Instructional implications of cognitive development theory are discussed, and it is proposed that the current theoretical framework offers a view of development that, applied in instructional contexts, leads to a reconceptualization of the traditional notion of developmental curricula. Piaget's theory offered a framework for how children should be…

In this study Dutch subjects with four different levels of expertise (24 second-year, 24 fourth-year, 24 sixth-year medical students, and 24 internists with at least 4 years of experience) studied, diagnosed, and explained four clinical cases. Diagnostic accuracy increased with the increasing level of expertise. The number of concepts used and the…

Calls for the unification of mathematics education research have been made from many pedagogic perspectives, particularly with respect to the need for raising dynamic models that bridge the learning-teaching gap and that portray the ways that the meanings of specific mathematical procedures and concepts are constructed within individual…

A brief summary of social studies research from 1976 to 1983 is divided into five parts. "Cognitive Thinking and Cognitive Process Research" presents a definition of critical thinking, recommendations for cognitive process instruction, and results of cognitive process research concerning the relationship between learning style and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of selected science experiences on fourth-grade students' concepts of Piagetian physical causality, namely, animism and dynamism. Vocabulary ability and Piagetian developmental stages were assessed by the "Concept Assessment Kit Conservation" and "Metropolitan Achievement…

The "cognitive clarity theory of reading" represents a resolution of the controversies about the relation between speech, writing, and reading. The work of M.A.K. Halliday suggests that learning to read and write is a natural extension of the "mathetic" speech functions, which consist of speech related to children's attempts to understand…

THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER TRAINING IN SPECIFIC COGNITIVE PROCESSES IS EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING THE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING OF RETARDED CHILDREN. IN PHASE I OF THE PROJECT, 51 EDUCABLE RETARDED AND 18 NORMAL SUBJECTS RECEIVED A 20-DAY PROGRAM IN SIMILARITIES-DIFFERENCES CONCEPT FORMATION AND WERE COMPARED WITH 42…

SPEAKING AN ORAL LANGUAGE AND SPEAKING A WRITTEN LANGUAGE INVOLVE DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE USE WHICH ARE IN TURN RELATED TO DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL METHODS AND DIFFERENT COURSES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE ORAL SPEECH RELIES ON CONTEXT FOR COMMUNICATION, A COMMON CONTEXT AND POINT OF VIEW IS ASSUMED BY THE SPEAKER TO EXIST BETWEEN THE…

The paper describes an experimental program for college freshmen which applies Piaget's theory of human development to students' academic and social experiences. The program, Accenting Development of Abstract Processes of Thought (ADAPT), was designed to facilitate movement of students from concrete operational thought patterns to more formal…

This bibliography, made up of approximately 350 entries concerned with many aspects of problem solving and concept formation in young children, has been designed for use by people primarily involved in experimental research in these areas of child development. Entries include experimental journal articles, conference papers, unpublished research…

The Sigel Object Categorization Test (SOCT) is used for studying classification abilities in young children, the criteria for which is considered indicative of both cognitive ability and style. The test consists of two types of stijuli--one set of 12 relatively familiar three-dimensional objects and a second set of colored photographs of these…

Reports on the results of a study done in Australia in which students in grades 5, 7, 9, and 11 were given word association tests and were asked to react to photographs in an effort to determine their environmental knowledge and attitudes. Lists the key words used as the stimuli. (TW)

Describes a study which was designed to determine the effect of a 25-hour introductory qualitative analysis course on high school students' understanding of formal concepts related to electrolytes. Suggests that introductory concrete experiences better prepare students to deal with more formal abstract concepts. (TW)

These narrative accounts follow a group of young adults searching for meaning during the ten years after their college graduation, and offer insights into how higher education might create conditions for this search to occur during college. This longitudinal study is based on interviews with 39 participants at various points during their…

Investigated concept development related to particulate theory of matter in 130 children (ages 8-12) in two contrasting Warwickshire middle schools. Results are set against background policies/practices in science teaching as revealed by responses from teacher questionnaires (N=60) and analysis of several science curricula. (JN)