Presents a study to examine the effects of a verbal teaching strategy versus a strategy providing instruction using activities and manipulatives in four seventh grade earth science classes with students of varying cognitive abilities (n=83). Results indicate that students with more cognitive structures perform better and that using manipulatives…

This study sought to identify similarities and differences influencing students' self-perceived gains in communication and critical thinking skills. The study examined students' background characteristics and general college experiences, as well as their experiences in their major field of study. Structural equation modeling was used to examine…

The South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) was established by South Carolina legislation enacted in 1978. This report describes BSAP implementation and test results for 1984-85 as prescribed in the legislation. As the schedule for this academic year required, the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB) was administered to all…

Beginning with a review of signs and signals of public attitudes toward American education over the last 15 years, this paper analyzes some concerns regarding public confidence in public schools. Following a brief introduction, issues involved in the definition and behavioral attributes of confidence are mentioned. A synopsis of three approaches…

This second in a series of six learning modules on instructional evaluation is designed to give secondary and postsecondary vocational teachers help in assessing student performance as it relates to knowledge of the facts, data, related information, and procedures taught in their vocational courses. The terminal objective for the module is to…

This volume contains 10 reports of research designed to study the mind of the child and the effects of sequence and process of learning on elementary school children and their writing. Specific purposes, procedures, conclusions, and needed further research are indicated for three studies on the process of written composition, four studies on…

A research project attempted to identify and classify productive thought processes of gifted junior high school students and their teachers. Subjects were 176 gifted high achieving students of both sexes with a verbal IQ range of 127.21 to 136.35, a nonverbal IQ range of 122.88 to 134.59, and a chronological age range of 12.50 to 14.63 years. The…

The longitudinal interrelations among age, visual and auditory short-term memory, and the concrete operational tasks of class inclusion and combinatorial reasoning were investigated over four testing occasions in a sample of 134 students, initially ranging from 5 to 12 years in age. The Piagetian task battery involved placement of colored…

This study identified behaviors of sibling pairs interacting on a cognitive task and related these behaviors to sibling structure variables (age and sex of each sibling and age spacing between them) and to measure of cognitive abilities of the younger sibling. Subjects were 160 sibling pairs randomly selected from appropriate subpopulations of…

This research report recounts the procedures, results, and recommendations of a research project in which more than 200 tenth-grade students in Florida were tested (1) to determine whether aptitude treatment interaction (ATI) effects on syntactic maturity and on knowledge of structural relationships occur after several months of instruction; (2)…

This report documents the process undertaken to produce scales in three cognitive domains: knowing, applying, and reasoning. Included are the final scales showing differences among countries, as well as within countries. TIMSS 2003 is the third and most recently completed round of IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, a very…

Arguing that summaries of 562 studies from 1985 through 1994 reveal that almost no attention is paid to the cognitive effects of Head Start programs, this report criticizes Head Start as being steadily and more generously funded without evidence that it helps children's scholastic achievements. The report criticizes available studies as practicing…

This text is designed not only as a teaching text but also as a reference source for students and professionals on the assessment of the cognitive development of children. Chapters address: (1) process challenges of assessing children; (2) context challenges in assessing children; (3) ethical, legal, and professional applications of assessment…

New approaches to assessing intelligence are discussed, as well as new intelligence tests. Among the developments are investigating neurometrics, adapting testing to the effects of technology on children, countering cultural bias, assessing social intelligence, focusing on aspects of cognitive styles, measuring learning potential, and using…

The Saginaw Prekindergarten Program is designed to provide four-year-olds with an environment that will enable them to develop skills needed for future success in school, and to prepare inner city children for entry into kindergarten. The objectives of the program include specific achievements in 16 cognitive skills, psychomotor skills, and…