Analyzes attachment theory's viability as an overarching framework for counseling psychology. Places particular emphasis on the integrative potential and heuristic value of the theory, arguing that it can use biological (structural), psychological (cognitive/affective), and social dimensions of experience to clarify developmental dynamics in…

Describes a model that can be used to supplement systematic training approaches to behavioral skills. Presents four phases used to teach counselor trainees cognitive skills and self-instructional strategies related to attending and seeking information, forming hypotheses and conceptual models, and intervention planning and self-instruction. (RJM)

Focuses on the intellectual history of American higher education and how it has shaped the current issues around cultural diversity and political correctness. Shows how a major part of the controversy over cultural diversity in higher education stems from the ideology of white superiority, which is pervasive and deeply rooted in American higher…

Reviews the meaning and uses of elder-abuse and child-abuse concepts and percepts in the reporting of events and research. Reports that the stereotypical nature of the concepts and the labeling of the victims has hampered the reporting of the maltreatment, thus impairing the accuracy of the research. (RJM)

The literature on how children begin understanding subjectivity and point of view in fictional stories is considered. Examination of the oral stories of a five-year-old child indicated the ability to depict the beliefs, intentions, feelings, and perceptions of the story characters. Implications for assessment and interventions to help children…

Summarizes 19 papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Teaching Statistics held in Morocco, July 1994. Papers presented were in five categories: (1) empirical studies on students' conceptions; (2) theoretical papers on teaching and learning; (3) assessment; (4) using computers in teaching probability and statistics; and (5) data…

Observations and interviews of 20 middle-class preschoolers and their mothers were conducted to examine the emergence of the personal domain. Found that preschoolers make a conceptual distinction between personal and moral or conventional issues, and that mothers were more likely to negotiate with children over personal than social events. (MDM)

Research suggests that many children have a concept of speed which is counterproductive to sound road crossing decisions. An attempt at conceptual change through the teaching of a unit on speed to grade one children is described. There is optimism that six- to seven-year-old children can apply classroom experiences to real life situations. (Author)

This study investigated the effects of various levels of secondary school calculus experience on performance in first-year college calculus, with focus on student performance on conceptual and procedural exam items. Students who had a year of secondary school calculus differed significantly in performance from those who had either no experience or…

Discusses the use of middle-school students' natural understanding of large numbers to introduce the concept of infinity. Presents activities that investigate infinite sets by demonstrating a one-to-one correspondence between the counting numbers and the given set. Examples include prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, fractions, even and odd numbers,…

The development of reflective processes and the role of self-reflection in learning are examined. It is suggested that analysis of levels of conceptions or psychological processes through the phenomenographic method may clarify the development of metacognitive beliefs. Learning to use metacognitive knowledge and training reflective skills are…

Discusses the frequent misconception displayed by students that chromosome structure is a function of chromosome number or ploidy. Provides detailed analyses of the evidence concerning the prevalence of this ploidy/structure misconception among students of introductory genetics and the potential sources for inaccurate communication that it can…

Discusses a case study of how experienced social studies teachers convey the concepts that comprise the curriculum. Reports that researchers observed 3 teachers for 20 hours each. Describes a preference among the teachers for anthropomorphic, familial, and popular culture references. Explains that visual representations were used only as passing…

A control group of 40 eighth graders completed a unit on elements and compounds. An experimental group of 42 completed concept maps on the same topic. Results of a one-tailed T test demonstrated the usefulness of concept maps as advance organizers. (KR)

The planning of an introductory calculus textbook in classical mechanics is shown as an example of an approach to textbook design that uses four main cognitive categories: sources of learning, instruments of learning, processes of knowing, and mechanisms of knowing. The aspects, domains, description, and elements of each section of the textbook…