Students' understanding of the meaning of the equal sign develops slowly over the primary grades. In addition to updating their representations of equations to recognize that the equal sign represents an equivalence relation rather than signaling an operation, students need to move beyond full computation to efficiently solve equivalence problems.…

Learning goal orientation is a prominent motivational construct that has been linked to positive student outcomes. For high-ability students, a lack of mastery learning goals has been theoretically and empirically associated with underachievement. However, longitudinal research examining the development and outcomes of their learning goal…

Twenty-four Greek mountain village children were studied to examine the expectation that early, environmentally induced, cognitive retardation may be partially reversible. Children were tested at six and one-half years and again after four and one-half years of schooling. The results do not support such an expectation. (Author/PN)