This article considers relatively neglected resources for the "bootstrapping" of cognitive growth, including chance plus selection, the affective boosting of relevant schemas, the operation of innate biases, and use of spare mental capacity. Implications for educational research are illustrated with reference to recent work on the…

Reports on the assessment of student thinking in the area of commitment to the laws of conservation of matter and energy during a study of conceptual change among introductory chemistry students. States four conditions upon which strategies for conceptual change are based. (RT)

Challenges the widely endorsed practice of activating relevant knowledge prior to reading. Outlines a perspectival (perspective-relative) view of reading and suggests that this view provides a means to make coherent sense of interpretations. Concludes that having specific knowledge is not the main desideratum in interpreting texts--the main…

This study, with 26 deaf and 26 pair-matched hearing preschool children, first assessed their cognitive modifiability using dynamic and static-convention instruments, and then compared the factorial pattern of the cognitive measures in both groups. Results are interpreted according to the Structural Cognitive Modifiability and Mediated Learning…

Describes a case study of an experienced provocateur-teacher in which the teacher's theory for science learning and teaching during teacher-student interactions was inferred from classroom observations, teacher-student discourse, and stimulated recall interviews. The teacher's instructional moves were interrelated with the components of his…

This book articulates and defends the "theory theory" of cognitive and semantic development: the idea that very young children just beginning to talk are engaged in profound restructurings of several domains of their knowledge. These restructurings are analogous to theory changes. The children's early semantic development is closely tied…

Schemata based notions need not replace, but should be reflected in, product-centered reading tests. The contributions of schema theory to the psycholinguistic model of reading has been thoroughly reviewed. Schemata-based reading tests provide several advantages: (1) they engage the appropriate conceptual processes for the student which frees the…

This monograph represents 5 years of collaborative discussions among individuals interested in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics beginning in 1985 with the planning of a conference and culminating in the production of this collection of 13 papers to be presented at the conference. Chapters include: (1) an introduction…

Perspectives on a psychological approach to learning are offered in this paper. Specific emphasis is directed to the assumption that children possess "minitheories." Minitheories are defined as attempts to make sense of particular kinds of experiences and are explained and delimited by the domain of experience to which they currently apply. This…

Summarizes current developments in alternative frameworks research in science education. Covers concept maps, learning as conceptual change, classroom strategies, problem solving in physics and where research should be going. (CW)

This paper focuses on the cultural aspects of research in mathematics learning. The shift to a more socio-cultural emphasis in mathematics education research is valid. The paper explores this point by examining challenges to the former research paradigm. These challenges include culturally-based mathematical knowledge and hidden values in…

This paper illustrates a model of the layperson's reasoning patterns under conditions of uncertainty, the "outcome approach," which was developed from analysis of videotaped problem-solving interviews with 16 undergraduate students. According to the outcome approach, the goal in questions of uncertainty is to predict the outcome of an…

Focusing on the role of language in learning, this paper discusses schemata and symbolic thinking that help students learn from unfamiliar experiences. The first part of the paper introduces the idea of symbolic thinking by comparing students encountering new ideas with convention-goers making their way around a new city. The section suggests that…

This paper presents findings from a study that investigated students' understanding of quantum phenomena and focused on how students incorporate the ideas of quantum physics into their overall cognitive framework. The heuristic metaphor of the map is used to construct graphic representations of students' understanding of quantum physics. The…

Briefly reviews Albert Bandura's Self-Efficacy Performance Model (ability to perform a task is influenced by an individual's belief in their capability). Tests this model with a sample of 776 university employees and computer-related knowledge and skills. Results supported Bandura's thesis. Includes statistical tables and a discussion of related…