Stemming from a major evaluation study of the Mt. Druitt Early Childhood Project, this paper presents a selective list of behaviors compiled by teachers to describe Year One (6-year-old) children in their classrooms according to six designated areas. These areas are (1) logical development (number, spatial, measurement, problem solving,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate in children from ages 4 to 10 the development of logical propositions and to determine whether or not there is a developmental sequence in children's ability to supply missing elements of syllogisms. A specially designed instrument, consisting of an equal number of items with missing major premises,…

AN INTRODUCTORY, SEVENTH-GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP A LOGICAL AND COHERENT SEQUENCE OF THE MATERIAL, DEVELOP AN APPRECIATION FOR PRECISENESS OF LANGUAGE AND LOGICAL THINKING, SHOW THE ROLE OF MATHEMATICS IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE AS AN APPLICATION OF LOGIC TO PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE, REVEAL THE SCIENTIST'S SPIRT…

AN ENDEAVOR TO PULL TOGETHER FINDINGS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES ON THE NATURE OF THINKING, CREATING FROM THESE A HYPOTHESIS ON THE TEACHING OF THINKING AND THEN TESTING TO WHAT EXTENT IT IS VALID IN THE CLASSROOM, IS PRESENTED. A DEFINITION OF METHOD IN EDUCATION IS GIVEN. THE SPECIFIC ASPECT OF METHOD PROBED HERE IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH DIFFERENT…

A Piagetian framework is provided for understanding patterns of cognitive growth and their relation to early reading achievement among kindergarten children. Reference is made to relevant research, including recent Piagetian interpretations of prereading, language, and logical thinking. Instructional strategies are offered to guide kindergarten…

In this study of the development of logical propositions in children, two hypotheses were tested: (1) There will be a significant difference in the scores and proportions of students from age level to age level in the ability to supply missing elements of syllogisms, and (2) There will be a hierarchy of difficulty for all subjects in supplying…

REVISED TO INCLUDE UP-TO-DATE MATERIALS, THIS BOOK IS CONCERNED WITH COOPERATIVE THINKING AS A DEMOCRATIC PROCEDURE. IT IS ADDRESSED TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN OR LEAD INFORMAL DISCUSSION IN SMALL GROUPS--COMMITTEES, STAFF MEETINGS, BOARDS, AND COUNCILS--AND TREATS IN DETAIL DISCUSSION IN THE CLASSROOM, RADIO AND TELEVISION, THE BUSINESS…

This paper investigates the ways readers use two semantic tools, synonymy and entailment, when responding to reading-comprehension questions. After a brief overview of semantic theory, two reading passages and their attendant multiple-choice questions are analyzed, demonstrating how readers might choose the correct answer by analyzing the way it…

This paper presents a passage written by a student and analyzes the way in which each sentence is or is not connected to those before it and after it, revealing the problems that cause the passage to lack coherence. The paper notes that, although this writer would have benefited from an opportunity to talk out her ideas (rather than a lesson in…

A study was designed to examine the relationship between certain measures of cognitive development and reading scores, particularly reading comprehension scores. Forty-one adult basic education students, ranging from 16 to 62 years of age (mean age of 25) and predominantly from lower socioeconomic groups, were administered the following three…

A progress report of work done in formulating a theory of deductive reasoning is given. Models for the three main kinds of syllogisms that have been investigated by students of human reasoning (categorical, conditional, and linear) have been formulated and tested. The theory and data for each of the three kinds of syllogisms is summarized. Some…

Research involving split-brain patients has shown that the two hemispheres of the brain process information differently. The left side of the brain is more analytical, the right side is more holistic, taking in overall characteristics rather than specific detail. This reserach can be applied to the educational process in several ways. The concepts…

Kindergarten through third grade children's responses to concrete and verbal class-inclusion problems were compared under several presentation formats. Children initially had more difficulty with the verbal task which was highly specific in format than with the concrete tasks. These differences, however, were easily eliminated by an extensive…

American college students are highly diverse with respect to formal intellectual development. This diversity can present educators with a difficult challenge, especially in fields that depend heavily on mathematics. The Cognitive Development Project at the University of Massachusetts is an attempt to foster the development of formal operational…

These forty conference papers deal with a wide variety of new approaches to the application of developmental theory. The papers represent a cross-section of current research methodology and techniques used to evaluate such traditional Piagetian topics as concrete and formal operations, conservation, classification skills, language development,…