Identifies two steps to teaching economics, contending that economics learning can be helped with the use of graphs. Divides graphs into two types, concrete and abstract, and compares the two. Presents an exercise on teaching supply and demand utilizing abstract graphs. Plots supply and demand variables and interprets data. (RW)

An ex post facto study of 1,486 education majors reported that 53.5% of participants were at the formal operational stage and 43.9% were at the transitional stage. Students with more science courses in grades 10-12 had significantly higher scores for cognitive development and science process skills. No significant differences were found in…

This article describes an empirical investigation of the extent to which incorrect arithmetic algorithms persist over time. Results with 30 fourth-year and third-year English students over up to 3 months shed light on "bugs," or students' learning of incorrect concepts, and indicate that they are not very stable in children of this age.…

This study examined the effect of a salient multimodal reinforcer on object search performance of 9 children with Down's syndrome (24-56 months old). Attentional deficits of children with mental retardation or at risk for delay influenced their performance. Contingency learning of children with Down's syndrome may be affected by the attentional…

Rebuts the arguments made by Suchting criticizing constructivism. (MDH)

Investigates Grade 12 students' understandings of the nature of chemical bonds and the energetics elicited across five familiar chemical reactions following a course of instruction. Discusses the many ways in which students can misconstruct concepts and principles. Contains 63 references. (DDR)

Reports the results of a self-assessment questionnaire containing higher-order-cognitive skills types of questions administered to biology majors (N=71). Results indicate that the majority of students in the study rate themselves as capable of self-assessment. Contain 41 references. (DDR)

Spreadsheets have become popular tools for exploring mathematical patterns and building conceptual understanding of variables and functional relationships. Presents examples of students' work to illustrate multiple paths of inquiry, generalization, and mathematical reasoning. Supports effective investigation of patterns and functions for students…

Reports on research designed to discover whether certain conceptual difficulties experienced by present day students in the realm of action at a distance are parallel to the experiences of scientists in previous generations. Contains 60 references. (DDR)

Examines situations in which science impinges on everyday life and in which school science education is of little use. Argues that relevancy goes beyond acquiring knowledge of conceptual understanding. Contains 33 references. (DDR)

Explains how cartoons are used to promote public understanding of science. Argues that cartoons have proven popular and can be usefully applied in the classroom where improved motivation is one of the benefits. (Author/DDR)

Development of the concept of division was studied in two experiments involving a total of 124 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old students in England. Partitive tasks, more similar to sharing, were easier than quotitive tasks, suggesting that children's initial understanding of division might be based on the action schema of sharing. (SLD)

Reports on an intensive study of problem-solving activity of female students at the senior secondary level. Focuses on both the mathematical processing and the underlying cognitive and metacognitive activities that led to that processing. Concludes that all successful groups displayed a high number of key points where metacognitive decisions could…

Outlines and defends claims about the metaphysical nature of the theory of Democritus; the modified theories of Gassendi, Boyle, and Newton; and the chemical atomic theory of John Dalton. (DDR)

Outlines three activities for different areas of biology that can serve as motivators for students or as demonstrations. Each activity is easy to organize and uses available materials. Topics include evolution, anaerobic respiration, and heat loss. (DDR)