This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis between full term typical infants and those born micropremature in the developmental construct of mastery motivation. The sample consisted of 10 micropremature infants with developmental levels within the normal limits and 10 full term 9- to 12-month-olds (adjusted for prematurity) matched…

A review of recent curricular research presents studies in the areas of: (1) psychological and epistemological foundations; (2) new developments (content of instruction, cognitive processing, and methodological re-direction); and (3) exemplary research programs on teacher behavior, pupils' prior conceptions in learning, and probelm solving. (CJ)

Research conducted in several countries has shown consistent patterns of performance on "change,""combine," and "compare" word problems involving addition and subtraction. These findings are interpreted within a theoretical framework which emphasizes development of levels of word problem-solving ability related to…

This study investigated whether there was a difference in achievement by first graders between their ability to solve open sentences presented in vertical form and in horizontal form. It was recommended that the horizontal form be avoided in grades one and two. (MP)

Describes an activity center where students work independently on problem-solving tasks. Participants keep records of their work and share ideas of activities with the class. Includes a list of tasks for the activity center. (MA)

Two classrooms of first graders (N=40) were administered Damon's moral judgment measure, Shure and Spivack's social problem solving measure, and the Stanford-Binet vocabulary. Concurrently, two observers in the children's school environment recorded incidences of successful resolutions of interactions, amount of derogation, and the number of times…

Lev S. Vygotsky's concepts of social, egocentric, and inner speech are explained, and two of Vygotsky's basic arguments are reviewed: (1) that these forms of speech are dialogic; and (2) that cognitive functioning can be explained by its surrounding social foundations. (GDC)

Students were administered either conditional syllogism, biconditional syllogism, or conditional and biconditional syllogism tests. Analyses confirmed a tendency towards biconditionality. With conditional syllogisms, results indicated variations across forms of both major and second premises and a reversed developmental trend on problems which…

Pairs of elementary school children at different concept development levels were given problems to discuss, in order to examine the prediction, derived from the equilibration model, that when two children holding different beliefs must arrive at a consenus, the child possessing the higher level of cognitive development will prevail over the child…

Panoramic scanning is the capacity to perceive, interpret, and appreciate complex problems from a big-picture vantage point. Barriers to panoramic scanning (sensory bombardment, superficial polarized thought, and tunnel vision) and facilitators (broad interests and knowledge, pattern finding, and connection-making skills) are identified. Educators…

Presents an existence proof of how preservice science teachers used analogies embedded in their course materials, Physics by Inquiry. Reports three distinct roles of analogies: a) cognitive process skills; b) scientific conceptual understanding; and c) social contexts for problem solving. Agrees on the importance of collaborative problem solving…

Discusses variables related to task performance in the solution of the water-level problem, where subjects were asked to indicate the water surface orientation in a tilted vessel. Subjects ages 7 to 15 years participated. Suggests that field effects and the kind of rules in use contribute to the differences in performance, which can be shown even…

An Australian comparison study of 26 children (mean age=10) with mild intellectual disabilities, 26 typical children of approximately the same mental age, and 26 children of approximately the same chronological age, found no mean differences on problem-solving abilities between the children with intellectual disabilities and children of comparable…

Examined applicability of scaffolding and zone of proximal development to the study of dementia. Compared caregiver-patient dyads (n=29) to normal elderly dyads (n=16) in terms of strategies used in completing the Block Design subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. Results indicated that caregiver-patient dyads can be observed…