Adopting perspectives based on applications of artificial intelligence proven in industry, this paper discusses methodological strategies and issues that underlie the development of such software environments. The general concept of an expert system is discussed in the context of its relevance to the problem of increasing the accessibility of…

This paper introduces a modification to the Rule Space diagnostic classification procedure to allow for processing of response vectors that contain missing data. Rule Space is an approach to diagnostic classification that involves characterizing examinees' performances in terms of an underlying cognitive model of generalized problem-solving…

This study assessed 72 undergraduate preservice teachers' development of broad pedagogical understandings in relation to an informal reasoning framework and instructional processes. Subjects completed a set of 11 open-ended planning tasks, self/course evaluations, and a measure of learning orientation for a course in educational psychology. The…

This document discusses the state of science education in primary school before and after the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1989 established science as a core subject. The first half describes research and specific efforts to improve science education in the primary grades. It includes the following sections: (1) "Background to…

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the knowledge regarding marine organisms and their feeding relationships of fourth grade residents of one coastal and one inland community in south Texas and to generate grounded theory concerning the participants' construction of such knowledge. Four male and four female students were randomly…

A historic change is taking place in American education with the development of voluntary national standards that will identify what all students should know and be able to do in order to live and work in the twenty-first century. Content standards will define what students should know and be able to do, and performance standards will identify the…

Results from a study of problem solving in the domain of instructional design are presented. Subjects were eight teacher trainees who were recent graduates of or were enrolled in the Stanford Teacher Education Program at Stanford University (California). Subjects studied a computer-based tutorial--the VST2000--about a fictitious vehicle. The…

This proposed study will examine the underlying causalities of the U-shaped developmental trend in metaphoric production and the causes which make up the linearly increasing trend. Seven hypotheses will be tested in the study. Ninety children, all from middle-class families and attending nursery and public schools in Austin (Texas), with ages…

A follow-up panel study investigated whether a knowledge differential based on individual educational differences develops in a community, and additionally, whether media use is associated with differential gain in knowledge across education levels. It was hypothesized (1) that education would have a positive effect on public affairs energy…

This monograph presents commentaries on the book "Dimensions of Thinking: A Framework for Curriculum and Instruction" (which organizes research and theory from several sources into a framework for teaching thinking), by four of its seven authors. The four articles are as follows: "The Development of 'Dimensions of Thinking'"…

A study examined the effects of factors (including television, family, peers, age, and socioeconomic status) on consumer socialization, the process by which individuals develop consumption-related cognitions and behaviors. The specific criterion variables studied included consumer affairs knowledge, puffery filtering, consumer finance management,…

"En peril," a variation of the television game show "Jeopardy," is a team or individual quiz game designed for use in the French language classroom. The game calls for a knowledge of thematic or topical vocabulary, drills a wide range of interrogative constructions, tests general knowledge and cultural information about the target country or…

Student knowledge in a subject area prior to and after instruction has traditionally been assessed by administering a pre- and post-test, usually multiple choice, though recent studies criticize the use of even the best-constructed multiple choice tests. This study assessed college freshmen's knowledge before and after a laboratory experience in…

The Semantic Relation Test (SRT) was administered to 83 undergraduate students at Hamilton College (New York) to test the extent of subjects' knowledge of different relationships between word pairs. The 60 analogy items covered five categories of relationships: antonyms, case relations, class inclusion, part-whole relations, and similars. Three…

A total of 22 girls and 22 boys nearly equally divided between preschool and second-grade levels were asked to give three responses to each of 20 questions concerning what could make them--a same-sex child, an opposite-sex child, and an adult--feel happy, sad, angry, afraid, or surprised. Responses were feel happy, sad, angry, afraid, or…