Two studies examined the relation between current developmental levels, as estimated by IQ, and proximal levels of development, as estimated by the efficiency of learning and transfer in assisted contexts. Subjects were 8- to ll-year-old children. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. (HOD)

The research and development of mental (standardized) testing and its relationship to educational practice is traced historically from its pre-World War I roots to its controversial national prominence in the 1970s. How standardized tests have been used in research and in schools is analyzed. (BS)

Four experiments are presented to support the theory that the rule system governing the law of large numbers is not tied to a content domain, and that it can be improved by formal teaching techniques. The experiments showed that statistical training enhanced everyday reasoning. Test problems and objective example problems are appended. (LMO)

Examines why analytical thinking should be a major focus of teaching in the reading and writing classroom. (HOD)

Provides guidelines for conducting and interpreting interviews aimed at assessing the cognitive concepts of young children. Discusses the content, task, questions, and format of the interview, listing 16 points of advice for interviewers. Also elaborates on the value and use of structured interviews. (JM)

Argues that much of current science curricula and instructional strategies do not accommodate the thinking and reasoning capabilities of students. Level of capacity for abstract logical reasoning, whether the capacity can be cultivated/enhanced, consequences of mismatched intellectual levels and instructional modes, and what thinking/reasoning…

Short and long term strategies for implementing critical thinking skills into school programs are discussed. The short term strategy is to teach analytic skills within established subject areas, while the long term strategy involves recognizing and overcoming the unconscious obstacles to development of sound critical and dialectical thinking. (TE)

Study of 24 second and third grade teachers to determine what characteristics and behaviors result in effective teaching. Results indicate that successful classroom performance is related to a highly autonomous attitude, preference for pragmatic activities, lecturing half the class time, having an abstract conceptual structure and the teacher…

In a previous study, we posited a link between Chinese sixth grade students' problem solving and problem posing based on a pattern-formation strategy (Cai & Hwang, 2002). A similar parallel structure between problem solving and problem posing did not obtain for the U.S. sixth graders in the study. The present study attempts to locate this type of…

Reports on a survey of college students regarding what professors made them think and how the instructors initiated this response. (HS)

A significant relationship was found between modes of teacher influence and use of cognitive levels, as well as between levels of teacher cognition and that of pupils in pupil response categories but not in pupil initiation categories. (Author)

Briefly reviews psycholinguistic research, describes six categories of utterance, and reports on research into the relationship between level of thought and length of speech. Results indicate that both teachers and students take successively longer to express higher-cognitive types of utterances. (EAO)

Describes the development of a curriculum to improve problem- solving ability when faced with uncertainty by (1) encouraging students to examine their thought processes, (2) presenting fallacious arguments, and (3) providing better tools for decision making. Relevant psychological research, some problems of teacher training, and a small-scale…