Two studies investigated the effect of language input on theory of mind by comparing the performance of deaf native-signing children (ages 4 to 8) raised by deaf signing parents and deaf late-signing children raised by hearing parents on "thought picture" measures of theory of mind. Findings indicated that deaf late signers showed…

Constructivist theory argues that students construct knowledge for themselves and that each knows the world in a different way. The problem for education is how students can construct an "objectified" knowledge. Outlines an integrative framework for the description of information and problem-solving procedures and a problem-solving…

Investigates the contraction of negatives in a corpus of discourse and writing in order to permit comparison of the relative influences of various linguistic and social parameters on contraction. Argues that pragmatic and morphological interpretation of negatives entails that negative contraction and auxiliary contraction should be distinguished…

Describes the use of Moe's Mall, a locational device designed to be used by learners, as a simple algorithm for solving mole-based exercises efficiently and accurately using dimensional analysis. (DDR)

Identifies the types of questions that students ask during science learning. Explicates the role of students' questions in the knowledge construction process, particularly in educational discourse. Investigates the relationship between students' questions and approaches to learning and discusses some emergent issues related to student questioning.…

Wenger's "learning architecture" concept, a support structure for learning communities, was applied to a web-based course for health and social services professionals. Data show the course offered an environment in which a learning community flourished. Course design was fundamental in providing opportunities for engagement, use of…

Argues for the significance of "personal theories" in teaching. Profiles first year teaching of four teachers who had completed program of self-inquiry and reflection about their own developing conceptions of education. Describes their personal theories of teaching before employment and the nature and impact of their teaching…

Children's ideas about radiation and radioactivity are reviewed and several common areas of misunderstanding are identified. An approach to teaching the topic at the secondary school level which seeks to specifically address known difficulties is outlined. (CW)

This sixth in a series of edited transcripts based on a conference at Utah State University discusses ideas from cognitive psychology that have implications for instructional design. Highlights include information processing phases; pattern recognition; short-term and long-term memory; purposes of instruction; cognitive structures; and cognitive…

Identifies a particular class of explanatory discourse, and proposes hypotheses about the types of knowledge likely to be associated with skill in this genre. Finds that variations in accuracy and adaptiveness of students' explanations were partially accounted for by measures of topic knowledge, social cognition, and discourse knowledge. (MG)

Information processing theory could be made more sensitive to differences in career outcomes for males and females by (1) examining the nature of the career decision; (2) expanding the notion of information; (3) relating the vocational schema to the gender schema; and (4) noting whether variables are general, sex related, or sex specific. (SK)

In a study of 151 college freshmen of both sexes, cognitive complexity and learning orientation revealed gender-related qualitative differences within parallel cognitive structures. Different cognitive structures were accompanied by different learning orientations. (Author/TE)

A detailed description of a layered network model is provided, with computer simulations of key associative learning phenomena and predictions generated from the model. The model is compared to more conventional theories of learning to learn and configural learning. (SLD)

This article explores a model of lexicalisation based upon the constraints that lexicalisation is an interactive process and that it takes place in two stages. The article examines in depth the time-course of normal lexicalisation, speech error data, and the cognitive neuropsychology of speech production. (16 references) (CK)

Used a microgenetic method to examine knowledge acquisition as a process by coordinating existing theories with new evidence. Subjects were 17 community college students (ages 22-47) and 15 fourth graders. Assessed knowledge acquisition in problem solving in both physical and social domains. Found multiple strategies for, and varying levels of,…