Identifies key questions concerning children's intuitions and conceptions of probabilistic notions. Research on the theoretical framework for probability studies, misconceptions and strategies, and pupil attainment is reviewed, and the methodology is evaluated. Finally, implications for classroom practice are discussed. (MNS)

Features and tools to outline and shape the long-term learning process for ratio are presented, with examples. Ratio-anticipating activity and creating visual models and schemes are stressed, with the basis for a theory of teaching and learning ratio presented. (MNS)

Investigated are three misconceptions of probability and the differential effect of two activity-based instructional units. Response categories (law of averages, law of small numbers, and availability) are identified. Treatment differences (evaluation or no evaluation) appear to influence subjects' interpretations of the information. (YP)

The goal of books in this series is to present work that is on the growing tip of research in cognitive development. The theme of this volume is children's logical and mathematical cognition, a field in which Piaget's influence has been extensive. In the first of the six chapters, Acredolo presents a new theory of the cognitive bases for…

Forty-eight students with no previous exposure to probability or statistics read one of three textbooks that varied in emphasis placed on rote and conceptual learning of basic elementary probability concepts. Findings, among others, show students who read textbooks emphasizing conceptual learning tended to be less sensitive to surface features.…

A collection of student distortions, represented by student-invented variations of theorems, are presented. They were drawn from examination papers of 17-year-old students in Israel. (MNS)

This study investigated young children's ability to solve probability problems and studied the cognitive processes proposed by Piaget and Inhelder as necessary to solve probability problems. The effects of tutorial and self-discovery training were measured and discussed. Results from 168 first-graders in five training conditions indicated that:…

The concept of probability is not an easy concept for high school and college students to understand. This paper identifies and analyzes the students' alternative frameworks from the viewpoint of constructivism. There are various interpretations of probability through mathematical history: classical, frequentist, and subjectivist interpretation.…

In 1980-82, the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) was conducted in 20 countries, including Japan. This study was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This paper constitutes a summary of the research relating to the level of mathematics achievement of Japanese students. The…

This issue of the journal contains abstracts and critical comments for 10 published reports on research in mathematics education. The reports concern children's school mobility and achievement, preservice teachers' sources of decisions, spatial visualization in boys and girls, rote versus conceptual emphases in teaching probability, using drawings…

A quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups and one control group was used to evaluate the use of two books in the Quantitative Literacy Series, "Exploring Data" and "Exploring Probability." Group X teachers were those who had attended a workshop on the use of the materials and were using the materials during the…

Reasons for poor performance in mathematics by students in the United States are discussed. According to the authors, too many students never experience arithmetic at a physical, concrete level. Students are drilled in arithmetic facts without any meaningful context and are given few opportunities to use numerical concepts in real-life…

A conference proceedings on mathematics education research contained the following keynote addresses: "Doing and Constructing Mathematics in Screen-Space" (Mason); "Students' Understanding of Geometry: Theoretical Perspectives" (Pegg); "The Australian Research Council and its Role in Supporting Education Research"…

The proceedings report is divided into four sections that include: (1) two invited lectures by Colette Laborde and James Kaput on the topics of students' reading and writing of mathematics and an allegory in which writing is introduced into a technology-based mathematical society; (2) working group reports on the topics of fractal geometry in the…