Theories employed to explain regularities in social behavior often contain explicit or implicit reference to the presence of nonlinear and/or nonadditive (i.e., multiplicative) relationships among germane variables. While such nonadditive features are theoretically important, the inclusion of quadratic or multiplicative terms in structural…

An approach which is designed to help students better understand the utility of models in understanding and doing physics, specifically in a course in light and color, is described in this paper. Explanations are given and illustrations are provided of an analogue model of waves which assist in the creation of an abstract model to deduce Snell's…

A three-stage model to diagnose and treat learning difficulties is presented. The three stages include: status assessment; cause estimation; and treatment recommendations. This paper concentrates on the first part of the second stage--that of generating likely causes for the learning difficulties in a given case. A list of questions is offered to…

While presenting a critical look at selected aspects of relationship change research and theory, this essay argues that researchers need to investigate a broader range of relationship types, develop a more comprehensive conceptualization of relationship change, and develop more appropriate research methods. The first section deals with the need to…

Defining curriculum design as a critically examined theoretical framework for developing curriculum, this document examines various decision-making processes of planning curriculum. Discussed are the importance of curriculum design, and attempts to examine four systems of curriculum thought, along with curriculum design currently available for…

Preschoolers in a model preschool designed to develop children's planning and problem-solving abilities were compared to children in three comparison preschools on measures assessing children's ability to solve problems and plan. Children were also compared on other measures of cognitive ability, including measures of general cognitive…

From the standpoint of intercultural communication, the most serious problem connected with the intercultural transfer of technology is not the fact of technology's continuing expansion, but rather the way in which technology is understood and transmitted to recipient cultures. In its present form, the intercultural transfer of technology implies…

This paper reviews past research in the area of early childhood education, points out current realities, and suggests future possibilities for investigation. Description of past research draws on the yearbooks of the National Society for the Study of Education and such sources as the "Handbook of Research in Early Childhood Education,"…

This paper discusses the incorporation of heuristics in computerized decision aids that are used for structuring decision problems. Decision theory is described in terms of linked subsystems, and sites where it is necessary to employ heuristic rather than normative, algorithmic procedures are identified. Production systems are then used to…

This study investigates the influence of changes in the wording of simple addition and subtraction problems without affecting their semantic structure on the level of difficulty of those problems for first and second graders and on the nature of their errors. The objective is to contribute to a better understanding of the process of constructing a…

Hypothesis generation and testing is outlined as an additional domain for program evaluators. Program evaluation involves a thorough analysis of the processes that contribute to change (or a lack of change) among program recipients. This process of change is analyzed in two ways: (1) treating programs as naturally occurring field studies; and (2)…

The problem of finding a meaningful way of demonstrating the benefit or satisfaction to be gained by using predictive assessment techniques to select or place individuals in work situations is explored. The urgent need of developing nations for appropriate occupational and educational selection procedures is presented and explained. A discussion…

This paper discusses some means by which one might answer the question of "What makes problem solving hard?" In order to facilitate the investigations required to answer this question, a model of problem solving is needed. From some simulated solutions to a physics problem, several problem solving processes used by students are…

The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a pool of mathematical problem-solving situations and a set of items for each situation which provides information about students' qualitatively different levels of reasoning ability as applied to that situation. For each problem-solving situation, a set of "structured…

Data from 86 Early Childhood Education (ECE) projects in Oregon were analyzed using methods prescribed by the Value Added model for ECE evaluation. The extent to which appropriate model implementation procedures were followed is unknown. Thus, the results represent an empirical account of the model's estimates of project impact, rather than a…