Provides a qualitative procedure for gathering students' verbal protocols when using computers to solve ill-structured business problems. Presents a computer-aided problem-solving analysis model for protocols that reveal students' thinking processes, problem-solving methods, and computer problems encountered. (SK)

Explores insights that may be provided by a situated perspective on learning. Considers the ways in which a focus on the classroom community and the behaviors and practices implicit within such communities may increase understanding of students' mathematical knowledge production and use. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/ASK)

Applies a cognitive information processing approach to the specific process of employment problem solving and decision making. Definitions and accompanying employment examples are followed by an exploration of the nature of employment problems. Examples of positive and negative cognitions that have an impact on the effectiveness of employment…

Examines cognitive maps on research topics generated by experts and non-experts. Both experts and non-experts modified the given vocabulary by either adding or dropping terms. The dominant configuration for the maps was top-down. Experts tended to use a problem-oriented approach to organize vocabulary while non-experts often applied a…

In this article, I present a study in which 12 pairs of 8th-grade students solved problems about a physical device with algebra. The device, called a winch, instantiates motions that can be modeled by pairs of simultaneous linear functions. The following question motivated the study: How can students generate algebraic models without direct…

Stimulated recall (SR) is a family of introspective research procedures through which cognitive processes can be investigated by inviting subjects to recall, when prompted by a video sequence, their concurrent thinking during that event. Variations of the generic approach are widely used and many of the studies treat SR as non-problematic. The…

One of the primary course delivery techniques has been the See-Hear-Do model. Under this system, the professor goes through the material and prepares a lecture for the class. The material is then presented to the students, typically using PowerPoint or some other visual graphics. The students are then asked to engage in some exercises, either in…

One possible approach students can cope with abstract algebra concepts is reducing abstraction. This notion occurs when learners are unable to adopt mental strategies as they deal with abstraction level of a given task. To make these concepts mentally accessible for themselves, learners unconsciously reduce the level of the abstraction of the…

NIER (National Institute of Educational Research, 2004) survey revealed that the most common attitude of Japanese high school students to mathematics is that "it is not useful in daily life but must be learnt for entrance examinations". It was also clarified that only 3.2 percent of mathematics teachers use computers in their classes.…

Age-related changes in the use of verbal processes for the efficient switching between tasks were investigated in 5-year-old children (N = 32, M age = 5.9 years) and 9-year-old children (N = 32, M age = 9.4 years). Task switching was assessed by means of a cued switching paradigm to examine two switching components: (a) to maintain and select and…

In this paper we focus on some of the findings of the science education research community in the area of representations and problem solving. Problem solving depends on the construction and manipulation of mental models (internal representations) in the mind. A large knowledge base (declarative, procedural, strategic, situational, and schematic…

Private speech used by high-functioning children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) (n=33) during two executive functioning tasks was compared to that of typically developing children (n=28), and children with ADHD (n=21). Children with ASD were as likely as others to talk to themselves and their speech was similarly relevant and likely to…

We propose that researchers should utilize ratio scores when examining the response styles theory rather than examine each of the response styles separately. Higher ratio scores indicate a higher probability of engaging in ruminative, as opposed to distracting and problem solving, behaviors. In Phase One, we examined the factor structure and…

Working memory (WM) has been associated with the acquisition of arithmetic skills, however, the components of WM that underlie this acquisition have not been explored. This study explored the contribution of two WM systems (the phonological loop and the central executive) to mathematical performance in young children. The results showed that a…

Looking away from an interlocutor's face during demanding cognitive activity can help adults answer challenging arithmetic and verbal-reasoning questions (Glenberg, Schroeder, & Robertson, 1998). However, such "gaze aversion" (GA) is poorly applied by 5-year-old school children (Doherty-Sneddon, Bruce, Bonner, Longbotham, & Doyle, 2002). In…