Complex thinking is a desired competency in 21st-century university students, so technology-based teaching and learning strategies must be carefully considered when training them in complex reasoning skills. This systematic review aims to map research on the use of teaching and learning strategies supported by technology to enhance complex…

Attempts to identify variables for predicting academic success in electronics and find a model for predicting success in each of three main types of electronics programs. Results indicate that student's success in math and science in high school is a good predictor of their success and abstract learning preference is a valid discriminator between…

Describes an earlier study on the main characteristics and background of undergraduate students' difficulties when trying to solve mathematical tasks. Focuses on and extends part of an earlier study that concerned task solving strategies. Indicates that focusing on what is familiar and remembered at a superficial level is dominant over reasoning…

Presents a theoretical framework based on interviews with undergraduate students and written questionnaires to study how undergraduate students cope with abstract algebra concepts. Indicates that students' responses can be interpreted as a result of reducing the level of abstraction. Examines the theme of reducing abstraction based on three…

The question of whether skills in achieving understanding and retention of information at high levels of abstraction can be taught is addressed by analyzing some of the mental processes involved, and briefly reviewing a number of attempts that have been made to induce these processes. (Author)

Builds on the results of earlier research that investigated principles that facilitate higher levels of learning in Internet-based distance learning university courses. Explores how these can be applied to Internet-based distance learning environments, using results of questionnaires from experts and scholars that considered complex abstracted…

Described are how students (n=2,000) reduce the complexity of multivariable problems. Tendencies toward "functional reduction" in common reasoning are shown to range from a simple reduction in the number of variables considered, to a more elaborate procedure where all variables are taken into account, but in a simplified way involving…

A research project explored the idea that reasoning develops in distinct phases of thinking as individuals journey from simplistic learning of facts to highly proficient consequence predicting of integrated relationships. These results were derived from a study that examined the thinking processes and problem-solving actions of 13 students and…

A technique to teach cognitive skills to directly facilitate abstract and rational thinking is described. Based on George Kelly's theory of personal constructs, his Role Construct Repertory Test has students construe similarities and differences among important course concepts rather than provide individual definitions or examples of those…

Investigated is the extent to which students' nonscientific beliefs change by comparing before and after instruction as a function of students' reasoning skill. Nonscientific beliefs discussed include special creation, orthogenesis, the soul, nonreductionism, vitalism, teleology, and nonemergentism. (KR)

This study addressed the question: "What instructional techniques are most effective in helping students learn how to self-regulate their learning?" An integrated model based on current research in self-regulated learning (SRL) was used to explain changes in students' SRL. Five key instructional practices were identified and embedded…

An analysis is presented of the latest findings from psychology and education on how children acquire complex thinking skills and learn to reason, and how the schools can teach such skills more effectively. This paper reviews previous research, highlights successful learning strategies, and makes specific recommendations about problems and…

Explores the influences of text structure on students' conceptual change. Case studies were conducted and results showed that individuals used refutational text to change their alternative conceptions and acquire new concepts. Findings indicate that refutational text does cause cognitive conflict. While refutational text is effective for groups,…

Describes a theoretical framework for the analysis of conceptual change that considers conceptual knowledge as a generative cognitive tool for the creation of more specific mental representations. Argues that a task-oriented interaction between propositional structures and mental models can help learners evaluate the consistency of their…

Describes a study of college students that investigated whether various types of visual illustrations influenced abstract concept learning when combined with audio instruction. Discusses results of analysis of variance and pretest posttest scores in relation to learning performance, attitudes toward the computer-based program, and differences in…