This article presents the partial results obtained in the first stage of the research, which sought to answer the following questions: (a) What is the role of intuition in university students' solutions to optimization problems? (b) What is the role of rigor in university students' solutions to optimization problems? (c) How is the combination of…

Research has shown that students have graduated from institutions of higher learning with a lack of creativity and critical-thinking thinking skills. This mismatch in skills has resulted in a nationwide initiative in using technology in the classroom to create a learning environment that would stimulate students' creative and problem-solving…

Multimodal feedback could promote college students' conceptual, procedural and heuristic knowledge learning. This study used an experimental design to investigate the interaction effects of instructor's narrated feedback (with procedural feedback delivered visually and heuristic feedback auditorily) and gender on their post-test performance of a…

This article summarizes the creation and implementation of a concurrent support class for TRS 92--Intermediate Algebra, a developmental mathematics course at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. The concurrent course outlined in this article demonstrates a statistically significant increase in student success rates since its inception.…

This study examines the specificity of information provided by structural assessment of knowledge (SAK). SAK is a technique which uses the Pathfinder scaling algorithm to transform ratings of concept relatedness into network representations (PFnets) of individuals' knowledge. Inferences about individuals' overall domain knowledge based on the…

A course in applied statistics for social science students provides for students designing experiments at an interactive terminal. (SD)

Further evidence is given on validity in the conventional and retrospective pretest-posttest designs using self-report measures as outcome criteria. Experimental training in Seeing Problems Strategy was effective in improving task performance. The retrospective self-report approach reflected the change. Subjects initially overestimated their…

The use of the expert-novice technique in science education is examined critically. Discussed are four techniques including their methodological limitations. Improvements and alternatives in experimental design are suggested. (Author/CW)

A methodology is developed for producing a well-designed problem in policy analysis. This evaluative context methodology is defined as an iterative process based on a series of checklist questions. Use of the methodology is demonstrated in a policy development project in New Zealand devoted to encouraging use of the Maori language. (SLD)

A review of the research literature concerning the effects of cooperation and competition on small-group productivity suggests that results have been conflicting and inconclusive. From a methodological standpoint, the inconsistent finings result from the use of experimental tasks which create systematic bias in favor of either the cooperative or…

Perspectives on interdisciplinary research are considered in terms of project planning, the choice of problem-solving approach, the research field, project organization, informal organization, and integration of knowledge. Interdisciplinary studies were investigaged through following a number of research projects by means of field trips,…

Criticizes the Mitchell and Lawson (1988) report from the viewpoint of individual interview method. Provides Lawson's reply to the comment by showing differences in research philosophy and methods. (YP)

Describes a study of college students who designed and conducted experiments involving control of variables after being assigned to one of four versions of a computer-based biology simulation learning environment. Finds that reason-justification prompts directed students' attention to understanding the employment of experimental design principles…

This study investigated the cognitive benefits of learning how to program by determining the degree of cognitive transfer of programming skills at a construct level to solving analogous problems in other domains. Subjects, who were students enrolled in four sections of the beginning Pascal programming course and two sections of a calculus course,…

Discusses the evolution of a set of research programs (dealing with the removal of liquid contaminants from surfaces) used to introduce graduate students to methods of design, evaluation, and modification within the context of a larger research program. Stresses the simultaneity and interaction of theoretical and experimental studies. (JM)