An overview of some educational implications of brain related research indicates that new insights can be gained from brain research. Four areas of study appear to be promising. First, the study of the evolution of the brain involves theories derived mostly from sociobiology, which is the study of the social behavior of animals, including humans…

The major components of playfulness in kindergarten children are physical, social, and cognitive spontaneity, manifest joy, and sense of humor. Children who are highly playful also show high scores in divergent and creative thinking. Piaget postulated that after the age of 7 or 8 this quality is replaced by assimilating the objective facts of the…

This paper reports on an experiment undertaken to delineate more clearly the relationship between the naming process in children and certain aspects of the environment which may play a role in that process. The investigation concerned the effect of manipulation and of object novelty on naming. Sixteen children, ten girls and six boys, ranging in…

This handbook was prepared for use in any classroom to aid the student in understanding how to become a better learner and how to learn meaningfully. This program is based on Ausubel's cognitive learning theory which places emphasis on the differences between meaningful learning and rote learning. To acquire knowledge meaningfully means that the…

TWO STUDIES DEAL WITH THE THOUGHT PROCESSES CHILDREN DISPLAY WHEN FACED WITH PROBLEMS INVOLVING THE CONCEPTS OF QUANTITY AND NUMBER. INVOLVING CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE AND SECOND GRADE, THE STUDIES USE PIAGET'S THEORIES IN BOTH A CROSS-SECTIONAL AND A LONGITUDINAL APPROACH TO STUDY CHILDREN'S THINKING IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING. TO…

THIS COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTIVE THINKING IN RETARDED AND NONRETARDED CHILDREN USED DATA FROM A SAMPLE OF 78 PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS--(1) MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN IN SPECIAL CLASSES, (2) RETARDED CHILDREN IN REGULAR CLASSES, AND (3) NONRETARDED CHILDREN IN REGULAR CLASSES. THE GROUPS WERE SELECTED SO THAT THERE…

This study investigated developmental differences in the use of the common features abstraction strategy and the exemplar learning strategy for concept acquisition. Subjects were 30 second graders and 30 fifth graders. The concepts to be learned were two categories of artificial animals which differed on five dimensions. Each dimension had three…

It is generally conceded that there is much for a child to learn while attending nursery school, but the teacher is often unsure as to what type of curriculum or program will best assure such learning. Specifically, although play has been part of all nursery school programs, it is questioned whether spontaneous play (that is, relatively…

This book presents a theory of child development and learning and explores the implications of this theory for early childhood education. The theory is based on the Piagetian premise that the acquisition of knowledge is the result of an active process of construction. The child mentally transforms the environment by relating new information to…

In order to investigate developmental changes in multiple classification, a matrix task was administered to 80 kindergarten first, second, and third grade children. Correct solution of the incomplete matrices, comprised of three pictures in a row and three pictures in a column meeting at a blank intersection, required identification and…

A study is reported in which the effects of 2 competitive treatments on mean classroom performance, interest and retention were examined with the use of a 10-day vocabulary-learning task. Sixty-six 5th grade classrooms were randomly assigned to one of 3 conditions: (1) control; (2) competition with reward; and (3) competition in a game setting.…

A study is presented which concentrates on the development of a cognitive style assessment instrument for 3- to 8-year-olds and on a series of studies designed to evaluate the role of stylistic and attentional processes in the development of various competencies in young children. This report incorporates a manual for users, a technical report on…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a book containing the results of many years of experimental research aimed at ascertaining the intellectual ability of students in the junior grades to assimilate theoretical knowledge. Chapter one analyzes the problem of the age peculiarities of children. The author…

This paper discusses various theories of the role of memory in vocabulary acquisition and storage. Several research models are described, and theoretical considerations and questions are presented. The lexicon is seen as an element of grammar; an understanding of lexicon organization is important in the understanding of vocabulary acquisition.…

Suggests that the process view of science is flawed. Argues that (1) it is superficial and misleading to portray the method of science in process terms; (2) many of the processes have no special association with science; and (3) there is no evidence that performance is improved. Speaks of the challenge facing science education. (RT)