Investigated were the connotative meanings of the concept "development" in respondents' cognitive structure using a free-association approach. The sample included 6th, 9th, and 11th grade students, student-teachers, and biology teachers. Reports a paucity of multicontextuality; the majority of subjects' associations referred to biology…

Presents ethnographic data drawn from observation of three elementary school classes in Kiryah, a development town in Israel. Determines that pupils' classroom seating expresses teachers' behavior patterns, which are said to derive from external social and professional frames of reference. (KH)

Evaluation of Israeli students, 392 in grades 7-9 and 381 in grades 10-12, in the domain of literature supported the construct validity of the 4 X 4 Structure of Giftedness Model, in which giftedness is conceptualized in 4 categories of general and specific intellectual ability and original thinking and 4 ordered ability levels embedded in a…

Describes a diagnostic evaluation to measure the idea of the living cell as the basic unit of life. Describes the classification of student knowledge as common knowledge, wide-spread lack of knowledge, inadequate alternatives, and contradictions. (YP)

Described is research which sought to prove the hypothesis that mental models tend to preserve their autonomy with regard to the originals they are meant to represent. The results of this investigation involving 200 Israeli students are presented. (CW)

In this study, the attitudes of Israeli children aged 6 to 15 years were surveyed regarding their conceptions of plants as living things. It was desired to find out whether children consider plants to be alive, the knowledge differences between the different age groups in the study, how children classify plants according to biological criteria and…

Describes the MAOF physics education program which is designed to relate large parts of mechanics and electromagnetism to each other via the key concepts of field and potential, while at the same time treat students' conceptual difficulties. Finds that students who studied with the MAOF program significantly improved their physics knowledge…

Most of the research into dyslexia has been carried out among children and has raised the question whether the characteristics of young dyslexics are similar to those of adult dyslexics. The aim of this research was, therefore, to confirm whether the cognitive deficits, which appear among young dyslexics on reading and reading related tasks, are…

Examines pattern of mental abilities exhibited by first-grade, Israeli-born children whose parents emigrated from Europe, Iraq, North Africa, and Yemen. Results indicate that the groups of culturally different children tended to exhibit different patterns of cognitive abilities. Concludes that historical-cultural background of a population has a…

This document reports on a study of 48 kindergarten children in Israel regarding their concepts of "solid" and "liquid." Children were asked to classify a set of 30 materials into two groups (a group of 9 liquids and a group of 21 solids). About 65% could classify liquids correctly, 50% could classify rigid materials correctly,…

Reports on a study which tested eight categories of logical fallacies with secondary students, student teachers, and teachers from Australia, South Africa, and Israel. Results indicate that logical fallacies were exhibited by all the groups. Implications are discussed. (ML)

Explores high school students' and preservice teachers' knowledge of light, vision, and related topics before and after commonly practiced instruction. Suggests a hierarchical structure to represent the collective conceptual knowledge of students and teachers in terms of facets and schemes of knowledge. Makes suggestions for designing instruction…

There have been few discoveries in geology more important than "deep time"--the understanding that the universe has existed for countless millennia, such that man's existence is confined to the last milliseconds of the metaphorical geological clock. The influence of deep time is felt in a variety of sciences including geology, cosmology,…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…