Scores on Raven's Progressive Matrices correlated positively with electroencephalogram-recorded alpha rhythm frequency (AF) in 101 healthy male adults, as did one test of verbal ability and one of mental performance. However, AF did not show significant relationships with general intelligence or spatial and arithmetic abilities. (SLD)

Compares textbooks in England with those in Switzerland and Germany termed "continental" in order to assess the possibility that better textbooks might raise English schooling performance in mathematics. Differences include introducing calculators in primary school, which is regarded as risky by Continental educators, and the precedence of mental…

Describes a performance-assessment task that gives the teacher instructional feedback related to the important outcome of students becoming favorably disposed toward mathematics itself. The activity involves a cooperative-learning experience which the teacher facilitates with task, evaluation, and standards cards. The evaluation card reflects…

Presents remarks adapted from the presidential address given at the 1999 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Explains that the mathematics classroom teacher must create an environment that supports students, mathematics growth at many different levels, and ways in which to accomplish this. Considers changing…

The generality of academic self-efficacy judgments was examined among 588 high school students who rated their confidence for problem solving. A first-order model with a separate self-efficacy factor for each school subject displayed the best fit, so that verbal and quantitative self-efficacy were more meaningful than general academic…

Presents remarks adapted from the Presidential address from the 1999 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Argues that the mathematics classroom teacher must create an environment that supports students' interests and mathematics growth at many different levels and ways in which to achieve this. Considers…

The working memory (WM) processes that underlie young children's (ages 6-8 years) mathematical precociousness were examined. A battery of tests that assessed components of WM (phonological loop, visual-spatial sketchpad, and central executive), naming speed, random generation, and fluency was administered to mathematically precocious and…

For the gifted mathematics student, early mastery of concepts and skills in the mathematics curriculum usually results in getting more of the same work and/or moving through the curriculum at a faster pace. Testing, grades, and pacing overshadow the essential role of creativity involved in doing mathematics. Talent development requires creative…

For many children, mathematics is an inherently difficult subject to learn. Between 5 and 8 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 14 have a particular type of cognitive deficiency that limits their aptitude to acquire knowledge and understanding of fundamental ideas in numeracy. Increasingly, researchers in the cognitive sciences are…

This study examined the cognitive impact of implementing a computer algebra system (CAS) on six intermediate algebra classes at Orange Coast College (California). The control group of three classes was taught using the traditional method of instruction and scientific calculators. The other three classes were the experimental group and were taught…

This study examined problem solving and number-fact skills in two subgroups of third graders, those (n=12) with difficulties only in mathematics (MD-specific) and those (n=12) with difficulties in both reading and mathematics (MD-general). On both story and number-fact problems, the MD-general group performed worse than nonimpaired students,…

A study compared the performance of 66 New Zealand children (ages 9-12) on a published problem-solving test and the Progressive Achievement Test (PAT). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that, independent of any chosen percentile, the PAT's accuracy at identifying mathematically gifted children was only 78%. (Contains references.)…

Describes an undergraduate sociology course that taught qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Focuses on two students and how they dealt with and overcame anxiety issues, subsequently achieving higher levels of learning and new learning strategies. (KDR)

Describes the philosophy and curriculum of a coeducational high school in Jordan dedicated to fulfilling the needs of gifted and talented students. The school encourages individual initiative and democratic participation and selects students based on school achievement, behavioral characteristics, mental ability, specific mathematical ability, and…

Studied relationships among short-term memory, processing speed, sequencing ability, and long-term memory information retrieval in 7-year-olds. Found that when reading ability was controlled, arithmetic ability was best predicted by processing speed, with short-term memory accounting for no further unique variance. Children with arithmetic…