Describes development of units to teach measuring skills using manipulative materials. Concepts fostered include repetition of identical units, comparison, and standardized units. Descriptions of activities on length and area and mass are given, as well as references for additional activities. (JM)

Demonstrated is a covariance principle that causes the observer to assume that if one aspect of a two-dimensional figure (its perimeter or its area) is conserved, the other aspect must also be conserved (pseudo-conservation). Mentally retarded individuals, assuming no such fixed relationship, correctly judged the changed state of the nonconserved…

Ninety-five secondary students were given textbook material in which two sequence variations (web and linear) were used in relation to the information processing strategies (serialist or holistic) demonstrated by the students. Users of the web-structured sequence scored higher on concept retention. (Author/JJD)

Three experiments with small samples of elementary school students were conducted to: (1) investigate the impact of syntactic complexity on analytic assistance; (2) extend the research on analytic assistance to younger subjects; and (3) determine the relative importance of analytic assistance when compared to an example-only comparison group.…

Discusses the meaning of Schwab's "substantive structures" of a discipline in terms of science philosophy. Presents three techniques for representing substantive structures and discusses some of their uses in science education research. (SK)

Examined how particular aspects of the supervision process contribute to building conceptual skills in counselor trainees. Trainees received one of two kinds of supervision following role play interviews. Found feedback more effective than instruction in teaching goal formation and was perceived by trainees to be more effective. (Author/JAC)

Discusses: (1) how mole concept is defined/used in textbooks; (2) development and administration of a multiple-choice test to secondary school pupils (N=783) in Bologna and the surrounding district; and (3) results of the diagnostic examination, focusing on student mistakes and misconceptions. (Author/JN)

Presents two studies done to identify problems students have in understanding the concepts of Darwinian evolution and adaptation. Results indicated poor understanding of the concept of time accounted for misconceptions in both studies (humans destroyed dinosaurs), and that only about 50 percent of students used logical reasoning. (JN)

To provide an activity illustrating why they encounter conceptual difficulties in physics, students constructed a "world map" of physics which defines various "seas" and illustrates relationships between them. Salient features of this approach and physics concepts fostered are included. (JN)

Argues that concepts of literacy develop gradually and that in a natural language environment, saturated with good stories, meaningful conversation, and abundant writing materials, the process can begin even before a child goes to school. (FL)

This investigation provided empirical data and addressed theoretical issues regarding the Educational Set Scale (ESS) and theory. An expanded model is proposed and directions for future research are suggested. (Author/GK)

Proposes a categorization scheme based on instructional design theory and empirical findings for employing various types of graphic/visual displays under specified conditions. (Author/CHC)

Describes and discusses the rule-assessment approach, a new research strategy for studying developmental sequences in children's acquisition of knowledge. Four experiments were conducted to illustrate the utility of this approach across a variety of concepts and a wide range of ages (three-year-olds to college students). (Author/CM)

Four types of kindergarten programs varying in time scheduling and planning for and reinforcement of task orientation were defined and their effects on four- and five-year-old pupils observed. The task orientation of the children varied with the degree of program planning to enhance it. (Editor/SJL)

Proposed is a new method for analyzing how concepts are used in the process of problem solving in science. Through the use of a "thinking aloud" interview technique, 21 tenth-grade students worked with a problem concerning the boiling point of water at the Dead Sea. Interview protocols were analyzed to develop students' concept profiles.…