This investigation addressed the following questions: (1) Can the ability to control variables be taught to high school biology students who, on a written test of logical operations, do not demonstrate formal reasoning; (2) Would students who are classified as early formal operational thinkers on the written test of logical operations be able to…

THIS TEST--"DECISIONS, DECISIONS"--WAS DESIGNED BY THE OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER FOR A 10TH-GRADE RHETORIC CURRICULUM. IT IS INTENDED TO ACCOMPANY CURRICULUM UNITS AVAILABLE AS ED 010 809 AND ED 010 810. (MM)

This paper discusses error analysis, which is based upon the premise that all language, even "incorrect" language, is governed by rules, and the application of such analysis to the comma splice and the fused sentence. Many students formulate erroneous theories of punctuation based on spoken-language experience or on misleading definitions; in…

Presented is a model of problem solving that incorporates elements of hypothetico-deductive reasoning in the Piagetian sense, and heuristic-algorithmic processing in the information-processing sense. It assumes that people invoke both formal reasoning strategies and learned algorithms whenever they solve problems. The proposed model integrates the…

This paper reports an experiment designed to test theoretical relations among fast problem solving, more complex and slower problem solving, and research concerning fundamental memory processes. Using a cathode ray tube, subjects were presented with propositions of the form "Y is in list X" which they memorized. In later testing they were asked to…

This document is written to describe a model which will enable teachers to incorporate values clarification and moral development within content-centered learning episodes. It also attempts to explain to teachers what the processes of values clarification and moral development are and to train teachers to recognize student verbal behaviors…

Piaget's developmental theory is discussed and several research findings that involve Piaget's theories are reported. The understanding of reasoning patterns is presented as a means for the science teacher to identify the conceptual emphasis and demands of the subject matter and to help students develop more advanced reasoning patterns than they…

This paper attempts to identify the inferential logic used by first-grade teachers in forming expectations about student achievement. Data for this study was obtained from an earlier study in which 74 first-grade teachers were divided into two groups to investigate factors that are related to the formation of first-grade teachers' expectations of…

Five papers given at the International Reading Association conference held in conjunction with a National Council for the Social Studies conference in 1968 are presented in this work. Although each paper is addressed to a different subtopic, there is the common theme of the role that reading can play in social studies instruction. The subtopics…

This study is the fourth in a series of studies that have attempted to examine the relationship between two separate aptitude factors--associative memory and reasoning--to various performance criteria in a hierarchical learning task utilizing computer-assisted instruction. Two clear effects seem to emerge from the data. During learning, the…

An explanation of critical thinking and methods for fostering critical thinking through reading are presented. Critical thinking is defined (1) as the habit of examining and weighing an idea or a thing before accepting or rejecting it and (2) as a three-factor ability consisting of attitudes, function, and knowledge. Reading is seen as an…

Specific instruction refers to the teacher's knowing (a) what to teach and when, (b) what not to teach and why, and (c) when to let the preoperational child be "wrong." This paper is in agreement with Bereiter's criticism of Kohlberg's conclusion against specific instruction but suggests that Bereiter's argument should be developed into…

In order to study the influence of the information-processing strategy of an adult model on the subsequent strategy of children, 216 grade school children solved modified twenty-questions problems. A repeated-measures factorial design was used with the following variables: (1) information-processing of model (hypothesis scanning, constraint…

This paper on logical reasoning in science education was written from a philosophical, rather than a psychological, orientation within an overall curricular framework. Six areas are treated within this curricular framework: philosophical consideration, logical structure in a field of enquiry, materials development and evaluation, epistemological…

Four-hundred and nine students (grades 8, 10, 12 and 14) were given logical syllogism problems of the form "If p...then q" along with tests of dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity. Aptitude scores were also obtained. Major results indicated that expressed dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity were negatively correlated with syllogistic…