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)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an eclectic thinking processes model on the logical reasoning abilities of students in grades six through twelve. The experimental school consisted of 159 students whereas the control school had 111 students. The Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) was administered to the sample as…

The author defines and discusses the cognitive theory of constructivism as it relates to teaching mathematics. It is suggested that the philosophical and theoretical view of knowledge and learning embodied in constructivism offers hope that educational processes will be discovered enabling students to acquire deep understanding rather than…

The Education Technology Center (ETC) Fractions Group works to investigate well-documented difficulties that children have in understanding fractions. A central assumption underlying this group's inquiry is that students' difficulties in manipulating fractions arise from their lack of understanding about the nature of fractions. In order to learn…

Used are test and interview data to extract evidence as to what level tenth graders have coordinated the worlds of arithmetic and algebra and can move freely between them. More dissociation is shown than was expected. (Author/MVL)

One of the most common misconceptions about probability is the belief that successive outcomes of a random process are not independent. This belief has been dubbed the "gambler's fallacy". The belief that non-normative expectations such as the gambler's fallacy are widely held has inspired probability and statistics instruction that attempts to…

Begins with the assumption that by practicing something one often learns something else. A discussion is presented on the historical and social development of knowledge, the cognitive development of students, the role of teachers, and the meaning of learning situations. (PK)

Higher order thinking skills are inevitably developed or exercised relative to some discipline. The discipline may be formal or informal, may or may not be represented in a school curriculum, or relate to a wide variety of domains. Moreover, the development or exercise of thinking skills may take place at differing levels of generality. This paper…