In the attempt to improve the quality of geometry instruction in schools, researchers and teachers alike have given considerable attention to the van Hiele theory of geometry learning and development, which proposes a series of cognitive levels through which every geometry student passes. This paper reports a study to determine the extent to which…

This study examined the interaction between infant behavior and maternal ethnocentric attitudes and expectations. The ethnomethodological approach used in this study was guided by the assumption that it is essential for an investigator to consider the broad cultural context in which behavior is studied. The behavior of 80 African-American neonates…

The proposals concerning working memory outlined in this paper involve the architecture of working memory, the reasoning mechanisms that draw on it, and the ways in which working memory may develop with age. Ways of assessing task demands and children's working memory capacities are also considered. It is noted that there is long-standing evidence…

This paper discusses whether critical thinking can be taught in the college classroom. It argues that education in general provides the tools for thinking, and therefore, improves the capability for better thinking. The Alverno College faculty, as an example, has improved student critical-thinking ability because the faculty stresses explicitness,…

Previous investigations on Piagetian cognitive levels among college students both within and across academic disciplines have not addressed the issue of possible differences in cognitive levels between traditional undergraduates and older returning students. Piagetian cognitive levels were studied among traditional- and nontraditional-age college…

The relationship between children's play patterns and types of teacher intervention were studied in four preschool play settings. Subjects were preschool head teachers and children in 10 preschools. Each classroom was observed during the free play period on five consecutive days. Children's play behaviors were coded according to 12 categories of…

Many treatments of teacher questioning in reading and literature have defined teacher questioning as a cognitive process. Emanating from a reading comprehension perspective, this view of questioning argues that asking a variety of higher level questions will lead students from literal to more inferential levels of text understanding. Approaches to…

Studies of children's deceptive behavior have scientific merit and can be carried out in an ethically defensible manner. Many arguments against studies requiring children to deceive others in an experimental context are relatively easy to refute. It is true, though, that the debriefing phase of deception studies presents ethical problems,…

A study investigated developments in reasoning and memory as reflected by the discovery strategies of children taking part in a manipulative categorization and recall task. A total of 40 children (8 each of 18, 24, 30, 36, and 42 months of age) participated. Stimulus materials consisting of blocks, toy plates, discs, and plastic trees were…

Moral development is viewed as a matter of progression in the cognitive reasoning and rationale underlying choices and judgments. Traditionally, retrospective reports of rationales have been used to measure moral development levels, resulting in unreliable information. Information Integration Theory attempts to assess individual differences in…

A Think Box is a collection of independent activities based on one theme and housed in an easily transportable container. It is intended to be used as enrichment for students who have already completed their assigned work. The activities are designed to develop higher level skills such as critical thinking or creative reading. They can be part of…

Word processing programs offer five capabilities that can help students over the physical and psychological constraints associated with writing. First, producing text on a word processor is more tentative and more noncommital than producing text on paper. This reassures the writer that it is all right to experiment with words. Second, the blinking…

Bloom's Taxonomy is reviewed and analyzed in this report; the summative finding being that few educational innovations have had equal impact upon the profession. The taxonomy is first defined with particular attention being paid to "Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain." Various universities' and colleges' use of the taxonomy is described.…

This study investigated the ability of middle school children to perform Euclidean transformations mentally. The results indicated that the tasks were more difficult than Piagetian theory would indicate. (SD)

Two studies which examined the effect of bilingual cultural/educational experience on competence are presented. The language/educational matrix of the child is an influential factor in development. Bilingual children tended to have greater "cognitive plasticity" than monolingual children. A comprehensive theory of human development is…