Interviews with 72 mixed ability students, aged 7 to 12, about arithmetic problem-solving strategies, indicated that the preference between procedural and deductive strategies becomes a divergent reality across ability levels. Among the conclusions is that more able children tend to be doing a qualitatively different sort of mathematics than their…

Fifty-three elementary school children were tested on Incidental Science Knowledge, i.e., knowledge acquired by chance outside school, and the results obtained were correlated with intellectual development and cognitive style as measured by interviews and group testing, respectively. Indicates that cognitive style and misconception play a…

The effects of teaching with analogies on students' conceptual understanding and explanations of educational computing were examined with three groups of preservice teachers in a computer literacy course. Students who were taught using complete analogies were found to have a better grasp of computing concepts than those taught using undeveloped…

Investigated the upper limits of (n=22) seventh-grade students' informal processes in solving first degree equations in one unknown prior to instruction. Results indicated the existence of a cognitive gap between arithmetic and algebra characterized as the students' inability to operate spontaneously with or on the unknown. (37 references)…

Scientific and everyday knowledge domains are compared so as to reveal the distinctive differences between their goals and the cognitive processes used to attain them. The main goals, working goals, learning difficulties, knowledge structure, concept specification, knowledge organization, role of school science, program-solving instruction, formal…

Written descriptions by students in grades 3-7 (n=274) of common 2-dimensional geometric shapes were examined to compare the level descriptors of the van Hiele Theory and the SOLO Taxonomy. Results indicate that descriptors associated with the SOLO Taxonomy more accurately describe the quality of student thinking. (MDH)

A questionnaire measuring affective, conative, and cognitive responses to 3 aspects of Black advancement in the workplace was administered to 128 White English-speaking and 140 Afrikaans-speaking South Africans. Results of confirmatory, single-group, and multigroup analyses of the data indicate that the structures were very similar across the…

The relationship between mental models used in problem solving and strategies children use when problem solving with manipulative materials are discussed. Teaching strategies for bridging the gap between the two are suggested. (CW)

Examined are two aspects of science education--the nature of science and curriculum reform. Contemporary views on the tentative nature of science and a generative model of learning are synthesized. (KR)

Discusses the use of Aristolean logic in developing practical reasoning and arguments. Asserts that practical arguments are used to explain why an individual took action based on practical reasoning. Contends that this approach should be used by teachers in applying research findings to instruction and in encouraging students to support their…

Examines perceptions concerning the shape of the earth and the causes of the day/night cycle among American Indian children. Interviews with 26 Lakota/Dakota elementary children revealed a preference for a synthetic model of the earth and animistic explanations for the day/night cycle. Includes excerpts from the interviews. (MJP)

Reports on an experiment that explored novice learners' responses to anomalous data (new data that contradict previous beliefs). Secondary education students were given both anomalous and confirmatory data concerning various theories about the origin of life on earth. Statistical data reveal their level of awareness of the contradictions. (MJP)

Presents a developmental framework for the study of culture and cognition in which cultural practice is a key organizing construct. Argues that systematic analysis of either cultural change or cognitive development requires that they be understood relative to one another in a single integrative treatment. (Author/SD)

Examines two theoretical approaches on how we understand our own and others' minds: a causal explanatory and an interpretive social approach. Explores the relations between these views and suggests that the real challenge of the cognitive revolution is to unite the two approaches, to achieve a causal naturalistic account of the acquisition and…

Suggests that a better understanding of the development of children's theories of mind, requires theoretical perspectives that do not privilege the child who conceptualizes or actively participates in social interactions. Proposes that a better understanding of the relationships among brain, psyche, behavior, and culture should be promoted. (AA)