This integrative text spotlights what educators need to know about children's cognitive development across grade levels (PreK-12) and content areas. The book provides a concise introduction to developmental neuroscience and theories of learning. Chapters on general cognitive abilities probe such crucial questions as what children are capable of…

Previous research from in and outside museums suggests that the haptic exploration of surfaces and objects have various educational benefits and can positively influence the museum visit experience. However, there is still a need for more research on the potential effects of object handling on museum learning, especially in science museums. The…

This paper argues that the metaphorical representation of concepts and the appropriation of language-based construals can be hypothesized as additional sources of conceptual change alongside those previously proposed. Analyses of construals implicit in the lay and scientific use of the noun "energy" from the perspective of the theory of conceptual…

The impulse to investigate the natural world is deeply rooted in our earliest childhood experiences. This notion has long guided researchers to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of scientific reasoning in children. Until recently, however, research in cognitive development and education followed largely independent…

In this ethnographic study of summer undergraduate research (UR) experiences at four liberal arts colleges, where faculty and students work collaboratively on a project of mutual interest in an apprenticeship of authentic science research work, analysis of the accounts of faculty and student participants yields comparative insights into the…

Considers how theories of learning can inform the practice of science teaching in formal settings and describes two broad strands of learning theory that have been drawn upon in science education, namely individual and sociocultural views. Shows how aspects of both views can usefully inform understanding of teaching and learning in science in…

Examines Ausubel's theory of learning as a model of the role concerning the influence of prior knowledge on how learning occurs. Research evidence for Ausubel's theory is presented and discussed. Implications of Ausubel's theory for teaching are summarized. (PEB)

The purpose was to determine whether children in classrooms would manifest cognitive behavior described by Piaget for their developmental stage. First, fourth, and eighth grade classes were selected as representative of Piaget's preoperational, concrete, and formal stages respectively. Twelve classes at each grade level (six social studies and six…

Examines Piaget's learning theories and his endorsement of the biological viewpoints of Jean Baptiste de Lamarck. Particular points in Piaget's theories and their relationships to Lamarck's biology are discussed. (CP)

Examines Piaget's theory of cognitive development with particular reference to the teaching of chemistry in the secondary school. Concludes that the theory has many fundamental weaknesses, with respect to analyzing curriculum materials in terms of levels of thought and should not be used as the basis for course assessment. (GA)

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)

This document, published in India by the Regional College of Education, deals with 13 subjects: the tough context (thinking), definitions of concept, functions of concept, the process of concept formation, discriminant learning, mediation process, second signalling system, factors affecting concept formation, studies in concept formation, the…

Hypothesized that instructional methods employing concrete models and exemplars of a concept will lead to better student understanding at both the concrete and formal operational levels of cognitive development. However, concrete operational students did not profit from the instructional methods and results were not clear for early formal…

This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of one semester's instruction in science and mathematics, using an inquiry-based methodology, in facilitating cognitive growth in first year college students. Results indicated the inquiry approach did not promote cognitive growth in comparison with a more didactic or expository teaching…

Cites efforts to relate macro-level research (studies examining science achievement as related to the economic development of a nation), intermediate-level research (e.g., achievement as related to institutional variables), and micro-level research (cognitive development, etc.) to determine a science of teaching science. (CP)