A new framework for designing qualitative studies is described to optimize the emergence, representation and presentation of insights. The framework, called Reflection Methodology, is presented as a "Conversational Paradigm" that includes four components--interviewer (researcher as participant); child, task situation, and observing…

The process through which the basic principles and concepts of computer programming language are acquired by children was investigated via the development and testing of a teaching unit for fourth and sixth grade students. This unit had three components: (1) basic programming without variables; (2) basic programming with variables; and (3)…

Information about student achievement outcomes is presented, and tests for each outcome area are described. The tests are categorized according to knowledge objectives, skill objectives, and intellectual disposition. Knowledge objectives include comprehension of facts and principles within a particular discipline (specialized knowledge) or a broad…

Noting that successful comprehension, problem solving, and decision making are dependent upon activation and appropriate application of relevant schemata of existing knowledge, this report examines the practice of oversimplifying information in the content areas to make teaching and studying easier, and the dangers inherent in doing so. The report…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 39 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) oral reading behaviors of early readers; (2) the effects of pictures and mode of presentation on the prose comprehension of third and fifth grade children of…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effects of study guides on content retention and reading achievement among community college freshmen; (2) the effects of schemata and text structure on…

The following articles and features are presented in this issue: (1) "Approaches to Text," by R. Gannon; (2) "A Case Study in Dealing with Cultural Reserve as an Impediment to Language Learning," by R. Harker; (3) "Student-Centered Chalkboard Activities for Beginning Learners," by W. Matreyek; (4) "Introducing Dialects in the ESL Class," by M.…

This volume was conceived as a review of basic research in science education and as a discussion of what the research findings mean for K-12 science teachers. The eight reports presented represent different dimensions of science education. Each provides a review of a given dimension and/or a goal of science teaching and suggests ways that current…

These hearings focused on topics and issues related to the status, quality, and improvement of K-12 science and mathematics in the Pittsburgh area. Science and mathematics teachers, school administrators, school board members, industry leaders, and college officials provided a firsthand description of the nature and direction of science and…

Provided are the papers presented at a conference which served as an international forum on diagnostic and prescriptive mathematics education. They are: (1) "The Evolution of the Research Council for Diagnostic and Prescriptive Mathematics" by Robert Underhill; (2) "The Interaction of Knowledge and Cognitive Processes in Diagnosis…

Because we live in a society that increasingly depends upon technology, a growing number of voices are calling for the mandatory study of technology by school-aged children worldwide. Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology, and involves the application of knowledge and abilities to real-world…

The long term predictive validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test for Children, when used for the educational placement of exceptional students, was investigated. In 1971, 225 learning disabled elementary school students were tested on the WISC and the Bender. The students were…

The study examined the relation of language use and logical thought to social experience with both age and class held constant. The primary assumptions under study were: that the logic of symbolic grouping was highly sensitive to a child's experience with the objects to which that logic was applied; that the existence of diglossia in a bilingual…

The prerequisites of language acquisition are cognitive and pragmatic. The child's conceptual development and social needs direct his attention to particular linguistic forms. These provide an efficient selection device enabling the child to match his language learning task with his abilities. The second language learner who is cognitively and…

This report, designed especially for use by researchers, evaluators, and teachers, explores the practical implications of the composing process for writing instruction and assessment. An understanding of the actual process of text composition is presented as insights into how the acquisition of aspects of writing might be facilitated are explored.…