When designing a program to improve the critical thinking skills of students, it is important to identify the specific learning outcomes for which to strive. In addition, the instructor must determine why students are not currently exhibiting the kind of critical thinking skills desired in order to develop the appropriate techniques and methods to…

Researchers of computer ability have been largely influenced by the Galtonian perspective of intelligence assessment: a predominantly linear, construct-driven model based on identifying statistically determined factors. The use of this methodology, though, has far more to do with utility than theoretical rigor. Notably absent from this kind of…

This study investigated the cognitive benefits of learning how to program by determining the degree of cognitive transfer of programming skills at a construct level to solving analogous problems in other domains. Subjects, who were students enrolled in four sections of the beginning Pascal programming course and two sections of a calculus course,…

Two studies on cognitive performance in mentally retarded children are reported. In the first study, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered to 56 mentally retarded children, aged 2 to 6, to determine the possibility of discerning subsets of items that form a developmental pattern of interrelated subscales, using the SCAMMO scale…

Research on second language learning has shown that several myths about how children learn languages exist. Among these mistaken ideas are that: (1) children learn second languages quickly and easily; (2) the younger the child, the more skilled he will become in acquiring a second language; (3) the more time students spend in a second language…

The case study of a 5-year-old Taiwanese child, newly arrived in the United States with no English skills, focuses on the effect that parent and teacher expectations have on the child's acquisition of English literacy skills. Data were gathered in home and classroom visits, in formal and semi-structured interviews, and from samples of the child's…

If teacher education is to train second language teachers to be principled practitioners, it is essential to resist the attraction of panaceas and recipe-type solutions to instructional problems, and to promote teachers' better understanding of what constitutes successful language learning. Second language acquisition (SLA) research, both applied…

Three learning modules are described and investigated as they reflect different students' conceptions of and approaches to learning. The Schoolwork Module (SWM) focuses on task performance and involves a passive, incremental, piecemeal, and rote memory method of learning, parallel to what might be implied by the Information Processing model of…

This book, stressing safety and prevention of accidents, is designed for children and adults to read together. Each chapter uses a Stop, Think, Act, and Remember (S.T.A.R.) formula to guide children through common situations that require first aid skills. Each first aid topic begins by presenting one or more problem situations that are solved by…

This study reports the development of 25 post-baccalaureate students who participated in a longitudinal study of college students' epistemological development. experiences into the process of knowing. The study interviewed students to evaluate how they arrived at contextual knowing through experiential learning experiences. The experiences…

The role of learning strategies in independent learning, particularly second language learning, is discussed. It is argued that "learning to learn" is a necessary, although not sufficient, condition for independent learning. It is also not innate, but must be taught. The learner must learn to define his objectives, accomplish them, evaluate…

This article examines the phenomenon of fossilization in second language (SL) learning and instruction, discussing this process as a form of simplification. Fossilization occurs when particular linguistic forms become permanently established in the interlanguage of SL learners in a form that is deviant from the target language norm and that…

Between 1985 and 1988 eight colleges implemented a "Thinking Across the Curriculum" program and a procedure for assessing the impact of the program on the cognitive development and thinking skills of students. One hundred and twenty faculty members participated in the project and approximately 1,800 students studied in courses developed…

This study examined whether the inquiry-based problem solving model supports sustained exploration of a multimedia database. This model contains five steps: (1) analyze the discrepant event from which a problem question is generated; (2) generate questions; (3) gather data; (4) analyze information; and (5) evaluate self. A group of 24 seventh…

This booklet discusses the use of structured table activities in preschool programs in Australia and alternatives to these activities, such as free play. The booklet notes that structured table activities tend to be teacher-directed, passive, non-creative, and focus on goals set by the teacher. They often do not address the learning requirements…