Reviews three studies by learning theorists that suggest that learning to write generally follows a developmental pattern. Presents four assumptions common to these studies and discusses suggestions to improve developmental writing classes. (DR)

A general theory of how children learn conservation concepts is presented. The acquisition process is described at an abstract level in terms of a rule-sampling system, implying a three-state Markov model with identifiable parameters. Three experiments testing the model's quantitative predictions about conservation learning experiments are…

A schema-based framework for representing knowledge and prose organization was studied. Testing of a script pointer and tag hypothesis confirmed that memory discrimination is better for atypical actions in a passage than for typical script actions and that there is no memory discrimination for very typical actions. (SW)

This article discusses Community Language Learning (CLL) and its unique characteristic of employing reflection as a way of learning a foreign language. The use of CLL in teaching oral English to Japanese students in Japan is described. (CFM)

Discusses the structuralist and the cognitivist theories of language learning, and emphasizes the importance of practice in second language learning. (AM)

Discusses research attempting to identify difficulties experienced by undergraduate chemistry students in performing specific logical operations at the formal level as described or implied by Inhelder and Piaget. (BT)

The effect of the sensory discriminability of targets from nontargets on depth of nontarget processing was examined. Depth of nontarget processing was measured by semantic overlap between targets and nontargets, reaction time, and nontarget recall. Depth of processing decreased as sensory discriminability increased, supporting multiple-loci…

Examined the validity of Bruner's theory that any subject can be made appropriate for any child at any stage of development. This was not valid with the topic of the Civil War. However, with the topic of the Great Depression, the opposite results were found, and Bruner's theory partially confirmed. (Author/BEF)

Describes the written Piagetian Task Instrument (PTI), a diagnostic instrument developed for detecting the student's ability to perform the elements of Piagetian formal thought. The use of the PTI by 86 students enrolled in introductory college genetics at Ball State University of Indiana was investigated. (HM)

With the relationship between individual learning styles and the effectiveness of the experiential approach, it was hypothesized that the effectiveness of the experiential approach, as measured by student perceptions and student grades, was a function of learning style compatability. The results did not support this hypothesis. (Author)

First- and second-grade students given instruction on length performed better on tests of seriation than students not given this instruction. (SD)

Curriculum study is examined from the viewpoint of content (types of information rather than subjects to be studied) and utility (how elements of knowledge function in behavior to the benefit of whom) in an attempt to provide stimuli for a revival of research in the field. (MB)

The consensus of opinion seems to be that the processes of mother tongue acquisition are essentially analogous to those of second language (SL) acquisition. These processes, however, seem to work best in childhood years. A theory of adult SL learning should try to incorporate interlanguage. (CFM)

The organization of instruction is described in terms of four basic aspects of teaching mathematics: (1) recognizing sufficient conditions for concepts, (2) recognizing characteristics of concepts, (3) selecting examples, and (4) determining when a concept can be applied. (SD)

Provides a critical analysis of the role that atomic theory plays in the science curriculum from elementary through secondary school. Examines structural concepts from the perspective of the theory of meaningful learning, information processing theory, and the alternative conceptions movement. Contains 54 references. (DDR)