In this study a distinction is made between routine, semiroutine, and nonroutine problems based on the problem solver's knowledge. Routine problems are solved by applying a known procedure, semiroutine problems require planning that uses functional knowledge, and nonroutine problems require generation of new functional knowledge. Nonroutine…

A brief, practical overview of "design effects" (DEFFs) is presented for users of the results of sample surveys. The overview is intended to help such users to determine how and when to use DEFFs and to compute them correctly. DEFFs are needed only for inferential statistics, not for descriptive statistics. When the selections for…

Advocates and teachers of critical thinking tend to deny that intuition and justification are logical, even though they assume that both processes are rational. However, it can be demonstrated that the relation between intuition and inference, between justification and explanation, is dialectical and complementary, so that there is no mystery as…

The Modifiers and Perceived Stress Scale measures stressful life events by number and amount of perceived stresses and provides scores for variables such as anticipation of events, responsibility for events, and amount of social support from family and friends in coping with each event that modify the way stress is perceived. (Author)

Used single-subject analyses to examine the developmental difficulty of the ulterior motive question (the backward inverse inference) in five- and seven-year-olds. Results suggest that children's difficulties with ulterior motive information result both from the abstract nature and the logical form of the task. (Author/SKC)

Shows how one teacher used William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" to teach inference and implication. (ARH)

Instructional alignment is the extent to which stimulus conditions match three instructional components. This paper demonstrates a new perspective in which instructional alignment generates larger effects in research and practice for less "cost" than other instructional constructs. (VM)

Tests the distinction between inferring new categories on the basis of property information (predicted to be difficult) and inferring new properties on the basis of category information (predicted to be easier) among 57 preschool children. (HOD)

Assessed use of certain rules for judging intentionality of action-outcomes by children of 3, 7, and 11 years. Intentionality judgments based on matching rather than objective rules were observed more frequently. It was concluded that matching rule emerges first in development and is more essential than various objective rules. (Author/DST)

The study examined whether teaching 24 elementary disabled readers a structured inferencing strategy using materials sequentially arranged from easy to more difficult would improve their ability to answer inferential questions. Results suggested that disabled readers' apparent problems in answering inferential qustions may exist because of a lack…

This paper addresses the state of the art regarding the use of statistical significance tests (SSTs). How social science research will be conducted in the future is impacted directly by current debates regarding hypothesis testing. This paper: (1) briefly explicates the current debate on hypothesis testing; (2) reviews the newly published report…

Large-scale surveys of educational attainment gather data about the proficiencies of a sample of students to support inferences about the distribution in the populations. Several approaches to gathering data have been used, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Several scales have also been used to bring results together from different…

The issue of treatment fidelity has been a concern in the field of evaluation research. Nearly three decades ago, Cook and Campbell (1975) outlined four types of validity that may influence treatment outcomes. Defining these validity measures has since prompted researchers to closely examine potential threats within the context of program…

In two experiments, an adult presented 2-year-olds with an unfamiliar solid object, either rigid or flexible, and performed an action that emphasized the object's shape or material. Children were then asked to choose an object that matched the one shown. As hypothesized, the adult's action information alone directed children to attend to relevant…

Offers an account of school literacy development for all children. Uses a metaphoric "drinking god" to capture the influence that children's nonacademic textual experiences have on their entry into school literacy. Aims to describe how children use old resources from familiar practices and adapt them to enter into new ones. (SG)