Interdisciplinary curriculum supports cognitive development through well planned lessons at early age. This article focuses on a specific experimental study done in 2010 on Grade 7 learners in a Lebanese private school to aid them in empowering their skills and competencies to solve a real life problem. The objective of this experimental study is…

Explores the relationship of an individual's reliance or nonreliance upon concrete cues in problem solving and performance on a model-based measure of hierarchical classification. Level of cognitive development, as determined by performance on Piaget-type tasks, generally predicted hierarchical classification ability of junior- and senior-high…

Defines one approach to problem solving in terms of student use of algorithms to find their solutions and gives examples. Discusses how problems and algorithms relate to each other. Describes strategies for teaching problem solving using algorithms. (CW)

This document reorts on an educational research study involving 75 eighth-grade students to determine the effects of problem solving instruction on the ability of students to apply proportional reasoning in problem situations. Results suggest that changes in basic reasoning skills such as proportional reasoning are long term, highly dependent on…

Examines the role of individual preference in the measurement of a student's cognitive level of development utilizing 324 science students from grade eight to college seniors. Results indicate that although students may possess formal thought ability, they may prefer to solve certain problem types via concrete methods. (SL)

This study examined the science process skill of prediction problem solving using naturalistic research methodology and information-processing theory. The think-aloud interview led to the identification of several specific program exploration and prediction behaviors. A total of 14 high school biology students made predictions concerning the…

Discusses briefly Piaget's views on intellectual development as related to science teaching. Describes intellectual activities observed in science classrooms and shows how specific science lessons can be designed to encourage cognitive development. (GA)

Explains the differences between successful and unsuccessful problem solvers' exploration of a problem, translation of information into different forms, approach to devising and executing a plan, and rechecking work. (RT)

Investigates the influence of five cognitive variables on high school students' performance on balancing chemical equations by inspection. Reports that reasoning, restructuring, and disembedding variables could be a single variable, and that working memory capacity does not influence overall performance. Results of hierarchical regression analysis…

Reports about U.S. schools have indicated the need for improvement of science teaching and learning. One of the solutions advocated calls for classroom contexts that allow for authentic practice under the guidance of teachers who model pertinent skills as practitioners in the field of study. The metaphor used to describe such teaching-learning…

This book shows how to increase one's power to analyze and comprehend problems. First, it outlines and illustrates the methods that good problem solvers use in attacking complex ideas. Then it gives some practice in applying these methods to a variety of questions in comprehension and reasoning. Chapters include: (1) "Test Your Mind--See How…

Four types of proportionality problems were administered to: (1) secondary school students who were enrolled in Project Physics, and (2) students not enrolled in physics. Both samples were randomly selected. Groups were not found to differ significantly in problem solving ability but both revealed that the ability to solve certain problems was…

Discusses a study which compared differences in ratio construction made by high school freshman and junior students. Reports that more freshmen than juniors selected solutions involving one variable, whereas juniors chose solutions that coordinated two variables in a mathematical or verbal rule. Reviews implications in problem solving and concept…

Findings reveal that students who are skillful in perceptual restructuring attain significantly higher mean achievement scores in science, in knowledge of science, and in the ability to apply what has been learned in unfamiliar contexts than students with low structuring ability. (Author/MA)

Discussed is a constructivist model of science learning and its possible use in the treatment of science misconceptions. Science learning as conceptual and methodological change is described. (KR)