Discusses students' formation of concepts about energy, classifying responses as living/nonliving, human (vitalism or activity), and nonhuman (supply or demand). Observations were based on class discussions and free writing, followed by questioning to check on stability of concepts. Also collected and reported are student responses (examples of…

Reported is the production of an instructional methodology harmonizing with Piagetian theory and enabling teenage students, including those initially mismatched to the task, to understand the mole, as revealed by their performances on a test of basic skills considered fundamental to that concept. (DS)

Presents an overview of developmentally appropriate practices for preschool classrooms. Discusses the role of the teacher, and emphasizes the use of age-appropriate schedules, space, group and individual activities, music and movement, as well as interest-based curricula. (MOK)

Presents the results of a study of Francophone pupils in the French schools of Windsor, Ontario. The article gives examples of nonstandard features pervading students' French vocabulary and syntax and concludes that a hybrid vernacular may be emerging as a result of the Canadian sociolinguistic situation, creating a challenge to the teaching of…

Describes a qualitative study that explores students' perceptions of their own learning. Document review, participant observation, and open-ended interviews were used to gather and triangulate data. Factors that were perceived as helpful were woven into a theoretical model. The uses of the model are discussed. (Author/KR)

Asserts that the development of abstract knowledge and critical thinking skills has been extolled as a primary goal of education. Reviews research in problem solving and other educational endeavors. Maintains that learning abstract solution principles is enhanced when instruction is accompanied by examples illustrating those principles. (ACM)

Two studies compared children's knowledge about the letters in their name with knowledge of other letters. Findings indicated that Australian first graders and U.S. kindergartners and preschoolers had superior knowledge of letter-name, but not letter-sound, for first letter of their first name. Also, U.S. preschoolers were better at printing the…

Examined effects of conceptually based instruction on development of students' procedural flexibility. Students in primary schools in the Netherlands participated in one of two instruction programs: the Realistic Program Design (RPD) or the Gradual Program Design (GPD). In both programs, conceptual understanding preceded procedural skill. However,…

The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of teachers' implicit in-action mental models about children's minds and learning, as inferred through the ways they teach. The work was based on the theoretical works of D. Schon, L. Shulman, and P. N. Johnson-Laird. Study participants included 24 student, novice, and experienced teachers. All…

Researchers from BBN Laboratories and Lesley College (Massachusetts) have begun exploratory studies to build an understanding of the learning that occurs when middle school students interact with science-based simulations. Sixty hours of discussion among eight middle school students were videotaped as they used the simulations from the…

Recognizing that for young children, play is a tool for learning, this book compiles contributions by different authors, reflecting both up-to-date research and current classroom practice as they relate to children's play. Part 1 of the book explores the value of play as a cross-cultural concept as well as one rooted in the Western world. Gender…

This study examined the effect of an innovative teaching activity to improve concrete operational thinking skills with preschoolers in Head Start programs. A "learning set" of classification games and seriation games was used to teach the oddity principle and insertion into a series. These games were played with the children using toy ponies and…

This bibliography contains some 2,000 articles on empirical investigation and theoretical considerations covering the topic of students' conceptions entered before September 1990. PUblications in journals, books, working papers, and contributions to conferences are included. English, German, and French publications, and ones in other languages are…

A project developed, delivered, and evaluated a science inservice program for K-8 teachers of hearing impaired children. Twenty-five participants were selected for this project from a pool of 200 licensed hearing impaired teachers in the State of Indiana. The inservice program included a 5-day summer session and two follow-up workshops during the…

The purpose of this report is to examine how well students in Massachusetts are meeting the Goals of Education, as measured by the Massachusetts Education Assessment Program (MEAP). The first section of this report defines various levels of proficiency and then compares different groups within the student population in terms of the percentages…