Examined were children's conception of changes in the state of matter and their understanding of the reversibility of the process. The relationship between children's intuitive ideas about matter, as observed in this study, and their logical ability to conserve weight is discussed. (CW)

Cognitive and academic behaviors promoted by an ongoing, long-term Direct Instruction preschool project for poverty level children (N=109) are described. Children who received two years of training achieved at substantially higher normative levels than children trained for only one year and this advantage continued in first and second grades.…

Discusses various theories concerning the purpose of children's humor, especially in the classroom. Describes ways in which children use humor to deal with stress. (RJC)

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…

Investigated differences in achievement of 221 kindergartners with different cognitive tempos. Results suggest that kindergartners who exhibit an impulsive cognitive tempo may be judged by teachers as being less academically and socially competent than other kindergartners. (RJC)

The article asserts that books on tape with sound illustrations (accurate narrative descriptions of graphics and photos) and tactile books stimulate visually impaired and blind children to better understand the physical world. (Author/DB)

The use of taxonomic scales to assess the level of student cognitive development and thinking skills, and to structure instruction is discussed. One instructor's method is presented. Perry's taxonomy is graphically illustrated. Sources for five assessment instruments are listed. (CW)

Presented is a study in which students' intellectual reasoning development was evaluated following instruction that emphasized formal operations in a traditional lecture format. Results indicated that formal-operational students had significantly more success in the three reasoning areas than transitional students and transitional students had…

Presented is a criticism of Lawson's (1988) article on the development of misconceptions of biological concepts. Lawson's response to this criticism follows. (CW)

Prescriptions for improving student understanding and problem-solving performance related to transmission genetics are discussed. Research on novice/expert problem-solving in transmission genetics is reviewed. (Author/CW)

A stratified random sample of 82 subjects, from 4 to 25 years of age, was used to examine relationships between intransitivity of paired-comparison relationships and age of subjects. Results indicate a floor level, at 6 to 7 years of age, below which response intransitivity increases significantly. (TJH)

Current efforts to promote issues-based education in elementary and secondary schools will not succeed unless educators know what issues-based education is, why it is an important part of education, and how to include it in the curriculum. (Author)

Discusses developmentally appropriate activities for teaching counting skills for kindergarten and early first-grade programs. Describes four activities: (1) counting on; (2) counting back; (3) auditory patterning; and (4) visual patterning based on the 10-frame. (YP)

The purpose of this study was to develop a procedure for the evaluation of M-demand of chemistry problems. It was shown that dimensional analysis upon the Neo-Piagetian theory of Pascual-Leone could help science teachers to understand the epistemological basis of their discipline. (CW)

Findings are examined from studies published from 1980 to the present concerning the effects of peer tutoring on mathematics performance. Findings indicate the effectiveness of peer tutoring in promoting significant cognitive gains for both the tutor and the tutee with populations of low achievers, mildly handicapped, or socially disadvantaged…