Describes instructional techniques derived from the Piagetian tests for determining the stage of cognitive development of a child. Examines the principle of reflection and conservation of quantity. (AL)

Tested was the hypothesis that science instruction based on task analysis will lead to the acquisition of the ability to perform certain Piaget volume tasks which have been characterized as requiring formal operations for their solutions. A Test on Formal Operations and a Learning Hierarchies Test were given to fourth- and sixth-grade students in…

Describes the intellectual development stages ascribed to children by Jean Piaget. Characteristics and examples are given for sensori-motor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational thinking periods. Implications are given for elementary school science education, including (1) formal instruction does not accelerate acquisition…

REPORTED IS THE DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO METHODS OF INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING CLASSIFICATIONAL CONCEPTS OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGE TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. THROUGH TEACHER-DIRECTED DEMONSTRATION-DISCUSSION, STUDENTS IN GRADES 2-6 WERE INSTRUCTED IN THE CONCEPTS OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGE WITH THE…

THE EFFECT OF PLANNED GUIDANCE ON THE PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WAS INVESTIGATED. FACTORS RELATED TO CHANGES IN PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIORS WERE IDENTIFIED. APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT OF THE SIXTH-GRADE STUDENTS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY WERE GIVEN INQUIRY TRAINING 30 TO 60 MINUTES DAILY FOR 3 WEEKS. AN INVENTORY OF SCIENCE PROCESSES…

Summarizes Piagetian developmental psychology, and describes a study in which trainee elementary school teachers administered Piagetian tasks to pupils. During this time the teachers were being instructed in the development of children's thought processes. Results support the continued use of the method. (AL)

Examined were the cognitive preferences of sixth grade students in relationship both to student involvement in a program utilizing Elementary Science Study Materials and to the teaching strategies employed by the teachers. Two-hundred twenty-six students of eleven teachers, who had taken part in summer workshops to gain experience in using ESS…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of practice on relevant components of selected operations on a child's ability to conserve substance and weight. A group of 108 children between the ages of five and seven was selected from one school and pretested for conservation of weight and substance. The 48 non-conservers were then…

The sixth paper in the science series of research reviews produced for the Science and Mathematics Education Information Analysis Center concerns research in science education at the elementary school level published in 1968-69. The following topics are reviewed: Effects of instruction in new elementary science programs (Science - A Process…

Reported is a study of the importance of the direct manipulative experience in the attainment of science process skills for kindergarten and grade three pupils. Typical self-contained classes were selected to learn exercises from Science - A Process Approach. Some pupils were allowed to manipulate science materials in learning, while others were…

Investigated in this study was the relationship between an inquiry approach to science instruction and language development. Four classes of sixth-grade children from two socioeconomic groups participated in the study. The treatment consisted of 12 inquiry film sessions and six discussion sessions, each session 40 minutes in length. At the end of…

The author advocates the incorporation of a science program designed to recognize cultural differences and to develop process skills in children in developing countries. (CP)

The study attempted to show that the first grade child's learning in a new area must involve overt concrete experiences from which new ideas will be derived. Forty-nine students, assigned to six groups, were instructed on three scientific concepts. The verbal instruction technique was similar to that suggested in SCIS. The application segment…

Reports a procedure for training fifth and seventh grade students to substantially improve their understanding and use of controlled experimentation procedures. (SL)