It is complicated to design a computer simulation that adapts to students with different characteristics. This study documented cases that show how college students' prior chemistry knowledge level affected their interaction with peers and their approach to solving problems with the use of computer simulations that were designed to learn…

This discussion of metalearning theories and thinking skills in relation to instructional design highlights other papers presented in this journal issue. Topics discussed include properties of skills; problem solving; the concept of psychological sets in contrast to the concept of skill; and the organization of previously acquired systematic…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two types of maps (generative vs. completed) and the amount of prior knowledge (high vs. low) on well-structured and ill-structured problem-solving performance. Forty-four undergraduates who were registered in an introductory instructional technology course participated in the study.…

Bilingualism and multiculturalism have for four decades been official ideologies and policies in Canada but, as is often the case, the implementation and outcomes of such government policies nationally are less impressive than the rhetoric would suggest. This article reviews the political, theoretical and demographic contexts justifying support…

This study examined whether familiarity with content influences performance on conditional reasoning problems of the form P implies Q independently of ease of generation of specific examples of "Q and not-P." Results indicated that increased content familiarity resulted in higher performance levels. (Author/JAZ)

This study explores the mathematical problem-solving process of trainee teachers in a teachers' training institute. This research adopts a constructivist perspective that views learning mathematics as a process of constructing meaningful representation and knowledge as being constructed by the individual. The research methodology employs the case…

Self-regulation components linked to academic problem-solving were studied. Cognitive process instruction on analogy problems was given to 63 undergraduates on a Monday. On Wednesday, problem-solving performance within the inductive reasoning domain was assessed with 30 Remote Associate Test (RAT) problems. On Friday, problem-solving performance…

This paper describes the rule-assessment approach to cognitive development. The basic question that motivated the rule-assessment approach is how people's existing knowledge influences their ability to learn. Research using the rule-assessment approach is summarized in terms of eight conclusions, each illustrated with empirical examples.…

Investigated the quality of spontaneous play with sticks, nuts, and bolts in 18 children aged 44 months and the effects of this on a subsequent problem whose solution required 2 sticks to be bolted together. Children who discovered the elongation principle during play were better problem solvers than those who had not. (RJC)

In most teacher education courses, instructional strategies are merely listed and explained. Students rarely have the opportunity to see these strategies in use until they become student teachers. What better way to teach secondary instructional strategies to pre-service teachers than by modeling these strategies using teacher education content?…

The authors identified factors affecting problem finding depending on degree of structure of problem situation--either ill or moderately structured. Fifth-grade students (N = 115) were randomly assigned to 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 60) accomplished the ill-structured task; Group 2 (n = 55) performed the moderately structured task. Results indicated…

A study examined the extent to which common knowledge structures and the presence of common performance components are important factors in reasoning. The eye fixations of 37 college students were recorded as they solved four types of complex inductive reasoning tasks: (1) verbal analogies, (2) figural analogies, (3) verbal series completions, and…

Business management students who earned prior learning credit through portfolios (n=27) and 27 who completed coursework were compared. Results indicated that metacognitive skills can be developed outside the classroom to an equal or greater level. Portfolio development assisted learners in articulating tacit knowledge they acquired through…

This article describes a proposed model of self-directed critical thinking that comprises two interrelated and equal components: one cognitive and the other motivational. The model stresses the importance in critical thinking of the child's present store of general information. Examples illustrate the operation of the model. (IAH)

Reports on a study that examined potential links between mental models constructed by students, the organizational quality of students' prior geometric knowledge, and the use of that knowledge during problem solving. Suggests that the quality of geometric knowledge that students develop could have a powerful effect on their mental models and…