The reasoning ability of 20 ninth grade, 20 eleventh grade, and 15 college freshman boys was explored. Three tasks in reasoning were given each student. In the "turtles task" the student was asked to test a hypothesis; from his responses the investigator determined whether the student tested the hypothesis by trying to find confirming instance or,…

Teachers in elementary schools, supervisors of instruction, and other educational practitioners are the primary audience for this publication. The paper presents philosophical, psychological, and practical reasons for including a problem-solving approach in elementary school instruction. It draws on the writings of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, James…

The achievement of bilingualism appears to have positive consequences for the bilingual child, enhancing universal aspects of cognitive functioning available to all normal children. However, little is yet known about the interaction between educational treatment and the input factors the bilingual child brings to the situation. Focusing on the…

Design and results of an investigation attempting to analyze and improve children's solution processes in elementary addition and subtraction problems are described. As background for the study, a conceptual model was developed based on previous research. One dimension of the model relates to the characteristics of the tasks (numerical versus word…

SEQUENCE IN LEARNING IS USEFUL ONLY AS IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE CONTINUITY OF A CHILD'S OVERALL DEVELOPMENT. CHILDREN MAY NOT GO THROUGH THE SAME SEQUENCE TO ARRIVE AT A SIMILAR POINT OF UNDERSTANDING. EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IS INDICATED BY A CHILD'S GROWTH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC CONCEPTS, IN WAYS OF PROCESSING INFORMATION, AND IN WAYS OF…

The role of verbalization in children's mental operations was studied by comparing the mental operations children used in spatial perspective tasks (indicating another's view) and rotation tasks (imagining an object's rotation and one's own subsequent view). Each of 96 children (equal numbers of boys and girls, kindergarten and second grade…

The document provides lesson plans for strengthening the thought processes, including problem solving and creative abilities, of seventh and eighth grade mentally gifted children. The lessons are organized within four of the five operations of the mind as defined by J. Guilford's Structure of Intellect (SOI): cognition (18 lessons), memory (9…

A framework for research in problem solving is provided by categorizing and defining variables describing problem tasks. A model is presented in an article by Kulm for the classification of task variables into broad categories. The model attempts to draw realtionships between these categories of task variables and the stages of problem solving…

This paper argues that it is important to provide children with complementary activities in a horizontal arrangement in order to promote acceleration of vertical levels of thinking. A brief review of literature on the relationship between experience and logical thinking is presented and the definition and function of transfer are discussed.…

This paper directs attention to the use of the EQUATIONS game as a research tool to study certain kinds of mathematical behavior, for example, the kinds of mathematical problems which players prefer to consider and to force their opponents to consider. Mathematical equations that meet certain game rule constraints constitute a problem space. A…

To replicate the findings of a previous experiment in which it was shown that the systematic presentation of rules and feedback on conservation and conservation-related problems can be employed to teach young children the traditional (Piagetian) liquid quantity problem rapidly, an analysis was made of the role of two others variables: (1) use of…

Reported is an experiment undertaken to determine the extent to which analytic and global cognitive styles differed in developing or utilizing a selection type strategy in concept identification. Using the Hidden Figures Test (HFT) in five sections of an introductory psychology class, two groups of students, one analytical and one global, were…

It is assumed that inference is at the heart of thinking and little is known about possible relationships between learners' decision-making styles and teaching strategies. Therefore, it was hypothesized that instructed children score higher on an inference test than those not instructed, and interactions occur between different decision-making…

Available from: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 355 Chestnut Street, Norwood, New Jersey 07648. Two groups (36 Ss) of educable and trainable mentally retarded adolescents in an institution were compared with two groups (38 Ss) of nonretarded children (ages 8-9 years old) on a modified tic-tac-toe game for foresight in logical problem solving. (MH)

A study in which Logo programming was used to teach problem-solving skills to fourth to eighth grade students is described. The results, and their implications for further use of the computer to teach higher order thinking skills, are discussed. The possible use of Prolog programming to teach reasoning skills is described. (JL)