A model of the sources of differences in the learning potentials of students is presented, including group differences in learning potentials between gifted and nongifted students; interindividual differences between gifted students; intraindividual differences within one gifted student; and independent and interactive contributions of…

A three-year program at Bethel College (Minnesota) has introduced faculty to various models of college student development, including the reflective judgment model of intellectual development, and their instructional applications. Knowledge of student development, now common to faculty and staff, has had a profound impact on teaching, learning,…

Two influential theories of intellectual development are reviewed and analyzed: the psychometric framework, based on the factorial composition of intelligence, and the Piagetian model, based on assimilation and accomodation through four stages of intellectual development. A third concept is the componential theory of intelligence, based on…

This study investigated the development of story recall in elementary school children through development of a model of story comprehension which specified both the rules for informational transformations and elaborations and the nature of the organizational structure of stories. Using Rumelhart's (1974) schema for analyzing stories in terms of a…

In research conducted "over a period of 20 years" on aptitudes of high level personnel, the purpose was to analyze thinking abilities or processes into their unique components. The approach was through study of individual differences in performance on intellectual tasks varied systematically over broad ranges of psychological functioning.…

Discusses the nature of the internal representation of cognitive structure, the methodological problems involved in mapping it, and the proposed kinds of "maps." Reviews research on the organization of scientific concepts in semantic memory. (GA)

Disparities between European countries and the U.S. in terms of incidence and prevalence of mild mental retardation have become apparent. A model of intellectual performance that might explain disparities and predict future levels of occurrence of mild mental retardation is presented. Such explanations are relevant for theory and policy decisions.…

Problem-based learning is argued to be the most effective means of developing students' general mental abilities, integrating academic and operational approaches to higher education, and instilling a high level of student motivation and capacity for active learning. Conditions for successful problem-based learning are discussed. (Author/MSE)

After a discussion of the creativity often found in those outside the mainstream, this article describes the five stages of the Laureate learning cycle model of talent development: romance, inquiry, involvement, expansion, and insight. The importance of individual ownership of the learning process is emphasized. (DB)

This study used survey data to identify college students' dominant learning stages, basing it on Marcia Baxter Magolda's (1992) Epistemological Reflection Model. A total of 699 alumni of a midwestern community college who had completed at least 30 credit hours transferable to baccalaureate degrees elsewhere completed a survey that incorporated…

The growth model of intelligence; i.e. intelligence is the product of genetics plus environment (I.Q.=G+E), is discussed and questioned. If the growth model is discarded, formulating the problem of the development of intelligence in different ways and thinking of different possible technologies for changing intelligence can begin. The child…

Many writers have suggested that comprehension occurs at several levels (e.g., literal, inference, and conclusion). However, many teachers spend as much as two-thirds of their time on lower-level skills such as phonics and literal-level comprehension skills. Some authors have suggested ways of assisting readers in achieving comprehension at more…

Discusses the value of diagnostic classification systems to counseling professionals. Describes the Ecological Diagnostic Classification Plan, an approach to diagnosis that includes the environment as a possible cause of pathology and target of intervention. (Author/KS)

A study used the Coursework Cluster Analysis Model to identify college courses associated with gains in student learning, then sought faculty perceptions about methods for teaching and assessing those abilities. Teacher perceptions corroborated the statistical analysis and improved understanding of how student assessment, individual courses, and…

The study of ability factors in young children has passed the stage of demonstrating that separate factors exist, the effort now being devoted to systematic identification of measurable abilities. This study was designed to confirm some of the tentative abilities demonstrated in other studies and to extend the exploration into memory processes and…