry-oriented procedures, had been successful in promoting formal reasoning abilities in its students. Results indicated that concrete curricular materials and problems can promote the development of…

Showed that Piagetian measures of formal reasoning ability are significantly related to achievement, aptitude, and knowledge of the processes of science in a sample of college freshman and sophomore elementary education majors. (MLH)

This article is part of a broader study on research capacity development (RCD) of individuals within three research units in South African universities. The complex and wide-ranging nature of research capacity means that development of capacity is a long-term, multifaceted and multilayered process. The ability to do research is more than the sum…

Reports the results of a study designed to measure any changes in the Piagetian level of intellectual functioning of students after taking one introductory college physics course for one semester. No developmental progress was found as a result of taking such a course. (Author/GA)

Seventy-five preservice elementary school teachers were given a Piagetian-related paper-and-pencil test involving the equilibrium of a beam balance. Results show a significant positive relationship between the developmental levels of the clearness, as measured by the test, and their performance on equation solving when different reversible…

This paper presents a model of adult reasoning that is consistent with a set of related psychological theories of learning known collectively as constructivism. Three general factors comprise the model: (1) personal epistemology (defined as beliefs about learning, dispositions toward thinking, and assumptions about knowledge itself); (2) sustained…

Although college catalogs contain expressions of devotion to the cause of developing in students a capacity for and commitment to critical thought, there are philosophical, scientific and practical problems surrounding this aim. To measure student values and differences in intellectual dispositions, the Center designed a research instrument, the…

Reports on an undergraduate laboratory course designed to provide instruction and practice in the intellectual skills of application, analysis, and synthesis, and in Piaget's formal operations. A 10-item exam used to measure these skills is included as an appendix. (Author/CP)

There seems to be much justified scepticism about the value of learning theories and educational research when applied to the complexities of student learning. Discusses some insights provided by educational and psychological research and its practical value for lecturers and students in higher education. (Author/RK)

Describes a program being conducted within the chemistry department of Xavier University, New Orleans, Louisiana, to improve the abstract reasoning abilities of freshmen science majors. The project is based upon the philosophy developed by Jean Piaget. (SL)

Grades, persistence, and academic learning have traditionally been criteria for college success. However, as a result of the increased interest during the last decade in exploring the use of nonintellective variables for academic prediction, nonintellective instruments for this purpose have been developed that are more refined than those…

Among findings were that almost twice as many Japanese students preferred the intuitive approach to solving problems, and 27 percent of Japanese students regarded themselves as more intellectual than creative compared to 49 percent of American students studied. Preference by the Japanese students for verbal modes of learning as compared to their…