Explores the growth of mathematical knowledge and the relationship between abstraction and context. Builds on work to construct a viable model of the micro-evolution of mathematical knowledge in context whose central feature is the visibility of its mechanisms. Illustrates a case study of 10-11-year-old children's construction of meanings for…

Describes in detail the progress of two science induction teachers in conceptual change teaching and investigates secondary induction science teachers' conceptions of teaching science by analyzing their conceptual ecologies. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/YDS)

Reports on a study in which three 3rd grade students were presented with the volume of cuboids. Examines the problem solving actions students demonstrate and analyzes students' strategies and solutions. Explores the connection between spatial structuring and the use of numerical operation. Considers perseverance and control emerging when solving…

Explores the crossroads between science education and environmental education and presents a framework for tapping environmental education's potential of biodiversity. Outlines a number of stepping stones for making biodiversity meaningful to learners. From the perspective of environmental education, the ill-defined nature of biodiversity is a…

Asks 12 conservation management experts by interview and 34 science teachers using questionnaires as to the essential underpinning concepts of biological conservation. Identifies 45 biological concepts as contributing to a good understanding of conservation management with the teachers emphasizing ecological concepts at the expense of fundamental…

Describes a series of activities using attribute blocks designed to help construct knowledge about and develop conceptual understanding of probability. (KHR)

Presents data illustrating some of the problems that students encounter when learning about force for the first time. The data illuminate the complexity of the task that students face and reveal some difficulties that have received little attention in the literature. Discusses some issues that arise regarding the traditional presentation of…

Provides a first-person perspective on problem solving in an undergraduate history of mathematics course. Highlights social and material resources for problem solving. Generalizes primary factors affecting perceptions of a problem. Discusses the influence of factors on the personal perceptions of problem difficulty. Includes analyses of resources…

Describes action research experiences as the study was conducted and reflection upon the results. Determines whether 1st grade students have similar misconceptions about animals. Investigates whether a constructivist approach focusing on students' prior knowledge could alter the misconceptions. (Author/KHR)

The problem of teaching relational discriminations to people with mental retardation is examined. The limitations of several commonly used teaching procedures are discussed and alternative approaches to simple-discrimination learning are described. Results of two preliminary single-subject studies demonstrating the feasibility of these approaches…

Investigates the relationship between social interaction skills and knowledge of concepts in primary school age children as a basis for intervention in terms of concept development. Finds that 12 of the 61 children investigated had severe problems in concept development. Demonstrates the deep integration of concept and social interaction skill…

Children's use of the terms "lie" and "truth" was examined. Participants were 150 subjects in five groups: nursery schoolers, preschoolers, first graders, fifth graders, and adults. Results support the development of definitional prototypes for the concepts of lie and truth. (RH)

The study compared two methods of teaching an initial place value skill: a concrete, semiconcrete, abstract teaching sequence and an abstract-only presentation. Learning-disabled elementary and middle school students (N=24) using the concrete to abstract teaching sequence performed significantly better on three posttests than students taught the…

Presents a study that examined the effects of critical attributes and a best example on the concept development of kindergartners. Concludes that subjects taught with critical attributes scored significantly higher on the achievement posttest and generated significantly more correct examples of the concept on the protocol retention test. (GEA)

Mathematical games designed for children from kindergarten to grade five using buttons as counters are described. Each game description includes a brief discussion of the number and mathematical concepts it teaches. (JD)