Children's understanding of mathematical concepts, written symbolization of these concepts, and a specifically defined readiness factor were investigated. Thirty-eight first graders were classified as ready or not ready according to scores on a readiness test. Students were paired, with 11 pairs of not-ready and 8 pairs of ready students; one…

This report presents the results of a teaching experiment which investigated (1) the role of mathematical experiences on the development of counting, addition, subtraction, mental arithmetic, classification, and other arithmetical topics and (2) the role of quantitative comparisons and class inclusion as readiness variables for learning the…

An exploratory investigation designed to gain insights into children's mathematical formulation of observed actions upon objects is presented. Eight episodes in which first and second graders were asked to interpret, in terms of number sentences, a sequence of actions with unifix cubes are also presented. Results of analysis of the videotaped…

This study examined the ability of preschool children to process and use conceptual category information in a disrcimination learning task. A total of 60 boys and girls between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4 years completed a 3-choice discrimination learning task. On each of 12 trials, a child was presented with three magazine photographs: one of an…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between 64 six- and seven-year-old children's perception of the reality of television and the Piagetian construct of cognitive development. The children were asked to view two television episodes (a highly similar, closely matched pair from the television series "Star Trek")…

Presented is a brief review of major writings on cognition in the field of deaf education, in which the main cognitive-developmental theories are identifed. Within this framework is discussed deaf children's mental development in terms of apparent characteristics and empirical evidences of cognitive behaviors compared with those of children with…

This study investigates the reliability and construct validity of a group administered test of Piaget's formal operations stage. A related problem involving a learning effect associated with Piaget's clinical methods is also investigated. The Piagetian Logical Operations Test (PLOT), a group-administered instrument, was developed and field-tested.…

Over the years, teacher questions have consistently aimed at literal comprehension, indicating that teachers lack understanding of the reading-thinking-questioning hierarchy. Benjamin Bloom's "Cognitive Taxonomy" can serve as a hierarchical framework for the design of questions. Within this framework, a teacher can confront decision…

Forty-five undergraduates discussed a moral issue with a confederate who had the same opinion (no controversy) or opposite opinion (controversy). Subjects in the controversy conditions discussed within either a cooperative or a competitive context. Subjects in the controversy conditions indicated more conceptual conflict or uncertainty, engaged in…

Intended for gifted/talented staff members, the document provides a collection of curriculum ideas and suggestions for activities, books, and articles related to education of gifted and talented children. Included are materials (outlines, tables, diagrams, and articles) on the following topics: facts about famous individuals; introduction of…

This paper argues in favor of using interactional strategies in the study of formal operations reasoning. Interactional designs allow a convergent approach to specifying processes underlying the interaction of variables. In contrast, current methodologies contain two inherent disadvantages: they have limited utility in specifying the processes…

Developmental selective learning processes of elementary school age children were investigated using two types of incidental learning methodologies. The purposes of this study were to: (1) compare the effects of the two types of incidental learning paradigms, and (2) determine the influence of different kinds of stimulus relationships on…

Outlined are similarities between the developmental system of J. Piaget and the system of N. Kephart. Considered are views of the two men in areas such as organization and adaptation, early development, and mental structures. The author concludes that for learning disabled children, Kephart's conceptions lead more clearly to educational programs…

Matrix tasks to assess multiple classifications and multiple seriation skills were administered to 160 children (40 Ss each from preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade levels). Each child received six matrix subtasks (reproduction and transportation of cross classification I, double seriation, and cross classification II) in one of six…

This paper presents a study designed to determine if groups of concrete and formal operational children can be identified through the technique of cluster analysis, using a battery of Piagetian tasks. A Total of 64 subjects, 8 boys and 8 girls from each of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth grade levels, were selected from a public elementary…