Data from 60 observations of 10 teachers and 10 each of their students showed that type/quality of teaching strategy predicted 37 percent of variance in engagement and that the more indirect the teaching strategy, the greater the students' involvement in learning tasks. Implications of these and other findings are discussed. (Author/JN)

Reports on a study of mothers' uses of nouns and pronouns and their references to objects and persons as environmental variables which might relate to children's nominal preferences. Findings suggest that environmental factors do contribute to stylistic differences in language acquisition and that the communicative functions of language are an…

Discusses the concept of learner strategy in relation to language learning. Proposes that these strategies can be subdivided into four categories: strategies for coping with target language rules, strategies for receiving performance, strategies for producing performance, and strategies for organizing learning. Stresses the encouragement of the…

Investigated what effects two instructional strategies (related to student use of manipulative materials) would have on second-grade students' (N=96) development of logical structures. Also examined the effects of sex on logical development. Results indicate that supplying manipulative materials alone is not adequate in promoting development of…

Children (n=36), originally tested for visual novelty preferences at age seven months and intelligence estimates at age three, were tested for intellectual functioning and for visual recognition performance at age five. Results indicate that novelty preferences were more highly related to later intelligence quotients than to later recognition…

Reviews studies of cognitive development of high school students in small rural schools. Finds that while research clearly shows that students in small rural schools may not be as intellectually developed as students in large schools, little research has been done to identify possible causes for this difference. (BRR)

A social studies concept assessment instrument was developed and used to assess the concept development level of 24 kindergarten and 28 first grade subjects on n social concepts. Significant differences were found in scores for kindergarten and first grade; no significant differences were found in scores for race or sex. (Author/RM)

This study aimed to assess cognitive and behavior correlates of young children's interest in computers. Computer users tended to be older and exhibited significantly higher levels of cognitive maturity than nonusers. Other findings are discussed. Results suggest there are important cognitive underpinnings for computer involvement by preschoolers.…

Discusses how teachers can help students make the transition from using manipulative materials to abstract mathematical symbols. Includes: (1) a definition of the transition state; (2) ways to bridge the gap (by asking questions and by using activities); and (3) a specific example (teaching place value). (JN)

Effects of object training and photograph training on comprehension of category labels by 10 severely mentally retarded children and adolescents were explored. Results indicated that acquisition and transfer did not differ, yet generalization was significantly more accurate with objects than with photographs. Futhermore, generalization was…

Cognitive activity of children from 1.5 to 5 years of age participating in problem solving and in spontaneous play was analyzed in terms of the successive coordination of existing patterns and the incorporation of new mental components. Analysis identified a series of developmental levels. (Author/RH)

Discusses advantages and disadvantages of standard high school biology and chemistry course sequences. Relates these sequences to Piagetian developmental levels as well as to David Ausubel's cognitive theory. Suggests that the sequences be reexamined in light of issues considered. (JM)

On the basis of a study involving 40 first-grade students, compares Pascual-Leone's and Keating and Bobbitt's developmental theories of information processing by contrasting their predictions about a classification task. Results falsified Keating and Bobbitt's model. Predictions from Pascual-Leone's theory were almost wholly confirmed. (RH)

This study distinguished between forms of self-consciousness (private self-consciousness and social anxiety) and investigated the effect of self-esteem, vulnerability to criticism, and the tendency to fantasize on each. A structural equation analysis used unobserved variables from a sample (n=1098) of adolescents, ages 12 to 19. (Author/BS)

By enhancing the cognitive abilities of teachers, supervision can help them make better instructional decisions in planning (the preactive stage), teaching (the interactive stage), analyzing and evaluating (the reflective stage), and applying (the projective stage). Seven charts and a 33-item reference list are provided. (DCS)