The kinds of life events that may affect cognitive development were explored for 777 students, mostly freshmen, enrolled in introductory social science courses at Western Washington University Bellingham (Washington). Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Measure of Epistemological Reflection (MER) of M. B. Taylor (1983). Students also…

Illustrated with examples drawn from the experience of one teacher educator, ways of providing prospective teachers at the college level with active learning experiences based on developmental principles are discussed. The discussion draws parallels between three approaches in early childhood education and these same approaches to teacher…

This paper presents a model of cognitive development across the life span that is designed to integrate the diverse empirical evidence in the area of cognitive development in childhood and adulthood. Relevant research is reviewed in the relationships between performance and age, and the effects of training on performance. A model is then proposed…

The means by which different delivery strategies can be matched with or made to accommodate to different inservice goals are discussed. A framework for assessing when one delivery strategy is more appropriate than another is provided. The framework for planning inservice delivery outlines distinct but complementary strategies that focus upon three…

In this paper it is shown that one's conception of intelligence and its development profoundly affects the formulation of educational objectives. A mechanistic conception of intelligence leads to the definition of objectives as a collection of fragmented "cognitive skills" that have little to do with children's development of intelligence. A…

This study assesses: (1) immediate and long term academic and personal adjustment effects of the Bereiter-Engelmann preschool program and of the traditional enrichment preschool program, as well as the effects of no preschool experience; (2) effects of the above programs on children at the kindergarten level; (3) interactive effects of each type…

Schools have been paying too much attention to intellect alone, ignoring the total development of the student as a whole. Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in the cognitive domain categorizes knowledge into knowledge of specifics, knowledge of ways and means of dealing with specifics, and knowledge of the universals and abstractions in a…

As part of an ongoing longitudinal study of early cognitive, affective, and social development in economically disadvantaged children, this investigation assessed the classroom behavior of 500 urban preschool children from Portland, Oregon, St. Louis, Missouri, and Trenton, New Jersey. The majority were black and enrolled in Head Start. Primary…

Use of the term "acceleration" to describe interventions to enhance children's intellectual potential is inappropriate, as the term cannot by justified from the standpoint of mental measurement, mental growth, genetics, or education. Maximizing a child's potential through creation of stimulating environments is recommended rather than…

Maintains that amidst the flurry of excitement generated by discipline-based art education and other experiments designed to strengthen art education, it is still important to remember, in the "Lowenfeld tradition," the psychological help and wholeness the children derive from making art objects and talking about them with their teacher.…

Earlier work on the enduring effects of education is reviewed, and data are presented from 22 autobiographical accounts written by college graduates. Most importance was attached to learning high-level intellectual skills and to attitudes and values of personal and professional significance. Implications for curricula and teaching are discussed.…

Strategies for promoting moral development in early adolescence reviewed include the "plus-one" model, Deliberate Psychological Education, didactic courses in social studies, and a high school Just Community on moral reasoning. (CJ)

Examines the effects of the post-Sputnik knowledge explosion. Critizes universities for teaching facts and information without values and applications and faults apathetic students who narrowly focus on job openings, pay scales, and retirement plans. Urges colleges to develop intellectual autonomy and the powers of imagination, sensitivity, and…

Examined effects of a self-instruction intervention on the relationship between cognitive level and conceptual tempo among preoperational and concrete operational children. Cognitive level and conceptual tempo were strongly related; preoperational children tended to be classified as impulsive, concrete operational children as reflective.…

Examined 5- to 12-year-olds' judgment regarding the behavior of balance scales and other levers whose arms varied in a causal or a noncausal variable. Results indicated age-related increases in correct judgments about the influence of physical features of objects at an earlier age than about spatial relations between objects. (MOK)