This issue of "Investigations in Mathematics Education" contains: (1) 12 abstracts of research studies in mathematics education; (2) a list (by EJ number) of mathematics education research studies reported in the July-to-December 1984 issues of "Current Index to Journals in Education" (CIJE); and (3) a list (by ED number) of…

This paper reports on developments in teaching and learning for first year employment relations students at the University of Wollongong based on creating conditions of learning informed by Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development" theory. Essentially, this meant emphasising collaborative learning (group work) in the lecture theatre and…

Questionnaire responses suggest although educators know the learning value of problem solving, they rarely use it. Twenty-one educators were introduced to learning through problem solving. They were read a story and asked to overcome an associated problem. The questionnaire assessed children's literacy learning through problem solving, and…

This study examined the effects of interpersonal cognitive problem solving (ICPS) training for inner city mothers on the problem-solving skills and behaviors of their children. Twenty black mother-child pairs received training and 20 pairs matched in ICPS ability served as controls. The children were of comparable mean age (4.3 years), school…

Materials contained in this career guidance unit are designed to aid ten- and eleven-year-old students in becoming effective problem solvers, and to bring to attention the relationship between an individual's values and decisions. Skill in using a simplified problem solving technique introduced in the primary grades (Decision Making, Levels…

The purposes of the paper are to discuss use of a concept formation model in art education and to suggest ways in which teachers might plan and develop art instructional activities consistent with the model. Based upon a social studies model designed along the lines of Robert Gagne's learning theory, the art education model utilizes rule, concept,…

A General Policy Systems Theory is outlined and its application at a university in regard to governance in the face of retrenchment is described. The way that this model of nonrigorous but holistic research supports the Purpose, Target, Results (PTR) strategy and is in turn more useful than either operations research/management or science/systems…

Taking the current excitement among educators concerning the uses of microcomputers for student instruction as a point of departure, this paper addresses the problems and possibilities associated with the uses of microcomputers in the classroom and discusses these in terms of instructional techniques and the social aspects of integrating computer…

An overview is presented of a study conducted to obtain teachers' perceptions of their personal and professional development. Focused interviews were conducted with 13 female and 2 male elementary school teachers whose teaching experience ranged from 4 to 28 years. Interpretation of the data resulted in an exploration of: (1) interactions between…

A developmental investigation of the ability to control variables was conducted. One or two logically similar physics problems were individually administered to 120 subjects age 12 to 14. The problems involved either familiar or unfamiliar variables. Each problem was presented in three different informational formats. Success on the problems in…

Designed for fifth grade mathematics teachers, the three inservice sessions described in this booklet balance the theoretical with the practical and show teachers how to help students through the activity of writing word problems based on their own experiences. Using a total language-thinking approach to helping students read and solve word…

This document is one example of a Selected Mathematics Applications (Level B) course. According to the Hawaii State Department of Education's guidelines, a Level B course has learner objectives that are designed to maintain and extend a student's basic skills through applications of mathematics in a variety of "real-life" situations. The focus of…

This book, intended to serve as a resource guide for teachers wishing to implement computer-based learning in their own classrooms, is a collection of 29 classroom tested instructional programs designed to supplement an introductory chemistry course, regardless of text or approach. The programs cover a wide range of topics, from metric units of…

Location Decisions is a simulation game in which students obtain and evaluate information about several potential business locations in light of location requirements specific to their game businesses. In Location Decisions, the specific content area taught to students is the process for choosing a location for a small business; the basic skills…

The increasing trend toward specialization in education and reasons why corporations need college graduates educated in the liberal arts are discussed. Individuals are needed by corporations with a broad cultural background and high cognitive capacity for problem-solving and for perceiving profit-taking within the context of moral principles and…