Proposes the dialectical perspective as offering fertile ground for the integration of child and family research and training. Defines the dialectical perspective and then discusses its applicability in a department of child and family studies. (Author)

A general model of conceptual change which is largely derived from current philosophy of science, but which can illuminate learning as well, is described. Some features of this model are illustrated by interviews with students studying special relativity in physics. Finally, some pedagogical implications are presented. (Author/PB)

Describes a political socialization model which applied social conditioning principles to the understanding of political attitudes. Findings show political attitudes depend on positive responses to persons in one's environment. Journal available from Manning J. Dauer, Department of Political Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida,…

Eleven papers comprise the special issue on learning disabilities and deal with definition, prevalence, promising research strategies, and potentially effective educational treatments oriented toward the processes of thought and the "learning to learn" strategy. (DB)

Reported is a study involving a modification of the mastery learning technique designed to determine the effects of general remediation on the achievement of the mole concept by 99 ninth-grade physical science students. Results of one way analysis of covariance did not indicate a significant difference in mean scores between treatments. (DS)

Senior high students who were given concepts simultaneously learned more than those who received concepts successively. A second variable, instructional control strategy, contrasted an adaptive (computer-assisted) control strategy with learner control. Performance was above the criterion level for the adaptive condition, but below it for learner…

Studies children's justification of message choices as characteristics of their reasoning processes. Indicates that interpersonal reasoning increases in sophistication and complexity over the age groups studied and that females reason at a higher level than males. Situational influences on level of interpersonal reasoning were also found. (JMF)

Laboratory research that compared the effects of various types and combinations of feedback on children's conceptual learning was reviewed and evaluated in terms of theories involving reinforcement, motivation, and information-processing interpretations. It was concluded that some important laboratory research findings and implications have been…

An empirical investigation of the optimum amount of teacher intervention in experience-based education was conducted. Teachers trained in the Mini-Society Instructional System kept journals of their roles and students' roles. It was concluded that nonintervention was the most effective teaching strategy. (Author/MH)

Presents an overview of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and then describes the UNESCO Recommendation on the Development of Adult Education, the first worldwide standard-setting instrument in this field, and suggests why the provisions of this document are important to adult educators in the United…

Uses interviews and a written questionnaire to probe students' ideas on the origin of earth and life on earth. A significant number of commonly held misconceptions were prevalent in the sample (N=493). Provides guidelines to assist learners in challenging existing views. Contains 64 references. (DDR)

Explores both the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of pupils' ideas related to conservation during state changes of water. Analysis of questionnaire data indicates that qualitative understanding precedes quantitative. Contains 18 references. (DDR)

Describes a study that explores the instructional influence of presenting pictures at the molecular level when introducing chemistry concepts and solving chemistry problems. Explores the effect of the pictures on students' conceptions and problem-solving abilities. Contains 59 references. (DDR)

Presents a series of lessons that extend the concrete experiences many elementary students have had with attribute blocks to provide middle school students with informal opportunities to explore the concepts and properties of relations and functions. (DDR)

Suggests that students' preconceptions about hunger and eating are inconsistent with contemporary theories. These theories assert that among adequately nourished individuals, hunger occurs because of pleasurable expectations of eating rather than energy deficits. Maintains that instructors should discuss the incompatibility of these preconceptions…