The impact of the technological revolution on education is examined in this monograph, which focuses primarily on computers. First, the history of the educational uses of a variety of media (film, radio, television, teaching machines, and videodisc systems) is traced and assessed. As instructional aids, it is said, the media economize teachers'…

Describes different methods used to represent learning schemata with an emphasis on the clues for effective instruction that can be found in both the process of representing and the representation produced. It is argued that all representations offer direct or indirect suggestions for organizing instruction and student learning. (RP)

Argues that the effect of media violence on individual differences in aggression is primarily the result of a cumulative learning process during childhood. Presents a developmental theory holding that a child's repeated viewing of media violence, in combination with other factors, can culminate in aggressive behavior patterns (including…

Explores content or contextual validity of social rule classifications produced by sample of 12-year-old child coders. Analyses of variances revealed that categorization schemes generated by child coders were contextually valid as determined by raters' mean ratings. (Author/RWB)

Discusses the difficulties that some students have in understanding the concept of chemical reactions. Proposes that instructors try to consider the various difficulties during a chemistry course when students form their concepts of element conservation. (TW)

Performance on five logical, spatial, and formal tasks was used to make inferences about the reasoning structures of 101 middle and high school students. Findings (obtained during interviews) include grade level differences in performance and sex differences in performance on one of the tasks. Implications for instruction are proposed. (Author/JN)

Assesses the influence of grade and reading competence on inner-city Black children's sequence memory and use of organization in recall. Suggests that primary teachers should shift from literal decoding practice to providing semantic organizers and emphasizing interrelationships between words. The development of such basic cognitive skills…

Two experiments were conducted to test competing explanations of the levels effect in memory for text. In both experiments subjects (college students) read paragraphs in which the height of target propositions was held constant while the amount of target elaboration differed across versions of the paragraphs. (Author/LMO)

Ability to represent life-size space in a small scale was examined by asking 4-year-olds to create a small-scale model of a familiar preschool classroom. Study 1 children with high or low restructuring ability completed the model under guided or nonguided format. Guidance given to Study 2 children emphasized a functionally clustered classroom…

Reviews consequences of the shift in emphasis from content knowledge to pedagogical method within teacher education. Identifies three forms (propositional, case study, and strategic) in which knowledge about content, pedagogy, and curriculum may be organized. Describes implications for teacher education and examination process and content. (KH)

The New Jersey Task Force on Thinking has taken the first steps toward statewide assessment of students' thinking skills. Efforts were made to (1) define requisite thinking competencies, (2) explore measurement of thinking competencies, and (3) make recommendations accordingly. Preliminary findings are reported. (TE)

This yearbook contains essays that examine the construction of knowledge. The 10 articles, which are called "opinions," are divided into 5 sections, most of which examine the construction of scientific knowledge. An editor's introduction begins each section. Section 1, "Constructivism as an Epistemology and Philosophy of…

By bringing together neurologists, developmental psychologists, pediatricians, and economists, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child offers a unique knowledge base from which early childhood policy and practice can be informed. By communicating how and why early experiences have a lasting impact on brain architecture--and what…

A study examined the relationships between cognitive differentiation and three methods of influence. A brief summary of cognitive differentiation examined the historical formulation, the organizational applications, and the measures and methods involved. Similarly, a review of organizational influence summarized the importance of influence as well…

During the past 15 years, physics education research has revealed many surprising things about the difficulties introductory physics students have in learning physics. At the same time, the ongoing revolution in information technology has led to new tools for creating innovative educational environments. In response to these two developments, a…