The results of five studies into the characteristics of wrong answers as a class of divergent behavior are presented. The evidence from these studies, when taken in combination, suggests that the tendency of researchers to ignore wrong answers has been a fundamental procedural error of broad scope and serious consequences. Instead of the straight…

Drawing on results from informal reading inventories and studies of oral reading behavior, a theory is presented to describe the process of learning to read. Reading is seen to be broader than a skill and more like a repertoire with many abilities, aptitudes, and special accomplishments performing in concert. This repertoire is acquired in four…

The cognitive levels of 60 children from grades one, three, and five were compared with their linguistic performance on selected examples of similes and metaphors. Cognitive level was measured using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices; a new instrument was developed to assess children's linguistic performance. Results indicated a significant…

The author presents a general framework of social studies concepts and inquiry processes to be developed in the middle years, which correlates to primary and secondary offerings and which are appropriate to the developmental stages of students aged 8-13. (SJL)

Research has shown that teachers have difficulty stage scoring moral thought statements based on Kohlberg's moral development theory. This article explores ways of using process evaluation, developed recently by Kohlberg and others, to avoid stage scoring moral judgments within "Kohlbergian" programs. (AV)

Language disorders in mentally retarded children may be assessed by standardized tests, developmental scales, and informal procedures. The processes to be assessed include comprehension, production, and use in communication. In the assessment of a child, these processes should be related to chronological age and to cognitive development. (CTM)

Compares the value of constructive criticism for older and younger children's artwork. Examines the effect that criticism has upon both age groups to learn whether the criticism is well received or damaging to further student effort. (Author/RK)

The concept of evolutionary life cycles should become an integral part of a job placement process. The college educational process should be the beginning of a lifetime of learning and earning and not be viewed as a point of departure into an unknown work world. (Author)

Primary school children at different stages of acquisition of conservation pretended that their judgments on a series of conservation problems were the opposite of their actual beliefs. The nonconservers and transitional conservers made significant gains in conservation, while the conservers did not regress. Cognitive dissonance training is…

This study uses a search task to investigate the development of word superiority effects in visual perception. Subjects are kindergarten, second and fourth grade children, and college students. (CM)

Investigates the development of the concept of heat by children aged four to nine. Analysis revealed 11 thought patterns classified into six categories underlying children's concept of heat. These categories are related to scientific knowledge of the physics of heat. (HM)

When the descriptive interpretations that sixth and eighth graders provided for metaphors selected from fifth-grade readers were examined in a Piagetian framework, the poorest interpretations showed characteristics of concrete and pre-operational thought, while the best interpretations showed characteristics of formal operational thought. (RL)

Evidence is provided for gradual age (and, seemingly, cognitive developmental) changes in the acquisition of complex problem solving strategies. Differential performance as a function of exposure to a child-model exhibiting the best strategy also suggests the role of learning in strategy acquisition. (Author/MV)

As an example, two aspects of children's conservation are explained: decalages and the shift from perceptual to quantitative cues. This approach, relative to structuralist formulation, involves cognitive factors such as prior learning, as well as impinging social experience. It is compatible with Piaget's theory, yet simpler and more flexible. (CP)