The Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) was used to gauge the relative effectiveness of three different methods of pedagogy, "Reading, Presenting, and Questioning" (RPQ), "Experimenting and Discussion" (ED), and "Traditional Methods" (TM), on increasing students' level of scientific thinking. The…

Physics concepts, developed in young children, are compared to scientific concepts which have best withstood revolutions" in science. (Author/CP)

This study explores the acquisition of proportionality by investigating the relationship between an understanding of proportionality and the development of cognitive structure in the domain of mechanics. (Author/MA)

Describes an empirical method of developing learning hierarchies by comparing success on each tested behavior with all other behaviors. Advantages, compared with validation of a particular logical hierarchy, are illustrated by application of density principles to prediction of flotation. (AL)

Describes an experiment in which physics students were assigned to groups according to Piaget's stages of cognitive development and members of each group were asked to solve an elementary mechanics problem. Analysis revealed that the majority of students, those who were not operating at a formal level of development, may have done more harm than…

Supports the hypothesis that a student must engage a subject in a manner appropriate to his or her present stage of development if he or she is to advance to the next stage of development. Advocates the practice of having introductory physics students observe physical phenomena while they are manipulating equipment in order to foster cognitive…

Presents Ausubel's theory of learning and discusses its implication for teaching physics in the classroom and some of the theory's shortcomings. (HM)

Reports a study of the correlation between intellectual development and students' understanding of scientific concepts and science processes. Results are reported concerning the reliability and validity of Piagetian or Piagetian-like tasks as measures of students' level of formal reasoning. (Author/SA)

Discusses the "neo-Piagetian" concepts of Juan Pascual-Leone which are present in Piaget's theory. The concepts presented are the repertoire of schemes, mental processing capacity, and field dependence-independence. (Author/SA)

Describes a study of 708 eleventh and twelfth graders of cognitive development and their ability to learn physics. The theories of Piaget were used as a model to study the teaching and learning of physics. (MDR)

Investigates the prevalence of developmental cognitive differences among college students and the relation of scores on cognitive tests to an objective form of assessment of achievement, namely, the final grade in a conventional physics course. (GA)

This paper summarizes the recent work of the Maryland Physics Education Research Group on analyzing student learning in introductory university physics. This work is carried out in a model of student thinking and learning based on principles from cognitive science. The model permits a better understanding of, and diagnosis for, the state of both…

Describes a new physics program which depends mainly on student performed experiments and investigations, and subscribes to Piaget's learning and developmental theories. (GA)

During the past 15 years, physics education research has revealed many surprising things about the difficulties introductory physics students have in learning physics. At the same time, the ongoing revolution in information technology has led to new tools for creating innovative educational environments. In response to these two developments, a…

The article outlines and explicates a number of principles derived from developmental psychology in relation to their applicability in science education. It is shown that these principles are at variance with those derived from the classical schema of the scientific method. (Author/MA)