Current notions of metacognition merge with the predominant scientific model used in psychology, that of information processing. Metacognition is seen as a control process that governs the action of more elemental cognitive skills. Given the centrality of this notion, it is important that metacognition should be examined in detail. From the point…

Some diverse fields in which the effects of mental representations have been noticed are first discussed, largely through illustrations of differing problem-solving experiences. Then the LAKOS Project (Logical Analysis of Cognitive Organizational Structures) at the University of Osnabruck is described. A central concern is the specification of a…

Different kinds of basic knowledge and strategies necessary for comprehension are examined in three radically different domains: (1) the stories, (2) mathematical problems, and (3) electronic circuits. From analyzing the comprehension processes in these different domains, similarities have emerged in the role of planning knowledge and the…

An age-related decline in performance is typically observed in research on tasks that rely on cognitive processing. However, such declines must not be accepted as indisputable evidence that the learning efficiency of older adults is necessarily impaired. Cognitive factors such as a production deficiency in long-term memory and/or a retrieval…

This document focuses on four children in a small group, solving word problems aloud. Different aspects of how children in small groups approach problems were revealed; certain characteristics of their attempts to solve problems suggest a variety of questions for further research. These pupils were part of a project that involved six groups of…

Mathematics education research from fourteen studies is abstracted and critiqued in this publication. Six cover aspects of instructional practice, four deal with points in learning theory, two with problem solving, and one each with calculators and sex differences. Research in mathematics education as reported in CIJE and RIE from October to…

Twelve research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Three of the reports deal with aspects of learning theory, two with student characteristics, and one each with calculators, problem solving, secondary mathematics curriculum changes in Australia, sex differences, teaching methods, and tutoring strategies. The…

The learning of word problems in mathematics is viewed as particularly difficult. The first paper in this report takes into consideration the semantic aspects of problems, by viewing the difficulties that children have solving two-step multiplication problems. An initial study was carried out with 36 children between the ages of nine and fourteen…

Reported is a study to investigate the effects of a free-choice program on children's ability to interpret experiments, design simple investigations, and recognize variables that could affect the outcome of observed events. (Author/SA)

This paper describes a model for the adolescent's understanding of the motion of objects, and the application of this model to the design of beginning physics instruction in mechanics. Students' difficulties in learning classical Newtonian mechanics are described and integrated into current cognitive science research. Research findings on physics…

In Experiments 1 and 2 subjects read a series of standard algebra story problems, and were asked to recall each problem. In Experiment 3, subjects were asked to construct problems based on certain situations (such as "train leaving stations"). Results indicated that "relational propositions" (such as "the rate in still…

At the College of Saint Theresa (Minnesota), the efficacy of preparing qualified teachers in four years is supported through three years of activities in conjunction with a Dean's Grant Project. Project PRISE (Preparing Regulars in Special Education) is based on two themes: (1) Teacher education graduates should be able to use reasoning skills to…

Part of the "Teaching Young People to be Critical Series," this booklet defines and analyzes humor for children in light of theories of philosophers Ludwig Wittenstein and John Dewey. Intended for individual or small group work, the objectives are threefold: reading improvement, reading enjoyment, and student involvement in making the leap from…

This study examined the issue of how groups of students attempting to solve problems can be taught to consider moral aspects of the problem at a mature level. Classes in Swiss cantons (N=42) were given one of three different moral problems. Each class was divided into eight groups. The three treatments were: (1) provision of additional background…

This study examined a selected sample of fourth-grade students who had been previously identified as good or poor problem solvers. The pupils were compared on variables considered as "reference tests" for Verbal, Induction, Numerical, Word Fluency, Memory, Spatial Visualization, and Perceptual Speed abilities. The data were compiled to…